CITY SC retakes top spot in Western Conference with massive victory despite weather delay

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - St. Louis CITY SC needed to respond, and they did just that. CITY SC has re-claimed the No. 1 spot in the MLS Western Conference after defeating the Eastern Conference-leading FC Cincinnati 5-1.

CITY SC has also taken back the top spot in the MLS, standing above the rest with 18 points. This was a very important game for St. Louis, coming off back-to-back shutout losses to start the game. But FC Cincinnati wasn’t the only opponent CITY SC, and its supporters, faced that evening. Severe storms in the bi-state caused the game to be delayed and fans at CITYPARK were asked to shelter in place.

It’s clear that the weather delay did not phase St. Louis. Jared Stroud opened things up right around the third minute of the game with the first goal off a free kick rebound. CITY SC went up 2-0 in the 38th minute following another rebound goal for Eduard Löwen after a fantastic run down the left wing by John Nelson. And if that wasn’t enough of a cushion, Kyle Hiebert rocketed in a header in the 46th minute to put St. Louis up 3-0 going into the half. Just seven minutes into the second half, Nico Gioacchini nets the fourth after a beautiful flick pass from Rasmus Alm. And soon after, Alm proved his scoring ability with a laser from outside of the box that bounced off the post, then off the goalkeeper, and into the back of the net. Technically this was scored as an own goal, but we’re going to give it to Alm. FC Cincinnati finally got its goal in the 61st minute, but it was too little too late.

Eduard Löwen put in a man-of-the match performance against FC Cincinnati. Along with his goal, the midfielder led CITY SC in touches (76), total passes (48) and total crosses (6). With his assist tonight, Löwen is tied at the top of the MLS assist charts.

“It was incredible just to see the boys hanging about with a bunch of friends, and just good teammates,” coach Bradley Carnell noted afterward. “I heard some good spirit in the locker room, and it was our purpose to come out of the locker room as energized as we were for two hours.”

St. Louis CITY SC now leads the MLS in goals scored with 20, 16 of those coming within the first 18 minutes of the game. The club will look to continue feeding the momentum with a match against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, April 22 at 8:30 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

For more information on St. Louis CITY SC, check out our guide to the 2023 season.

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