St. Louis CITY SC continues their impressive unbeaten run, extending it to twelve matches with a 2-1 home victory against Houston Dynamo. 

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis CITY SC earned a 2-1 victory over first place Houston Dynamo on Saturday night at Energizer Park. Simon Becher put CITY SC on the board first with a goal in the 23rd minute, ending the Dynamo’s 473-minute shutout streak that spanned across five games. It was Becher’s third goal in three matches, assisted by Alex Mățan who earned his first assist for CITY SC. The score remained 1-0 at the half before Houston midfielder Ibrahim Aliyu equalized in the 75th minute, but Dante Polvara scored the winner 10 minutes later, marking his first career MLS goal and first goal for CITY SC. The victory extends CITY SC’s unbeaten streak to 12 games across all competitions, including 11 MLS regular season matches, setting a new league record for 2026. 

St. Louis will face FC Dallas at Energizer Park on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire on Sunday, August 30 with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. CT. 

Postgame Notes  

• Simon Becher scored his fifth goal of the season which broke Houston Dynamo’s 473-minute shutout streak spanning over five MLS regular season matches 
• Becher has recorded three goals in three consecutive matches, including a brace against San Jose on August 15 
• Dante Polvara scored his first career MLS goal and first for St. Louis 
• Conrad Wallem recorded his third assist of the season. Wallem has registered two assists in three consecutive matches 
• Alex Mățan earned his first assist of the season and first with CITY SC 
• Tomáš Ostrák made his first start of the season 
• CITY SC improved their record across all competitions against the Dynamo to 3-3-3 
• St. Louis extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games across all-competitions. Additionally, the team set a new league record 11-match unbeaten for the 2026 regular season 

 August 22, 2026 – Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO) 

Goal-Scoring Plays  

STL: Simon Becher (Alex Mățan, Conrad Wallem), 23rd minute – Simon Becher scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the middle right zone. 

HOU: Ibrahim Aliyu, 75th minute – Ibrahim Aliyu scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the middle right zone. 

STL: Dante Polvara, 85th minute – Dante Polvara scored with a left footed shot from the center of the box to the middle-left zone. 

Scoring Summary  

STL: Simon Becher (Alex Mățan, Conrad Wallem), 23’ 

HOU: Ibrahim Aliyu, 75’ 

STL: Dante Polvara, 85’ 

Misconduct Summary  

STL: Alex Mățan (caution), 27’ 

HOU: Agustín Bouzat (caution), 58’ 

HOU: Mateusz Bogusz (caution), 58’ 

STL: Simon Becher (caution), 63’ 

STL: Carlo Holse (caution), 70’ 

HOU: Lucas Halter (caution), 81’ 

STL: Tomas Totland (caution), 90’+8 

Lineups   

STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Jaziel Orozco, D Dante Polvara, D Timo Baumgartl; M Conrad Wallem, M Alex Mățan (Lukas MacNaughton, 72’), M Tomas Totland, M Daniel Edelman; F Sangbin Jeong (Palmer Ault, 71’), F Tomáš Ostrák (Carlo Holse, 62’), F Simon Becher (Miguel Perez, 90’+2) 

Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Mbacke Fall, D Rafael Santos, M Zach Zengue, F Riley Lynch 

TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 3 

HOU: GK Jonathan Bond; D Marcelo Saracchi (Felipe Andrade, 46’), D Lucas Halter, D Artur ©, D Lawrence Ennali, D Agustin Resch; M Jack McGlynn, M Diadie Samassékou (Hector Herrera, 57’), M Agustín Bouzat (Franco Negri, 87’); F Mateusz Bogusz, F Duncan McGuire (Ibraim Aliyu, 57’) 

Substitutes not used: GK Blake Gillingham, D Antonio Carlos, D Erik Sviatchenko, M Duane Holmes, M Guilherme 

TOTAL SHOTS: 20; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 11; OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 2 

Referee: Alexis Da Silva 

Assistant Referees: Jeffrey Greeson, Matthew Nelson, Joe Surgan 

VAR: David Barrie  

AVAR: Logan Brown 

Venue: Energizer Park 

Weather: Sunny, 79 degrees 

Postgame Audio: Recording 

Postgame Video: Footage (Passcode: ttvqeM*6) 

Head Coach Yoann Damet  

Looked like some emotional scenes on the field after the game with Edu [Eduard Löwen] saying good-bye. What did you think? 

 

I think you saw it with your own eyes. So I don’t need to comment much more than that.  

What are your thoughts on how you felt?  

Again, as you can imagine, I cannot comment. I let the club comment whatever is to comment.  

I think you saw what you saw out there, and that’s all that matters.  

The win, every win is like a child and you love them all the same, but this win looks like it was a significant win under the circumstances of your roster and playing the best team in the Western Conference, and having to battle back and get a late goal.  

