After a change at the helm, struggling St Louis City welcome San Jose Earthquakes to Energizer Park for this weekend's edition of Major League Soccer, hoping the decision sparks a change in fortunes.
The Missouri outfit recently parted ways with Olof Mellberg following a frustrating stretch of 11 league games without victory and have turned to team 2 boss David Critchley to steady the ship on an interim basis.
Match preview
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Champions of the Supporters' Shield in their debut campaign, St Louis have spiralled since their 2023 high, missing out on the playoffs last term after a disappointing 12th-placed finish in the Western Conference.
Mellberg was handed the reins on November 24 with the hope of restoring direction and consistency, but his tenure has largely mirrored the missteps of the previous season despite a relatively encouraging start.
There was actually an early semblance of structure under the Swede, with back-to-back goalless draws followed by two consecutive victories – a spell that ended without conceding – but that promising stretch soon gave way to a slide.
Those early wins remain their only successes in this regular season, and St Louis have since endured eight defeats in an 11-game winless run, during which they shipped 20 and found the net only 11 times.
Mellberg exits with the team languishing in 14th in the West, having accumulated just 11 points from 15 matches, while only bottom side LA Galaxy sit beneath them in the standings.
Energizer Park has not offered much by way of comfort either, with St Louis collecting just seven points from six outings at home, including a solitary league win in front of their fans.
Nonetheless, Critchley may draw confidence from the team's favourable recent history in this fixture on home soil, where they earned a 3-0 victory in 2023 and followed it up with a 2-0 success last season.
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San Jose, however, arrive with hopes of finally ending that poor run in Missouri, carrying the momentum of a six-game unbeaten stretch in the MLS and an eight-match run across all competitions.
It marks a welcome resurgence for the Quakes after a rocky March and April that saw them suffer six defeats in eight league outings, with just a solitary win and a draw to show from that stretch.
May ushered in a turnaround for Bruce Arena's side, who have now claimed three victories from their last six top-flight matches, the latest being a gritty 1-0 triumph away to LA Galaxy thanks to Ousseni Bouda's 77th-minute strike.
San Jose's league record now reads six wins, four draws and six defeats from 16 game, enough to place them seventh in the Western Conference and 15th in the overall table.
The Goonies have been potent in the final third with 33 goals, though their backline has not always matched that output, conceding 26, but signs of defensive stability have emerged lately, with three clean sheets in their last five league games.
All three of those shutouts have come on the road, where San Jose have taken seven points from a possible nine, and they will look to carry that confidence into a venue where results have historically eluded them.
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Team News
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St Louis came through their previous outing without picking up any fresh concerns, but the Missouri outfit remain plagued by a host of injury absences.
Defensive duo Jannes-Kilian Horn and 35-year-old Alfredo Morales are both unavailable due to hamstring and muscle problems, respectively.
Joakim Nilsson has been sidelined since sustaining a knee injury against Seattle Sounders on May 4, while German midfielder Eduard Lowen is poised to miss a sixth straight match due to personal reasons.
Tomas Totland also remains out of the frame, having suffered a hamstring issue back in March, and the 25-year-old defender will not be involved this weekend.
San Jose Earthquakes are expected to travel without Chicho Arango, Noel Buck, Daniel, Francesco Montali and Niko Tsakiris, who are all continuing their recovery from various injuries.
Following his match-winning strike last time out, 25-year-old centre-forward Bouda could be rewarded by head coach Arena with a starting role in attack.
St Louis City possible starting lineup:
Burki; Baumgartl, Hiebert, Yaro; Wallem, Durkin, Watts, Girdwood-Reich; Hartel, Klauss, Teuchert
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Edwards Jr; Romnie, Munnie, Rodrigues; Costa, Leroux, Harkes, Kikanovic; Pellegrino, Espinoza; Martinez
We say: St Louis City 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes
With Critchley now in charge, St Louis might enjoy a lift from the so-called new manager bounce, but they face a San Jose side in good form, so the most realistic outcome may be a draw with both teams finding the net.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
