After clinching their third-consecutive postseason berth and finishing with a single season best record of 17-7-4, St Louis CITY2 kicks off year four of MLS NEXT Pro action against defending MLS NEXT Pro champions North Texas SC on Sunday, March 9, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT, and the match will be streamed on MLSNEXTPro.com.
CITY2 ended the regular season finishing second in MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings and earning a single-season best 56 points. The squad had the second most clean sheets in the league (9), tallied 51 goals, 9-2-3 record at home and an 8-5-1 away record. St Louis hosted its first two playoff games at Energizer Park winning 2-1 against LAFC2 and 4-2 in overtime against The Town FC. Sunday will be the first time CITY2, and North Texas square off since the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Final which saw NTX pick up a 3-0 win in overtime and end CITY2’s playoff run.
One unbeaten streak will be on the line for CITY2 against North Texas on Sunday. CITY2 went 5-1in their final matches of the 2024 regular season as the most recent win dates to a 5-0 upset over Tacoma Defiance on October 6, 2024, at home, which marked the final game of the 2024 regular season.
This season, there will be many fresh faces from the coaching staff to the roster who will look to leave their mark on the team and help earn a fourth straight playoff appearance. New head coach David Critchley joins alongside new assistant coach and former Chicago Fire and LA Galaxy midfielder Baggio Hušidić.
Three new player signings which include 2025 MLS SuperDraft picks: Emil Jääskeläinen and Colin Welsh, as well as Jaziel Orozco, who joins from Real Monarchs. Gabriel Mikina, Dida Armstrong, Matteo Kidd, Larsen Hackworth, and Ryan Becher, who re-signed in the offseason, return from last season’s team.
