SerpApi.Org
Well, well. Look who's vying for a playoff spot.
St. Louis City SC, mired in the mud at the bottom of the MLS Western Conference early this season, is suddenly on a roll. City used its 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy Wednesday in Carson, California to slip past LA and into the final playoff spot in the conference. While there is a lo of soccer remaining to be played, City's at least back in the conversation again.
STL City is now undefeated in six consecutive games, going back to prior to the MLS's two-month pause for the World Cup.
St. Louis is 6-6-4 on the season and tied for eighth place in the conference with Minnesota, which lost Wednesday to Sporting KC 2-1.
Wednesday night, City's Lukas MacNaughton and Marcel Hartel scored four minutes apart late in the first half to set the Galaxy back on their heel;s and take a 2-0 lead at halftime.
MacNaughton's headball redirected a corner kick by Hartel off the far post and into the net in the 42nd minute made it 1-0.
Then, in first-half stoppage time, Hartel zipped a shot past a frozen Marcinkowski to make it 2-0. On the play, the Galaxy's Marco Reus was down on the turf after his foot was stepped by a St. Louis player. Hartel kept on playing and stunned Marcinkowski with his shot form outside the penalty area.
That play angered the Galaxy players, including Reus and Emiro Garces,who each received a yellow card after arguing that City should have kicked the ball out of bounds because of the injury.
That yellow, in the 49th minute, meant he was ejected and his teammates had to chase the game most of the second half down man and down two goals.
Simon Becher made it a three-goal St. Louis lead when he scored on a breakaway in the 68th minute.
The Galaxy's Troy Elgersma scored in the 86th minute to spoil City goalie Roman Burki's shutout.
City outshot the Galaxy 14-10 overall and 10-3 in shots on goal. St. Louis had a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
STL City will return home Saturday to host the Colorado Rapids in a 7:30 game at Energizer Park.
