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Jannes Horn felt the need to apologize.

The St. Louis SC City defender was so disappointed with his team’s effort in a three-goal loss at Seattle last weekend that he took to social media to make amends.

In a heartfelt statement, he promised brighter days ahead.

“We have to do better,� Horn said.

Horn and his teammates will get a chance to do just that at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when City SC (2-5-4) takes on San Diego FC (5-4-2) in an MLS Western Conference match at Energizer Park.

St. Louis is winless in its last seven matches, the second-longest longest skid in team history behind a nine-match slide last season.

And the players desperately feel the need to get back on the winning track.

Horn said his message was also aimed at the team’s fanatical supporters who made the long trek to the Pacific Northwest.

“When I see the fans travel (for) us and to see them in stadiums so far away, it’s like we (have to) apologize,� Horn said.

City SC tallied first in that contest on a penalty kick by Marcel Hartel. It then gave up four unanswered goals including three in the second half. The performance over the final 45 minutes was called “unacceptable� by coach Olof Mellberg.

St. Louis and San Diego played to a scoreless draw on March 1 and Horn is looking forward to the rematch for a myriad of reasons. The most of important might be the simple need to garner three points in Matchday 12.

Right now, City SC is stuck in an offensive rut. It has just eight goals in 11 contests and four times during the seven-match rut in which it sports an 0-5-2 mark.

Mellberg stressed the team’s effort and intensity must improve to stay with San Diego, which sits fourth in the conference while St. Louis is 13th.

The turnaround may have started on Wednesday when City SC knocked off Union Omaha 2-0 in a U.S. Open Cup contest.

Omaha is a USL Leagues One team and City SC came into the contest as a heavy favorite. Joao Klauss and Joey Zalinsky tallied in the second to half to help the squad move on to a Round of 16 affair May 21 at Minnesota.

“It wasn’t pretty, a lot of things that we have to fix, a lot of things that we have to improve,� said Klauss. “I don’t think in the moment we are finding a lot of solutions. We have to go to the training ground, work on these things and find solutions.�

The triumph over an obviously inferior opponent does not fix all of the problems.

But it is a step in the right direction for a squadron desperate for any kind of silver lining.

“Overall a decent performance,� Mellberg said. “It is not easy against a lower level team. It was nice to get the win and a couple goals.�

City SC has been hampered by injuries all season long and may have lost another key piece against Omaha. Midfielder Alfredo Morales left in the first half with an abductor strain and will be sidelined indefinitely.

“It shouldn’t take too long, but he’s definitely out for (Saturday),� Mellberg said

Goalkeeper Roman Burki has been cleared after suffering a broken hand in training in mid-March. He is expected to return soon but will not start on Saturday.

Scouting report

San Diego FC is coming off a 5-0 win over Dallas last week that snapped a three-match losing skid.

It gave up nine goals during those three setbacks.

San Diego controlled play in the first meeting and took 15 shots to just two for City SC. San Diego also held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks.

“We defended really well in that game,� Mellberg said.

Downward trend

St. Louis has won just 14 of 58 MLS matches following a 35-day break during the midway point of its initial 2023 campaign. It sports a 14-24-20 mark since a 3-0 win over Inter Miami on July 15, 2023.

St. Louis City SC

Joey Zalinsky scores in 1st pro start as St. Louis City SC edges Union Omaha in US Open Cup

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

Replays of City SC soccer matches to air on Tuesdays on Matrix Midwest

• Tom Timmermann

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC to play Aston Villa of English Premier League in friendly match

• Tom Timmermann

Broadcasts of St. Louis City SC games, which for the most part have been available only to people with subscriptions to the league’s Season Pass on Apple TV, will start to air, on a delayed basis, for free over the air on Matrix Midwest.

The station, which can be found as Channel 32 over the air or Channel 6 on Spectrum cable, will re-air the Apple broadcasts of City SC games, which are usually played on Saturday or Sunday, on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. The first game to air will be the game Saturday against San Diego FC, which be shown on Tuesday. When there are two games in one week, the games will air as a doubleheader starting at 7 p.m.

With the exception of a few games that have aired on the Fox network, either KTVI (Channel 2) locally or FS1 on cable, City SC games have only been streamed on Apple in the club's two-plus seasons.

This hasn’t exactly been a thrilling season so far for City SC. The team has scored just eight goals in 11 games, which puts them in a tie for 26th in scoring in the 30-team league. City SC is winless in its past seven games and is 25th overall in the league, with two wins, five losses and four ties.

City SC will play Aston Villa of the English Premier League in a friendly match at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, Energizer Park.

