The bad news: St. Louis CITY’s run in the U.S. Open Cup is over, after a 2–1 defeat against the Chicago Fire last night. The good news: The club gets a second crack at Chicago in merely three days. Despite numerous chances to strike on Tuesday night, CITY once again struggled to finish; the club logged 14 shots but placed only four of those on goal during a contest that saw St. Louis fail to score multiple goals for the fifth time in the past six completed matches against Major League Soccer competition. “I was really happy with a lot of the chances we created,” CITY head coach Bradley Carnell said after the game. “In terms of the way we want to play, in terms of where we want to create our chances, we got into good spots and just weren't able to get those fractions of time to get a shot off.”
Although it was a frustrating night, Miguel Perez provided a bright spot for St. Louis by scoring his first professional goal in the waning moments of the match. In this edition, we look at the 18-year-old’s journey to becoming a key midfield contributor during his first pro season. We also dive into Jared Stroud’s impressive start to the season, examine a few wrinkles in CITY’s upcoming schedule, and note a potential return for injured striker João Klauss.
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What to know
Major League Soccer tweaks CITY’s May schedule
A big change has been made to St. Louis CITY’s upcoming MLS schedule. The league has moved CITY’s highly anticipated first road meeting with defending MLS Cup champions LAFC to July 12 at 9:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for May 31 in Los Angeles, but the league announced Tuesday that it will move the match to accommodate LAFC’s upcoming appearance in the Concacaf Champions League Final. That creates a few fascinating wrinkles in the schedule for CITY, which will now play four consecutive home matches from May 20–June 11 against the likes of Kansas City, Vancouver, Houston, and the LA Galaxy. There’s also now a calendar crunch in the middle of July, when St. Louis will play at Toronto on July 8, followed by the trip to Los Angeles four days later. The club will then play host to Inter Miami on July 15. That’s a lot of soccer—and a whole lot of travel—in a tight window.
Klauss could return from injury this weekend
CITY’s ailing offense could use a boost. In the coming days, help could be on the way. St. Louis head coach Bradley Carnell says striker João Klauss may be available for the club’s return trip to Chicago this weekend. A strained quad has kept Klauss sidelined since April 23, but the Brazilian is inching closer to a return to the lineup sheet. “We’re going to progress it day-by-day,” Carnell says. “He could be an option. That’s just what I’m thinking. But I’m no medical specialist.” In nine games this season, Klauss has five goals and four assists.
Adeniran earns weekly honor in USL
Samuel Adeniran is making the most of his opportunity to see the field in Texas. After CITY loaned the 24-year-old forward to San Antonio in late April, Adeniran responded with a big game on Sunday. He tallied his first goal for San Antonio FC, while recording five shots and two chances created in his team’s 2–1 win in Las Vegas. The effort landed Adeniran on the USL Championship Team of the Week. As part of the loan agreement with San Antonio, CITY has the option to recall Adeniran throughout the season.
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