St. Louis City v Houston Dynamo: Hosts are better than recent showings suggest, says Hackworth
John Hackworth has challenged St. Louis City to do better against Houston Dynamo after a disappointing loss to LA Galaxy last time out in MLS.
St. Louis had won back-to-back games before losing 1-0 to the Galaxy last time out in a game where they did not register a single shot on target.
They cannot make the playoffs, sitting 12th in the Western Conference on 34 points with just two games left, and Hackworth is looking to learn from their mistakes in the last game to end their final home match of the season on a positive note.
"We didn't play as well as we're capable of [against LA Galaxy], but I think that can be a good thing for us going forward," he said.
"I don't want anybody to accept that it was anything other than a loss. We can look at ourselves knowing we're much better than that."
Meanwhile, Houston bounced back from a defeat to Seattle Sounders with a 2-1 victory over New England Revolution.
With their playoff place already secure, their aim is to finish as high up the table as they can, currently sitting in fifth, with only four points separating them and Los Angeles FC in second.
Ben Olsen was particularly pleased with his defense against the Revs and believes that will be the key for them in the postseason.
"Our defense is what we hang our hat on," Olsen said. "Sometimes we get some credit for some of the build-up, but really we're a defensive team, and we can defend with the ball, but we've got a great back four.
"It's a collective effort, everybody's doing their part, but we're going to keep working so they know when they're good or when they're not up to snuff."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert
Cedric Teuchert has scored in each of his first three home appearances for St. Louis City, the only player in club history to do so.
Only one player in the last 20 years has scored in each of his first four career MLS home games: Federico Bernardeschi with Toronto FC in 2022 (first five).
Houston Dynamo – Adalberto Carrasquilla
The Dynamo have won a club-record eight away matches this season. Houston's 26 road points (W8 D2 L6) are the most they have ever collected in a single regular season in club history.
Adalberto Carrasquilla secured the record-breaking win for them against Austin on September 22 and added two more assists to his tally in the win over New England last time out.
MATCH PREDICTION: HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN
The home side have not lost any of the five meetings between St. Louis City and Houston, with St. Louis recording wins in both of its home matches against the Dynamo, including a 2-1 win in the first round of this season's Concacaf Champions Cup in February.
That bodes well for St. Louis, who have won 21 of their first 40 home matches in all competitions (D8 L11), scoring 75 total goals. They have won four of their last six at home in all competitions (D1 L1) after winning one of their previous seven at home (D2 L4).
However, Houston's 2-1 win over New England on Wednesday took them to 51 points for the season, equaling their total from last year. A win over St. Louis City would set a new club points record for the Dynamo, surpassing the 53 they earned in the 2012 campaign.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City – 32.9%
Draw – 25.6%
Houston Dynamo – 41.5%
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Historic redemption: Dethroned Manning Cup champs Mona High secure Walker Cup triumph
Dethroned Manning Cup champions Mona High found solace and silverware on Friday, as they secured their first-ever ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup crown with a commanding 4-1 victory over Excelsior High in what turned out to be a lopsided final at the National Stadium.
The triumph, highlighted by Kshaine Gordon’s brace (52nd, 76th) and goals from Carlton Brown (34th) and Marlon Cunningham (55th), provided a fitting end to Mona’s campaign.
Technical Director Craig Butler, who announced his departure from schoolboy football, celebrated the victory as a testament to his team's resilience after their Manning Cup disappointment.
“I think it (time in schoolboy football) has been great; I think it is good for development, not just for Mona but the entire school system, as we sought more development versus recruiting for professionalism in the programme. So I am just proud and happy that I could have shared the time with Mona and that we have a team that is going to continue to develop good young footballers,” Butler said.
For Excelsior, who got their consolation from Damarley Williams (12th), the defeat marked another painful chapter in their Walker Cup history, extending their title drought, which dates back to 2008. Despite their energetic start, they faltered under pressure and failed to maintain their intensity or take advantage of critical moments.
Head coach Keon Broderick acknowledged that much.
“Defensive errors cost us dearly; when you make mistakes against a team with the quality in the attacking third like this Mona team, they will come back to haunt you,” Broderick said post-game.
After a lively start in which they displayed their attacking intent, Excelsior eventually opened the scoring when Williams unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that slipped past Mona’s goalkeeper, Riquelme Edwards.
The Mountain View-based team maintained their attacking momentum, with Kimarly Scott and Shadeko Wizzard creating opportunities, but they squandered critical chances, failing to capitalize on Mona’s defensive lapses.
In the 25th, Kimarly Scott should have doubled Excelsior’s lead when he got behind defenders, but fired a rushed effort over the crossbar. Seconds later, Scott again got into a decent position from Shadeko Wizzard’s delightful pass, but somehow again fired over the crossbar.
Excelsior were later punished for their missed opportunities as they watched Mona seize control of the match during a passage of sustained pressure. Mona found the equalizer when Kshaine Gordon outwitted his marker to set up Brown, who calmly finished from inside the box.
Excelsior had another chance to reclaim the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Wizzard’s shot from a promising position sailed wide, leaving the teams locked at 1-1 at the break.
The second half belonged entirely to Mona, as Gordon’s relentless energy paid off seven minutes into the resumption when he pounced on a loose ball to fire home from close range to put his team 2-1 up.
Three minutes later, Cunningham extended the advantage as he rose above Excelsior’s defenders to head home a perfectly weighted corner from Denzel McKenzie.
Mona’s attacking intent continued as Gordon returned to haunt Excelsior in the 76th minute, converting a through ball from McKenzie with a low drive that slipped under goalkeeper Jamari Gordon to cap the win.