Yeah, listen, very happy, very pleased. Again, tonight, you saw a team, a group, that fought for each other, that worked really hard to earn the three points. That’s all I will remember tonight is the feeling of togetherness, the fight, the spirit, the mindset. We have been speaking all season about that. Tonight you got another glimpse of it.  

Very, very proud of the group, how they showed up. It’s been like a busy week for us, as much as it was for Houston, I also know.  

But yeah, the way we showed up tonight, the spirit for 98, 99 minutes was incredible, and I want the guys to enjoy that feeling in the locker room now.  

After they got the tying goal, how did you feel about your team’s response?  

Again, we are pretty stable. I think the same way we’ve been all season. I said that at the start of the year. I’m someone that doesn’t get carried away when things are good. I don’t get carried away, also, like when things are bad. We try to also have that spirit on the pitch. 

I think the guys have responded well all season, no matter the circumstances, whether you’re losing, you’re leading, you concede after, it’s part of the game. So we have to stick to the plan. We have to keep playing. We have to keep pushing. I liked the way we kept pressing. I liked the way, also, we kept attacking.  

It was a very good game of football today. Really enjoyed the team of Houston. They are working really well. They have got a good group. They have got a good team, and they made our life very difficult tonight. It’s a credit to them, and especially a credit to our group for dealing with that and getting result.  

With Conrad [Wallem] in the midfield four, and [Tomáš ] Ostrák pushing high into the wing, and Sang-bin [Jeong] almost that wing back out there in attack. What is your response on the players you had available, or is that something that you saw specifically in Houston’s defensive structure, trying to find the spacing to exploit?  

It’s a little bit of both, a little bit of the plan, a little bit of looking at players, their profile. We had an idea of like how they are going to show up. We know it’s a good team in transition. Having Conrad in midfield can help, also, deal with those moments and help him start a little bit deeper.  

We always try — like you ask me the question, like your colleague asked me a question, like you guys thinking a lot about the opponent. We don’t. We try to set ourselves up to maximize our chances. And tonight was a matter of that, of preparing against a good team and having a plan of, okay, how can we maximize our chances and at the same time reduce theirs.  

That was the idea behind what we did. I thought the guys did a great job. It was a game where momentum went both ways. They had moments, we had moments, and I really enjoyed it.  

You talked about wanting the patience to recycle the ball on that first goal and comes in a moment where [Alex] Mățan kind of recognizes and recycles the ball back to [Roman] Bürki, things get built up again, he gets the assist. How did you feel about his start and the sequence that led to that first goal? 

For the start, listen, happy about all the guys that were out there today. We spoke about how everybody is going to contribute to what we are building. I think tonight is another good example of it. Everybody is stepping on the pitch, even guys that didn’t came on — that didn’t come on, like contribute to the success today.  

So very happy with him but with the team, mostly, and every single individual. For the goal, I’m going to be honest it’s was a blur for me. So much happen in that game. We try to keep the energy high and manage the momentum. I’ll have to rewatch it to comment on that.  

What do you feel has been the key for you to continue building your team game with moving parts in terms of the roster, some players who have been keys that have gone and players when are new and still acclimating. Obviously you still have the streak going. What’s been the key?  

The key is the team. It’s as simple as that. The key is the team. The team comes first. Every individual adds values to the team. That’s undeniable. But at the same time, every individual needs the team to flourish, to express themselves and that’s been the message since day one.  

I’m really, really proud of what we are doing and how the guys are applying themselves every day and how they are adding value to the team, and at the same time they know that the team is giving them the platform to express themselves.  

Right now, the major message and focus for the team is the group and how we prepare, how we try to be for every single game, and it’s sticking to our beliefs and to our identity. And when you have those things like for you, I think the message is whoever comes in or out, or steps on pitch or either for like five minutes or starting the game or coming on at halftime, everybody is going to help, like the bigger picture, and what we are trying to build.  

So I think right now we are at a moment where there is like a strong belief in the team, and that belief has been built by the players and it belongs to them.  

What do you hope that fans who are seeing that you guys are in a little bit of a transition but still playing well? What do you hope they take away from this period of where you guys are at in terms of still building but having success?  

I hope they are enjoying it. I think the support has been massive this season. I hope they are enjoying themselves. I hope they are enjoying the team. I hope they are enjoying the fighting spirit that those guys are showing every single game. And I hope they find a little bit of themselves in what we are trying to show on the pitch.  

Like we want to be that kind of team that is going to make people excited, we hope, by the way we press and by the way we attack. Yeah, I am hoping they are enjoy themselves.  

Again, I am not getting carried away by any means. At the end of the day, there will be ups and downs. There’s still like a ton of games to play, but it’s a very positive moment for us and we have to keep building on that.  

