STL CITY Looks to Continue Its Winning Way in MLS NEXT
After dominating home victories against Shattuck-St. Mary’s, St. Louis CITY’s academy teams look to add to their winning record as they travel to Michigan to take on Midwest United FC Academy. Both teams will play on Sunday, September 12 at 9 a.m. CST at Brewer Park, with the U17 game being played on the South Field and the U16 match on the North Field.
In their first MLS NEXT game, STL CITY U16 team put on a dominant display against Shattuck-St. Mary’s, with Jackson Delkus netting two goals to secure the U16s first-ever win. The team had control of the game from the first whistle, dictating the play with persistent waves of attack and intricate passing. Defensively, the team was organized and their relentless pressing prevented the opposition from creating any threatening chances. STL CITY U16s will look to capitalize on their attacking sequences, building on their impressive performance against Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
“Going into every game, it is important for us to focus on improving as a team,” explained David Critchley, St. Louis CITY SC Academy Assistant Coach. “I was really impressed with the mentality of the players this week in training. Everyone was extremely focused and it speaks to the maturity of the group. This weekend we have a great opportunity to continue polishing our playing style by controlling the game and defending as a unit – both of which are important to our soccer identity.”
The U17 team continued their fine form in front of goal, scoring 8 goals against Shattuck-St. Mary’s. The win meant St. Louis CITY’s U17 team continues their perfect start to their inaugural MLS NEXT season with an impressive twelve goals scored in 2 games and a total of 7 players finding their names on the scoresheet so far. Despite their entertaining attacking play, the team has given up 4 goals, with 3 of them coming in the first 20 minutes of both games. St. Louis CITY will be looking to start assertively, controlling the game from the very first whistle.
“It’s always good to have goal contributions from different players,” explains Luis Swisher, St. Louis CITY Academy Assistant Coach. “But we have to also be more proactive in keeping goals out of our net. In the last two matches, we started slowly and went down early in both games, and that is not a part of our DNA. We want to create good habits and so we are looking to be assertive from the start this weekend.”
COACHES’ CORNER
Here’s what the St. Louis CITY SC Academy Coaches expect to see heading into this week’s match:
- Stay hungry for goals and maintain team composure in front of the net
- Bring high-pressing style of play to Midwest United, bringing to life the focus of this week’s training and recovering the ball high up the field
- Defensive discipline is key – clean sheets are critical to growing our team mentality
- Play the infinite game and make sure our performance improves each week, regardless of the result
To learn more about the academy, find player bios and rosters here.