Aston Villa is in seventh place in the Premier League with three games to play and is three points out of fifth place and England’s last spot in the UEFA Champions League. The match is one of two in America for Birmingham, England-based club as it prepares for the 2025-26 season. The other is in Nashville on Saturday, Aug. 2. The club said it is expecting to add a third match prior to the game here. The match falls during an off week for MLS games for City SC.

City SC coach Olof Mellberg played for Aston Villa from 2001 to 2008, making 260 appearances over all competitions and serving as captain of the team. This will be the first time he faces the team as an opponent.

It’s just the second match with a foreign club for City SC. The other was the first match in Energizer Park, with City2 playing Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 16, 2022.

Open Cup match date set: City SC will play its round of 16 U.S. Open Cup game with Minnesota United on Wednesday, May 21, at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. The game will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. It will be the second meeting with Minnesota in five days after the teams meet in an MLS match on May 17.

Fifteen of the 16 teams left in the Open Cup are from Major League Soccer. The only other team is the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship.

A point-less win for St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley chat about City's win in the Open Cup. While not pointless, the win didn't advance the team in MLS standings, just in the Open Cup bracket. But are the emotional impacts of a win following a bad 4-1 Seattle loss enough to lift the team to some wins at home in May? 

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A point-less win for St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley chat about City's win in the Open Cup. While not pointless, the win didn't advance the team in MLS standings, just in the Open Cup bracket. But are the emotional impacts of a win following a bad 4-1 Seattle loss enough to lift the team to some wins at home in May? 

• .

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

St. Louis City SC coach Olof Mellberg got a little more than he bargained for Wednesday night.

Mellberg decided to give shutdown defender Joey Zalinsky his first career start in a U.S. Open Cup contest against Union Omaha at Energizer Park.

Zalinsky thanked his boss in a surprising manner.

The New Jersey native scored in the 68th minute to propel City SC to a 2-0 win in the Round of 32 contest.

“It was insane,� Zalinsky said. “I couldn’t ask for much more. My first professional goal, in my first start in a stadium where the fans are so amazing. It was unbelievable; I was so happy.�

Mellberg admitted he did not expect Zalinsky to find the back of the net.

“That wasn’t the reason for putting him in the starting lineup,� Mellberg said.

City SC advanced to face Minnesota United in the fourth round of the tradition-rich 110th annual tournament May 20 or 21 in Minnesota.

Klauss added an insurance tally in the 87th minute off a pass from Cedric Teuchert.

But the night belonged to Zalinsky, who had spent the entire season on the bench with just a pair of appearances for the City2 squad on his resume.

He smashed a volley from outside the box that just eluded Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu, who had frustrated the hosts all night long.

Zalinsky, known for blanketing the opposition’s top offensive threat, scored only two goals in four seasons at Rutgers University.

Yet he flashed his offensive prowess against Union Omaha, a team in USL League One, the third division of the U.S. soccer pyramid.

Zalinsky had a pair of scoring chances in each half before finally converting at the perfect time.

“Once I hit that, it felt good coming off my foot,� Zalinsky said.

Klauss, a 28-year-old veteran, enjoyed seeing Zalinsky score for the first time.

“Joey has been working so hard since preseason,� Klauss said. “He’s a guy that every day brings a lot of energy, positivity. We are very, very happy for him.�

Zalinsky broke open a scoreless game.

Union Omaha came into the match with the reputation as somewhat of a giant killer with Open Cup wins over the Chicago Fire and Minnesota United in 2022.

City SC carried the run of play but simply could not convert on its opportunities.

Yet the heavily favored hosts did not panic and stuck with the game plan.

“It’s obviously a game that we should win with the team we have,� Mellberg said. “(But) we had to fight for it.�

St. Louis is winless in its last seven MLS games and came into the contest with just eight goals in 11 league contests.

So any victory is a welcomed sight.

“We did the job,� Mellberg said. “There was good energy with the team.�

St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt recorded a clean sheet. He made a pair of nifty saves over the final 10 minutes.

City SC is competing in the Open Cup for the second time. It beat Omaha 5-1 in the Round of 32 in 2023, then lost to the Chicago Fire in the next round.

St. Louis inserted Xande Silva into the starting lineup. A native of Portugal, he was acquired right before the transfer window late last month.

City SC midfielder Alfredo Morales suffered a knock late in the first half and did not return. He has a sprain according to Mellberg and will be reevaluated in the next few days. Omaha was issued three yellow cards in the physical contest. Forward Simon Becher went down twice with ankle injuries.

St. Louis midfielder Eduard Lowen came in to start the second half. It was his second appearance after missing six weeks due to personal issues.

City SC (2-5-4) returns to MLS play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when its hosts San Diego FC.