Both Sang-bin and Wallem say they figured out at the World Cup break what you wanted from them. Seemed like [Simon] Becher is figuring that out. Seems like that’s the case. Is that the case?  

I think everybody has a very good understanding of what we are trying to do, at the end of the day, it’s like we come in and we try to implemented ideas. Everybody is learning at a different pace. Everybody needs a little bit of time to absorb the amount of information we’re giving the guys.  

And like there is also momentum within the season. Guys are feeling good. Guys are feeling like a little bit less, like physically, mentally.  

So we are trying to put them in a zone where they feel good like in both aspects. And with more experience of like playing week-in, week-out, there is also like more learning and there is more like confidence coming from it.  

So I think the guys are in a good place. I think the break, like I said many times, helped us a lot in terms of working on ourselves, building again, adding another layer of work to our principles and game model, and I think the way the guys have been since we returned has been very good.  

As you’ve gone on this run and especially the last week and some change here, you can’t help but look at on paper two of your top three goal-scorers, one not tonight, the other one not in the last few games with [Marcel] Hartel and Löwen. How do you minimize the challenge of two elite goal scorers on a team not being in a game? Is this by committee? How do you do that as a coach strategically to continue to get results?  

The team. That’s for me the same answer that I gave like a few minutes ago. The team, the understanding of the players, understanding the relationships, partnerships, create more value, create more connection, create more quality.  

So I think we’ve got to a point where the guys have an understanding of each other, and they know that working for one another and working together will add value to the group. So I think that’s the way we are looking at it is, can we collectively be stronger, understand each other even better, and be able to create those moments collectively to, at the end, keep scoring goals and be efficient all together.  

You get a game-winning goal from Dante Polvara, who wouldn’t have been in that position had you not moved him around there. I guess it shows, Dante’s flexibility on moving from being in the three-man back line to moving into the midfield there, and he wouldn’t have been there if it had not been for the change.  

Yeah, we have seen that earlier in the year. Like I said, I love flexible players and I love being flexible tactically, as well.  

Tonight I thought he gave us some legs in the middle. Gave us a little bit more physical presence. He found himself at the right time at the right place. It’s a good finish. He could have scored the second. Happy for him. Happy for the guys. The vibe around those moments is very, very good because as you can imagine, guys are happy for each other.  

We spoke about that, as well, at the start of the year. We need to take pride in each other’s success, and tonight him scoring the goal-winner is also a good reward for him being flexible and helping the team.  

Simon has three goals since Marcel left. Is there any correlation to that? 

You tell me. I could not answer that question. Just, again, looking at his game, looking at his performance, looking at the work he’s been putting in, the guy has been like putting his head down all season long. Like he’s coachable, he wants more. He wants to learn. He wants to grow. Every game, he’s 110 percent giving for the team, defending, pressing, back-pressing, attacking, like posting center backs and trying to get in the box.  

Yeah, the guy is going to get a reward at some point. So right now, we are happy he is getting at the end of, and I’m very happy he’s on the score sheet again tonight.  

Looks like [Carlo] Holse is coming close and getting some chances with more time.  

I’m happy for Carlo. It’s an interesting dynamic. He comes in like the last three games and comes in moments where there is a little bit of chaos, like the last 20, 30 minutes of a game are never too nice, especially when you play every three days and there is a little bit of, like, fatigue.  

So credit to him for adjusting. He finished the game on top todays as a No. 9. Could have had his first goal as well. But he’s been really good like around the group, really patient, as well. He knows that he needs to keep working on his fitness and unfortunately with the amount of game, we haven’t been able to train too much with him.  

But again, like I said to you, he’s great guy, great personality, and he’s going to add to the group. He showed tonight he is willing to work for the collective. That’s also why he’s there, pressing, defending, and also at the same time attacking and bringing some quality on the ball.  

So, it’s good. Like one step at a time.  

Looking forward to a little breather?  

Yeah, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be good to take a little break before we go again next week but we know this is going to be rhythm for the month of September, so we have to get used to it. 

Forward Simon Becher 

On the win against Houston: 

I think coming off of a long week, we put a lot into this week, a lot of travel. So, I think for us, we were really happy to be at home. I think the fans are amazing to us, and we talked a lot about how these are the games that this team wants to play in. Playing a team that was top of the West. I think it was a really good challenge for us. And yeah, credit to everybody. I think we showed up. Of course, wasn’t an easy game. Houston has a ton of quality. So yeah, a really good match and I think it kind of speaks to the character of this group. You know, it wasn’t easy. They came and tied up the game back up, and we were able to continue and get the second and locked down in the back. A couple of really big blocks, a couple of really big saves, and yeah, just grinding from all 11 guys that were on the pitch, and the guys that came on did great as well. So, yeah, good performance.