Following their close loss to Austin FC II on Wednesday, St Louis CITY2 (3-6-5, 18 points) travels to the Beehive State for a showdown with Real Monarchs (4-7-1, 14 points) on Sunday, June 18. The match kicks off at 9:00 p.m. CT, and it will be streamed on MLSNEXTPro.com.
CITY2 and Real Monarchs will be dueling for the first time this season when they meet at Zions Bank Stadium later this weekend. Last year, CITY2 dominated the teams’ two meetings, winning each game 2-0.
Against Austin FC II earlier in the week, CITY2 found itself in a battle. Midfielder Isak Jensen put numerous shots on frame in the first half but could not find the back of the net, while midfielder John Klein scored but had the goal taken off the board after the play was ruled offside. The second half featured much of the same early on, as CITY2 worked its way into enemy territory but could not convert on scoring opportunities. Austin broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, netting the rebound off a shot that had been blocked by goalkeeper Ben Lundt. CITY2 continued putting pressure on the visitors, outshooting Austin twenty-three (23) to six (6) on the night, but finished the match scoreless, falling 1-0 to the away side.
Despite having dropped two straight matches, CITY2 has earned points in five of their last seven contests, accumulating 12 of a possible 21 points. In road matches this season, CITY2 has had success winning the turnover battle, winning ninety-eight (98) tackles compared to their opponents’ total eighty (80) tackles won. Although they were shut out against Austin earlier in the week, CITY2 had scored two goals in six consecutive matches, a result of the team’s top-five accurate shooting percentage (42.5 percent) in MLS NEXT Pro. Klein is tied for third in shots on target (16) in MLS NEXT Pro.
Real Monarchs is coming off a 3-3 draw with LA Galaxy, picking up the additional point with a 5-4 shootout victory. It’s been an up-and-down season for the team thus far, as they’ve earned points in back-to-back matches just once this season. At home, the Monarchs are 1-4-1 (5 points) with a minus-four goal differential.
