Surging to their third consecutive win and sixth straight result in their last match, St Louis CITY2 (4-1-2, 15 points) will look to continue their winning ways as the team returns to CITYPARK for a bout against Austin FC II (2-2-2, 8 points) on Sunday, May 12. The match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
The Verde and Black are a familiar foe for CITY2, as the two sides already met earlier this season in Austin. After a scoreless first half, CITY2 jumped in front through a goal from Brendan McSorley and then buckled down defensively to lock up the shutout victory. It was the team’s first-ever win and first-ever goal against Austin FC across three all-time matchups.
That win against Austin also came amidst the team’s current unbeaten run, which the team pushed to six matches last weekend against Minnesota United FC 2. Wan Kuzain broke through for the first time this season to give CITY2 an early lead, which the team took into the break. After the hosts leveled in the 58th minute, late-game heroics from Mykhi Joyner returned the advantage to CITY2 and gave the forward his second game-winning goal in as many matches. His performance earned him MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchweek 8 honors. With the win, CITY2 moved to a perfect 3-0-0 in road contests this season, making them the only remaining team with a perfect away record in MLS NEXT Pro.
Against Minnesota, goalkeeper Nick Bishop made his third start of the season, saving a season-high six shots in the win. His play continued the strong goalkeeping from CITY2 this season, as the team has allowed the second fewest goals (6) in MLS NEXT Pro thus far.
John Klein also tallied a goal contribution in the win against MNUFC2, pulling the strings in the lead up to Wan Kuzain’s goal. The midfielder has a team-leading four goal contributions this season (2 goals, 2 assists) in addition to being first on the team in shots on target (9) and second on the team in key passes (12).
A key component of CITY2’s unbeaten stretch has been the team’s ability to limit their opponents’ scoring opportunities, even when it means putting their bodies on the line. The match against Minnesota was the sixth time this season that CITY2 blocked more shots than their opponent, giving the team a plus-10 margin in that category across the entire season.
Austin FC II enters the match looking to protect an unbeaten streak of their own after the team defeated Colorado Rapids 2 last weekend, giving the team its third straight result. The win also maintained Austin’s unbeaten road form this season (2-0-1). Forward Sebastien Pineau leads the team in goals this season with two.
