With six games this month, San Diego needs depth and precision to handle City’s defensive grit.
San Diego begins a demanding stretch this Saturday as they kick off the first of three matches in just seven days. The opponent? A struggling St. Louis team who are winless in the last seven MLS games. On the other hand, San Diego FC enter the match brimming with confidence after a dominant 5-0 victory that snapped Dallas’s unbeaten run on the road. The Western conference is locked in a tight race where three points can make a difference between second and eighth place. At the moment, it seems winning is crucial for the top ten teams in the West – and San Diego has a prime opportunity to take advantage of a slumping St. Louis City FC side. As always, let’s get into it!
Last Seven Games for Underperforming City FC
Times are certainly rough for St. Louis as they keep dropping points. The recent expansion team struggled to get points in their last seven games – losing five and tying two. It seems scoring has been a big issue for City as they only managed to net four while allowing 12 goals. Head coach and former Swedish international Olof Mellberg has instilled a “defense-first” philosophy as the foundation of St. Louis City FC’s identity. However, that approach has been anything but successful.
These struggles pinned St. Louis in 13th place on the Western Conference table with a mere ten points through 11 matches. Mellberg continues to deploy the same formation, hoping for improved results as he waits for his players to grow more comfortable and fully grasp the system. On paper, St. Louis tend to play a false 3-4-3 formation where it seems they only have three defenders. In practice, however, the team often commits five to six players to defensive duties, creating a far more conservative structure.
Hartel and Teuchert lead the team in goals scored, each tallying two goals. Joao Klauss brings danger in the box as the tall Brazilian is strong in the air but has failed to break out this season, having only netted one goal on the year. Lundt took over the goalkeeper duties after Burki was sidelined due to an injury. The injured Swiss keeper is considered to be one of the best in the league and while he’s been cleared to practice this week, it remains to be seen if he gets the starting role against San Diego this weekend.
Winning Games Demands Creativity
Mikey Varas emphasized the fact that SDFC will need to be creative to break down a defensive-minded team like St. Louis. So, what will that creativity look like? St. Louis will be okay with allowing opposing possession, it’s what they do. For San Diego, capitalizing on this will require effective use of width and quick ball movement to stretch the field and create openings. Dreyer and Chucky have been excellent in their runs to create space so they will look to get involved early and often on the wings.
It is worth noting that St. Louis just got done playing a U.S. Open match on Wednesday, where they were victorious over the Omaha Union, a USL side. SDFC will need to take advantage of having more time off to recover and train than City. Fatigue can set in quick when a team is playing two or even three games in a seven-day stretch.
Tactically, San Diego does not present any mysteries. Building up an attack out of the back will remain the overall focus as it relates to the play style but what they do in transitions will be a key to watch. St Louis tends to press high at times as they look to capitalize on defensive mishaps. They also allow opponents to settle into the attacking half, patiently waiting for opportunities to strike on the counterattack. Varas noted that his team has been vulnerable in the counterattack lately and that is something they focused on in training ahead of this match.
An Unfortunate Injury
Alex Mighten was the spark that San Diego needed on offense after losing Ingvartsen to injury. Mighten earned his spot in the starting lineup by making an immediate impact—creating key chances and drawing a penalty that put San Diego FC ahead 1-0 against Dallas in the first half. In the media presser following Thursday’s training, head coach Mikey Varas said Mighten’s injury doesn’t seem concerning, but he will most likely be kept out of the game in St. Louis as a precaution. Surely, Mighten is a very important player to this San Diego team, so it’s no surprise the coaching staff is managing his minutes carefully—especially with six matches remaining in a packed May schedule.
Analyzing Varas’s Starting Options
As it’s been said in previous articles, trying to predict what Mikey Varas does with his starting lineup requires a lot of guessing. It’s possible that guys who usually don’t see starting minutes get the call in St. Louis. After all, this would be the time to let players who’ve earned a look via success on the training ground showcase themselves. St. Louis is not particularly a top team that demands a top starting lineup. If there was a time to give players a shot, this is it. Let’s look at some interesting options.
Strikers
With the absense of Mighten, the most likely player to take over the nine-role would be Valakari. The false nine player is dangerous in the air and helps out in the midfield. Varas can also utilize Ilosky’s good form or deploy Tomas Angel in that position, as well. Ema Boateng should see minutes this game as he was not listed on the injury report. San Diego will look to keep rolling with the dynamic duo of Dreyer and Chucky on the wings. The pair are coming off an incredible performance against Dallas – one that earned Chucky MLS’s Man of the Matchday.
Midfield
Expect the midfield to stay the same with de la Torre, Tverskov, and Godoy. This game presents a good opportunity for Alejandro Alvarado to get minutes, if Varas decided one of the starting three could use a rest. Alvarado is a solid midfielder who still has some growing to do when it comes to being more decisive on the ball, but he’s proved to be able to play tough and move the ball with pace.
Defense
What Varas decides to do for this game as it relates to outside backs is anyone’s guess. Willy had a nice bounce-back game as the team exhibited confidence in him after a bad mistake which led to a goal in the game against RSL. His performance in the Dallas game is a testament to the ability of the coaching staff to show players that it’s ok to make mistakes and that they’re not looking for perfection every time. Surely, it does wonders for a players’ confidence.
Loffelsend and Negri are sure to see some minutes in the upcoming three game stretch. Whether it would be this game, remains a question. Diop and Pilcher remain options as well. The quick stretch of games also presents a perfect opportunity for San Diego’s newest signing – Oscar Verhoeven, to get additional sub minutes and continue to integrate himself into the team. The newcomer got acquainted with the home-game atmosphere against Dallas, where he looked comfortable out of the gate. As for the center of the defense, it’s fairly accurate to assume the McDuo of McVey and McNair will remain.
Important Three Points
Undoubtedly, Saturday’s matchup will be an important game for both teams. St. Louis – so desperately trying to get out of their losing funk. San Diego – fighting for an important three points to keep them in the top 5 in the West and on the heels of first place, Vancouver. St. Louis surely present themselves as one of the most frustrating teams to play against due to their defensive game strategy. Saturday’s clash promises to be a pivotal test of focus and execution—San Diego must remain patient and clinically sharp to break down one of the league’s most stubborn defenses and secure a vital three points in the Western Conference race.
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