St. Louis City SC makes MLS expansion history with fourth straight win

No expansion side has ever started life in MLS like this

No one’s ever started an MLS season like St. Louis City SC.

The league’s 29th team, and 21st expansion side, became the first ever to win the first four competitive games of their existence after rolling to a 3-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.

That broke a record set (or should we say, invented) by the 2009 Seattle Sounders, who won the first three games as they joined MLS.

A fairly even game at Citypark was broken open by yet another glaring mistake that St. Louis ruthlessly punished. John Nelson’s 34th minute cross wasn’t well-struck, but San Jose center back Rodrigues made a bizarre attempt to chest the ball out of trouble.

That interception missed, and Nicholas Gioacchini pounced. The winger kept his run going to take a touch, then somehow guided the ball past Miguel Trauco and goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.

It turned out to be all the new kids on the block needed, but Bradley Carnell’s team seems to only have one speed. Late in first-half stoppage time, striker João Klauss tried to bring some flair with a no-look pass towards Rasmus Alm. Klauss missed the mark, sending the ball right into Michael Baldissimo, but the big Brazilian conjured up a goal anyway.

Klauss surged forward, beating Baldissimo and Tommy Thompson to the loose ball before quickly getting a shot away that beat Marcinkowski before the goalkeeper could get set.

By this point, St. Louis had taken things over, and there was time to put an exclamation point on the victory.

As with the Klauss goal, it came down to picking up second balls. St. Louis sent a free kick in that San Jose got the first touch on, but Tomás Ostrák was first to it.

His shot was blocked, setting a pattern into motion. Some strong counter-pressing from there ended with Eduard Löwen seeing his 19-yard shot blocked by Jonathan Mensah. St. Louis was first to the rebound again, and Indiana Vassilev tried the same thing only to again fire a shot that hit Tanner Beason.

Again St. Louis collected the ball, and Ostrák had the patience to take a touch to change his angle before letting loose with yet another shot. Beason got a foot to this one as well, but could only divert the ball further into the corner.

Speaking after the match, Carnell attributed the good start to being “relentless and ruthless.”

“The boys had their most complete performance as of today’s date. Historical night for the club, historical night for the league,” said Carnell. “We have a bunch of guys from all over the world, to come here and commit to something that’s bigger than all of us? It’s humbling… right now, the motto is ‘comfortable, but never satisfied.'”

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