Major League Soccer Season Opener: St. Louis City SC vs. Charlotte FC
In the inaugural match of the Major League Soccer season, St. Louis City SC and Charlotte FC concluded their contest in a 1-1 stalemate on Saturday at CityPark. Marcel Hartel put St. Louis on the scoreboard with a goal in the 60th minute, but Charlotte answered back with an equalizer from Pep Biel in the 73rd minute.
Match Highlights
St. Louis showcased dominant offense throughout the game, outshooting Charlotte 22 to 9 overall, and making their mark with 11 shots on target compared to Charlotte’s modest 3. Charlotte’s goalkeeper, Kristijan Kahlina, proved to be a key player, making an impressive 10 saves to keep his team in the match.
The first half ended without any goals, although St. Louis appeared to have the upper hand, creating more scoring opportunities while Charlotte struggled to maintain attacking momentum. Early in the second half, Brendan McSorley was introduced as a sub for St. Louis, marking their first player change of the season.
Key Moments
The breakthrough for St. Louis came in the 60th minute when Hartel converted a chance set up by a clever pass from Simon Becher, capitalizing on space in the box. Just over a quarter of an hour later, Charlotte responded; Wilfried Zaha sent a precise through ball to Biel, who capitalized on the opportunity to net the equalizer.
Despite pushing hard for a late winner, including generating several promising chances during stoppage time, St. Louis couldn’t find the back of the net again as Kahlina continued to excel with crucial saves, helping Charlotte secure a draw. In terms of metrics, St. Louis also held a distinct advantage in expected goals (1.9 to 0.6) and corner kicks (6 to 1) but ultimately had to settle for just one point from the match.
Notably, this draw extends St. Louis’s unbeaten streak to four consecutive opening matches in MLS history.
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