After a remarkable five-month stretch without a loss, playoff-bound St. Louis City will be out to begin a new streak Saturday night when they travel to Sandy, Utah, to face a Real Salt Lake club in search of a critical win.
St. Louis (14-7-9, 51 points) had a forgettable 10-game start that saw it earn just one victory (1-6-3). Under first-year head coach Yoann Damet, the club then rattled off 13 wins in 19 tries, going without a loss from May 9 to last Saturday, when it fell 3-2 at Minnesota United.
An exceptional season has Damet’s group tied with FC Dallas for second place in the Western Conference and eager to flush a rare setback.
“At the end of the day, I’m very proud of what the group accomplished with that streak,” Damet said. “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be able to put that together. … Would I have preferred to stay unbeaten? Of course, I think the guys would as well, but at the same time, now it’s more of a matter of turning the page.”
St. Louis ranks second in the Western Conference with 56 goals. Rafael Navarro, who began the season with the Colorado Rapids before signing with St. Louis on Sept. 2 for a club-record $12 million, has netted eight of his 18 goals since joining his new club.
Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake (10-14-6, 36 points) enter Saturday three points behind Colorado for the final wild-card spot with four games remaining.
RSL picked up an important 3-1 win last Saturday over Sporting Kansas City, but will need to earn consecutive victories for the first time since May 13 and 16.
Saturday will mark the first of three games in a week for head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s team, which understands how vital each result will be.
“There’s a belief factor that even though I may be physically tired, I am going to override that with my desire to help the team win,” Mastroeni said. “Entering a three-game week, we’re using that as a point of reference. These guys are playing well together; the midfielders, the back line, the guys up front.”
Sergi Solans’ 12 goals pace Salt Lake, which posted a 1-1 draw at St. Louis on Aug. 1. They are 2-0-3 in the last five meetings vs. St. Louis.
–Field Level Media
