ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

One is City SC’s survival in the venerable tournament. The other is, quite possibly, coach Olof Mellberg’s job.

Mellberg doesn’t have a whole lot of room to maneuver with his team failing to win in its past 10 games, and just like the earlier Open Cup win over third-division Union Omaha, whatever happens Wednesday won’t change that streak in MLS competition. But a loss, no matter how good the team looked in doing it, would do nothing to improve his situation.

“What we can do is give our best on the pitch,� said midfielder Chris Durkin, who played under four head coaches at D.C. United and is now on his third in St. Louis. “I think fighting for our coach, fighting for the guy who takes all the heat, is tough. And I feel for Olof. I feel like the game plans have been set up well, it’s just execution on our part as well. So I think it’s a balance of everything. Yes, Olof may be under pressure — there’s rumors, there’s this, there’s that. All we can focus on is Wednesday and giving our best shot there. And I’m telling you: We’re right there. I really do feel that, but it’s our approach.�

City SC lost unimpressively to Minnesota on Saturday in a league match, but with this game falling midweek between league matches, there figures to be significant roster changes, at least for Minnesota, which is battling atop the Western Conference standings. For City SC, this is a game of major importance, so Mellberg will likely field the best team he can.

“Definitely looking forward to that one,� Mellberg said. “Really disappointing result on Saturday but a lot to build on and a lot to learn from, so I think we should have a good possibility of winning that one, and that’s our goal. We have a lot of games now, so we might see some changes, but we’re definitely taking this cup seriously as well.�

It wouldn’t be City SC without injuries. Mellberg was optimistic Durkin, who returned to the lineup Saturday, would be able to start Wednesday. Center back Henry Kessler, who came off the bench against Kansas City, didn’t play against Minnesota and didn’t practice Monday, is questionable. Mellberg was hopeful that Jannes Horn would be available, if not for Wednesday then for Saturday at Colorado, and Eduard Lowen is back in training and Mellberg said “it’s a constant dialogue with him on how we can use him in the next few games.� Joey Zalinsky missed the last game with a twisted ankle but could be available. Alfredo Morales is out, along with Tomas Totland still being out.

It’s an immediate chance for City SC players and coaches to change a result, even if it’s a totally different situation.

“We come on to the pitch expecting to win every single time,� Durkin said, “so that view doesn’t change. I would definitely double down on the 100% effort. I think effort is not just working hard out there. It’s taking pride in the effort that you put in, pride in the duels that you win. And I think we need a little bit more of that. That’s nothing controversial to say. I think everybody can muster up a little bit more desire to win.

“I just want to see 11 guys out there, plus four or five that come in (off the bench), that give everything for the man next to them. That’s all I want to see. And I think that a massive part of team sports is how much am I going to work, not for just myself but for the guy next to me. And I think we’ll all be looking for that because, yeah, each and every single one of us needs to step up.�

That loss to Minnesota looms large but has to be forgotten about, Durkin said.

“We look back on previous results, and nobody’s happy,� Durkin said. “But it’s not about looking backward. It’s about looking forward, looking to the next game. This is honestly a great week where we can put games behind us really quick and look forward to the next game immediately. And all of our energy has to go to that. Every single piece of preparation, looking back on previous mistakes, how we can get better at that. All of that has to be 100% focus right now.�

Minnesota is likely to go with a younger lineup, which should change some things about the game.

“Obviously we do our tactical plan, they do theirs,� Durkin said. “It won’t be a completely identical game, but we know what they bring. They’ll lump it in from anywhere with their goalie on set pieces, and they create a certain amount of energy off of those chances. But I’d argue that we had our fair share of opportunities that can turn into chances. It’s just these small things that are missing right now. I keep going back to the critical moments, that final pass, that tackle. We took pride earlier in the year on not letting the ball go into the back of the net. I feel like we were losing a little bit of that pride as well.

“So I’m not picking out the attackers or the defenders, the midfielders, it’s everybody. Everybody needs to do their job and step up and take pride in it.