Big thrill

The coaches and captains from the Missouri state high school boys championship teams delivered the ceremonial match ball before the contest.

Valley Park (coach Tom Probst, midfielder Joe Buckman), Ladue (coach Dave Aronberg, forward Ahmad Shebl), Clayton (coach Brendan Taylor, forward Wole Adeoye) and St. Louis University High (coach Bob O’Connell, forward Andrew Wolf) all claimed titles last fall.

Next Open Cup match date set

City SC will play its round of 16 U.S. Open Cup game with Minnesota United on Wednesday, May 21, at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. The game will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. It will be the second meeting with Minnesota in five days after the teams meet in an MLS match on May 17.

Fifteen of the 16 teams left in the Open Cup are from Major League Soccer. The only other team is the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship.

Friendly set with Aston Villa

City SC will play Aston Villa of the English Premier League in a friendly match at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, Energizer Park.

Aston Villa is in seventh place in the Premier League with three games to play and is three points out of fifth place and England’s last spot in the UEFA Champions League. The match is one of two in America for Birmingham, England-based club as it prepares for the 2025-26 season. The other is in Nashville on Saturday, Aug. 2. The club said it is expecting to add a third match prior to the game here. The match falls during an off week for MLS games for City SC.

City SC coach Olof Mellberg played for Aston Villa from 2001 to 2008, making 260 appearances over all competitions and serving as captain of the team. This will be the first time he faces the team as an opponent.

It’s just the second match with a foreign club for City SC. The other was the first match in Energizer Park, with City2 playing Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 16, 2022.

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC hopes US Open Cup match against Union Omaha can spark resurgence

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC strikes first, but winless streak stretches to 7 with loss at Seattle

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC hopes US Open Cup match against Union Omaha can spark resurgence

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC strikes first, but winless streak stretches to 7 with loss at Seattle

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC will be back in US Open Cup for 2025, won't play in Leagues Cup

• Tom Timmermann

Photos: City SC takes on Union Omaha in US Open Cup

Joey Zalinsky made his first appearance a memorable one.

The defender scored on a blast from 25 yards out the 68th minute to propel St. Louis City SC to a 2-0 win over Union Omaha in a U.S. Open Cup contest on Wednesday at Energizer Park.

City SC advances to face Minnesota United in the second round of the tradition-rich 110th tournament May 20 or 21 in Minnesota.

Joao Klauss added an insurance tally in the 87th minute off a pass from Cedric Teuchert.

Zalinsky had spent the entire season on the bench with just a pair of appearances for the City2 squad on his resume.

But coach Olof Mellberg took a chance on the New Jersey native for the Round of 32 match against Omaha, a third division USL League One squadron.

The move paid dividends at the perfect time.

Zalinsky smashed a volley from outside the box that just eluded Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu, who had frustrated the hosts all night long.

Zalinsky, a shut down defender, scored two goals in four seasons at Rutgers. He was part of New York Red Bulls developmental system.

St. Louis keeper Ben Lundt recorded a clean sheet. He made a pair of nifty saves over the final 10 minutes.

City SC is competing in the Open Cup for the second time. It beat Omaha 5-1 in the Round of 32 in 2023, then lost to the Chicago Fire in the next round.

Union Omaha came into the match with the reputation as somewhat of giant killer with wins over the Chicago Fire and Minnesota United in 2022.

City SC used its experience to take control right from the start.

St. Louis also inserted Xande Silva into the starting lineup. A native of Portugal, he was acquired right before the transfer window late last month.

City SC forward Simon Becher had the biggest scoring chance of the opening half. His blast, labeled for the upper right-hand corner, was punched aside by Nuhu.

Celio Pompeu and Tomas Ostrak also created legitimate opportunities.

St. Louis midfielder Alfredo Morales suffered a knock late in the first half and did not return. Omaha was issued three yellow cards in the physical contest. Becher went down twice with ankle injuries.

City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen came in to start the second half. It was his second appearance after missing six weeks due to personal issues.

St. Louis is still winless in its last seven MLS matches and will host San Diego FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Big thrill

The coaches and captains from the Missouri state high school boys championship teams delivered the ceremonial match ball before the contest.

Valley Park (coach Tom Probst, midfielder Joe Buckman), Ladue (coach Dave Aronberg, forward Ahmad Shebl), Clayton (coach Brendan Taylor, forward Wole Adeoye) and St. Louis U. High (coach Bob O'Connell, forward Andrew Wolf) all claimed titles last fall.

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC hopes US Open Cup match against Union Omaha can spark resurgence

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC strikes first, but winless streak stretches to 7 with loss at Seattle

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC

City SC hoping newly acquired Xande Silva can add punch to sluggish attack

• Steve Overbey

St. Louis City SC forward Simon Becher understands the underdog mentality.

