CITY SC squeaks eighth straight win vs. Rapids, 1-0

ST. LOUIS — Tomáš Ostrák scored late Saturday night to lift St. Louis CITY SC to a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at Energizer Park. The win extends the club’s unbeaten streak to eight matches across all competitions.

Colorado was reduced to 10 men just 12 minutes into the match after defender Rob Holding was sent off.

However, St. Louis needed until the 87th minute to make the advantage count. Ostrák finished from outside the box off a pass from Tomas Totland, scoring his first MLS goal of the season and helping the hosts keep their run rolling.

“I thought we created some good chances in the first half and in the second half,” St. Louis head coach Yoann Damet said. “You wish you could leave that game way earlier. But at the same time, us being able to convert later on in the game is a very good feeling.”

Damet said the Rapids tried to stay compact and defend deep after the red card, forcing St. Louis to show patience.

“I thought the guys did a very good job,” Damet said. “They put their head down, they kept trying, moving the ball, being selfless in movement.”

The first half ended scoreless, with St. Louis holding the edge in chances but unable to break through.

The breakthrough finally came late, when Ostrák scored his second goal across all competitions this season and Totland picked up his fourth assist in all competitions.

Baumgartl comments on match

Defender Timo Baumgartl said the team needed to move the ball faster once it was up a man.

Baumgartl added that the Rapids were trying to sit back and protect the draw.

St. Louis outshot Colorado 18-2 and held the Rapids to no shots in the second half. Colorado finished without a shot on target, while St. Louis put three of its attempts on goal. The hosts also earned 10 corner kicks, compared with one for Colorado.

Roman Bürki earned his second clean sheet of the MLS season as St. Louis improved to 7-6-4 and 25 points. This is good for seventh place in the Western Conference, up one spot from earlier in the week.

Ostrák noted moment has extra meaning

Ostrák said the moment carried extra meaning after a difficult stretch.

St. Louis will host Real Salt Lake for the first time this season on Saturday, Aug. 1. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT in Energizer Park.

CITY SC post-match conference

The full post-match press conference is below.

Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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