In an MLS clash with numerous German professionals on the pitch, St. Louis kept the points in their home stadium against Kansas City. Lionel Messi’s goal was not enough for Miami to win, and the New York Red Bulls suffered a shipwreck.
Fifth goal of the season in the seventh game – Cedric Teuchert is making his mark in Major League Soccer. The native of Coburg scored the 1:0 (33rd minute) with a powerful 18-meter low shot in St. Louis City SC’s 3:1 victory over Sporting Kansas City and set up both 2-0 by Rasmus Alm (54th) and the ultimately decisive 3-1 by his fellow countryman Eduard Löwen (75th) – he, like Teuchert, also has a past with Nuremberg and has scored five goals. Stephen Arifa scored for the visitors, led by Tim Leibold (who also has a Nuremberg past like St. Louis defender Jannes Horn), in front of 22,423 fans just over an hour into the game.
“It was hard for us that we didn’t make the playoffs, but every week is important for next season,” said newcomer Teuchert, who was lured from Hannover 96 to the Midwest by sports director Lutz Pfannenstiel at the end of May for free.
While St. Louis, with Roman Bürki in goal and Marcel Hartel in midfield, improved its points tally to 34 and is now third from last in the Western Conference, Kansas City slipped to second-last place. Both teams have nothing to do with the play-offs this season.
MYCFC now level with the Red Bulls
The two New York clubs, who faced each other in Harrison, New Jersey, can plan with the play-offs. The home Red Bulls, coached by German Sandro Schwarz, suffered a bitter 1-5 defeat against New York City FC. Maximiliano Morales and Alonso Martinez put the visitors, who had not won in nine league games since July 4, on course with an early double (5th, 7th). Both teams have now collected 44 points and 48:44 goals in the east of the league and, with three matchdays to go before the end of the regular season, are among the top seven to qualify directly for the play-offs.
Goal from Messi is not enough
Superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, meanwhile, continued their winless streak in the MLS. The team from southern Florida had to settle for a 1-1 (0-0) draw against Charlotte FC, while it was already the third draw in a row for Miami. Messi (67th minute) equalized with his 15th goal of the season to cancel out Karol Swiderski’s (57th minute) goal. His team is top of the Eastern Conference, eight points ahead of Columbus Crew, and has already qualified for the play-offs. On Thursday, they face their first-tier pursuer Columbus in a direct duel.
Los Angeles Galaxy, the top team in the West and Marco Reus’s team, had a day off this weekend.