That’s because he once lived in those shoes.

Becher is in position to warn his teammates about what to expect when City SC plays host to Union Omaha in a U.S. Open Cup contest at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Energizer Park.

St. Louis is a heavy favorite against the Nebraska squad, which competes in the third-division USL League One.

Becher played for Reading United of USL League Two in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup. He fondly recalls the trip to Louisville as an amateur for a contest that his Pennsylvania-based team lost 3-0.

“I understand the thinking that Omaha is going to come in with,� Becher said. “Playing with nothing to lose, no one expecting you to win. A team like that is dangerous.�

Two years ago, City SC beat Union Omaha 5-1 before a home crowd of 22,423 that is the largest for a third-round match in the event’s modern era and the 10th-largest in any round.

The winner of Wednesday’s round of 32 contest will travel to either Minnesota United (MLS) or Louisville City (USL Championship) for the next round May 20 or May 21.

City SC is hoping to send some positive vibes to a frustrated fan base in its return to the U.S. Open Cup. Last season, it did not play in the competition because it qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

A 4-1 loss at Seattle on Saturday pushed City SC’s winless streak to seven matches.

The first third of the season has been rough for the local side, which has managed a paltry eight goals in 11 matches.

“Obviously, we haven’t had a great run of form in the last couple weeks,� said Becher, who has one of those goals. “It’s a great opportunity for us to right the ship and get some momentum going.�

St. Louis showed signs of life in a 2-2 tie at Los Angeles FC on April 27.

But it apparently regressed against the Sounders, who tallied four unanswered goals and dominated play by scoring three times in the second half.

All of which means Wednesday’s match — even though it doesn’t count in the Major League Soccer standings — becomes a potential step in the right direction.

“It’s an important Cup, especially for the fans,� City SC coach Olof Mellberg said. “We’re hoping to go as far as possible in this tournament.�

Added Becher, “For us, it’s a game that we want to come out with a lot energy.�

Mellberg indicated there could be some changes in the starting lineup.

Goalkeeper Ben Lundt will likely start, although regular netminder Roman Burki is close to returning after breaking a bone in his hand during training in mid-March. Mellberg indicated Burki could start as soon as Saturday against San Diego should he receive clearance from the medical staff.

The U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in the United States, dating back to 1914. It is a single-elimination affair open to any sanctioned team or club.

This year’s tournament began with 96 teams. The 16 MLS teams were given byes into the round of 32.

St. Louis-area teams have a rich tradition, with 10 championships, a tribute to the region’s soccer history and strength.

“We’re taking this competition very seriously,� said Becher, a former standout at St. Louis University. “We understand the history that the Open Cup has here in St. Louis and importance it has with the community.�

The Ben Millers soccer club was the first St. Louis team to claim an Open Cup title, in 1920. Area teams captured three in a row in the 1930s. The Stix, Baer and Fuller Football Club, sponsored by a prominent area department store chain, captured back-to-back championships in 1933 and 1934. The group changed sponsors to the St. Louis Central Breweries before winning the 1935 crown.

Kutis Soccer Club, sponsored by an area funeral home, took the title in 1986.

The St. Louis Busch Seniors were the last area side to claim the championship in 1988 when they beat the Greek-American Athletic Club of San Francisco 2-1 in front of 6,200 at St. Louis Soccer Park.

Los Angeles FC won last year’s U.S. Open Cup title, beating Sporting Kansas City in the final.

Keep an eye on these Owls

Union Omaha has a history of making noise in the Open Cup.

In 2022, the Owls stunned the Chicago Fire of MLS in overtime in a round of 32 contest. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ went on to beat Minnesota United, also of MLS, to reach the quarterfinal round.

The Owls, who are 1-2-1 in USL League One fixtures this season, are 9-3-2 overall in Open Cup play. Both ties led to extra time victories.

They advanced to face City SC by beating Flatirons FC of Colorado 2-1 in the first round and the Des Moines Menace 2-1 in the second round.

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC draws Union Omaha for U.S. Open Cup on May 7

• Tom Timmermann

St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC will be back in US Open Cup for 2025, won't play in Leagues Cup

• Tom Timmermann

St. Louis City SC

U.S. Open Cup will go on in 2024 but St. Louis City SC won't be part of it

• Tom Timmermann

St. Louis City SC

Candidates for more playing time up front put on a show as City SC routs Omaha 5-1 in Open Cup

• Tom Timmermann

St. Louis City SC

MLS teams will send Next Pro clubs to U.S. Open Cup in 2024

• Tom Timmermann