The opening match of this year’s West 3 group in Leagues Cup between St. Louis CITY SC and FC Dallas was full of intense moments, featuring three goals, six yellow cards, and an atmosphere reminiscent of an elimination match on Saturday at CITYPARK. Ultimately, St, Louis squeaked out a 2-1 win in front of the home crowd.
Both teams were missing key figures in their starting lineups: FC Dallas was without Jesús Ferreira and Alan Velasco, while CITY SC was missing João Klauss, a cornerstone of its squad.
These two teams had already met twice this season, and it showed in a high-intensity clash between two potent offenses. Each team’s interim head coach aimed to make their mark on the match, with both sides having relieved their previous coaches before the Leagues Cup.
Sam Junqua scored the first goal for FC Dallas in the 17th minute, with Paul Arriola delivering a beautiful through ball that left Junqua 1-on-1 with Roman Bürki.
STL CITY SC applied pressure after falling behind and equalized in the 27th minute with a goal from new addition Cedric Teuchert, marking his first start for the club.
A handball called on CITY SC in the box gave Peter Musa an opportunity to retake the lead for FC Dallas, but he missed the penalty, keeping the score level in the 31st minute.
Musa was active on the pitch for FC Dallas — despite creating several opportunities, he couldn't find the back of the net. FC Dallas entered halftime having had the better chances, but was unable to put them away.
Coming out of the tunnel, Marcel Hartel scored his penalty and put CITY ahead in the 47th minute.
In the second half, Musa created a couple of good shots saved by Bürki, who was proving to be crucial for CITY SC.
Tensions flared as Tim Ream and Kyle Hiebert received yellow cards in the 63rd and 65th minutes, respectively, and CITY SC worked to protect their lead.
St. Louis CITY SC's narrow 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in their Leagues Cup opener is the first time it has won from behind all season and set the stage for an exciting group stage competition.
Heading into their next match against Juarez, St. Louis should be confident, especially playing at home with a win in-hand. Saturday’s 18 shots — six on target — has already seen CITY SC outperform their previous Leagues Cup campaign as well.
FC Dallas need to secure a victory in their next match, also against Juarez, if they plan on advancing into the Round of 32.
