St Louis CITY2 (6-8-8, 31 points) begins a two-match homestand with a bout against Portland Timbers2 (9-12-1, 28 points) on Friday, August 18, at CITYPARK. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
Friday’s contest will be the second and final regular season meeting between the two teams. CITY2 picked up its first road victory of the season when the teams battled in May, scoring twice in a five-minute stretch to take the lead after conceding an early goal.
CITY2 enters the match looking to extend their current four-match unbeaten streak (2 wins, 2 draws). The team battled in a see-saw affair against Minnesota United FC 2 last weekend. Midfielder Faysal Bettache put the visitors ahead in the 13th minute, but Minnesota responded with two goals to take the lead. With halftime approaching, midfielder John Klein netted the equalizer after corralling a ball that had been deflected into the box. CITY2 fell 4-3 in the shootouts following the 2-2 draw, missing out on the extra point.
Klein now has ten (10) goals this season, tying him for eighth in MLS NEXT Pro. He has scored in three consecutive matches, his longest goalscoring streak this season.
CITY2’s offense has been lethal over the team’s last three games, posting a combined ten (10) goals – tying Colorado Rapids 2 for the second-highest mark in that span. The team has scored two or more goals in eleven (11) matches across the entire season.
Over the team’s unbeaten run, eight (8) different players have recorded a goal contribution (Bettache, Klein, Selmir Pidro, Joakim Nilsson, Max Schneider, Wan Kuzain, Caden Glover and Isak Jensen). Opponents have scored five goals against CITY2 across the team’s last four matches, tying CITY2 for the sixth-fewest goals against in that span.
At home, CITY2 is 3-4-4 (16 points) but has won its last two home games, its longest home winning streak this season. On the road this year, Timbers2 are 3-8-0 (9 points) with a minus-23 goal difference.
Portland comes into the match having been routed 6-1 in a road match against Sporting Kansas City II their last time out. In matches immediately following losses this season, Timbers2 are 4-6-1 (13 points). Forward Florián Monzón leads the team's attack with eight (8) goals, and defender Blake Pope has played a key role connecting players, his twenty (20) key passes the most on the team.
