ST. LOUIS, MO – St. Louis CITY SC played Vancouver Whitecaps FC to a 0-0 tie on Wednesday night, clinching a playoff berth and extending its unbeaten streak to 21 matches across all competitions. The result secured CITY SC’s first playoff appearance since its inaugural season in 2023 and set a new MLS record for the longest unbeaten streak across all competitions.
St. Louis CITY SC will travel to play Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field on Saturday, October 17 with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- Roman Bürki earned his fifth clean sheet of the season
- St. Louis clinched a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since its inaugural season in 2023
- CITY SC extended its unbeaten streak to 21 matches across all competitions and 19 games unbeaten in MLS play
October 14, 2026 – Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO)
Misconduct Summary
STL: Fallou Fall (caution), 45’+1
VAN: Edier Ocampo (caution), 45’+2
VAN: Ralph Priso (caution), 81’
STL: Alex Mățan (caution), 85’
Lineups
STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Dante Polvara, D Timo Baumgartl, D Fallou Fall; M Tomas Totland, M Chris Durkin (Lukas MacNaughton 89’), M Daniel Edelman, M Conrad Wallem (Rafael Santos, 40’); F Carlo Holse, F Alex Mățan, F Rafael Navarro (Simon Becher, 70’)
Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Lukas MacNaughton, M Jaziel Orozco, M Tomáš Ostrák, M Miguel Perez, F Damion Downs, F Sangbin Jeong
TOTAL SHOTS: 9; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 1
VAN: GK Yohei Takaoka; D Mathias Laborda, D Ralph Priso, D Edler Ocampo, D Tate Johnson; M Oliver Larraz (Aleksa Cvetkovic, 77’), M Andres Cubas, M Ryan Gauld ©, M Emmanuel Sabbi (Bruno Caicedo, 66’), M Yadaly Diaby; F Brian White (Rayan Elloumi, 77’)
Substitutes not used: GK Isaac Boehmer, D Ranko Veselinovic, D Mihall Gherasimencov, D Nikola Djordjevic, D Rui Modesto, F Cheikh Sabaly,
TOTAL SHOTS: 17; SHOTS ON GOAL: 1; FOULS: 14; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 4
Referee: Filip Dujic
Assistant Referees: Lyes Arfa, Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho, Rosendo Mendoza
VAR: Kevin Terry, Jr.
AVAR: Craig Lowery
Venue: Energizer Park
Weather: Cloudy, 73 degrees
Postgame Video: Footage (Passcode: Ez!a2S9@)
Head Coach Yoann Damet
How does it feel to be in the playoffs?
There are a lot of good things that happened tonight, I think. Clinching the playoffs is one of them.
Today is 21 unbeaten. I think breaking a league record. Tonight is also a clean sheet against a top team that’s been at the top of the conference, all season. And in the end, it was also a great game that gives us a lot of experience moving forward in this season but also for the future. I think there are a lot of positives tonight to take from the game.
What was the intensity like out, there the battle between these two, the top of the west going at it?
Those games are exciting. Full of nerves. You can tell in the decision on the field but also in the decision on the sideline. I think they started the game really well. I think our head was a little bit underwater to start the first half. I think we grew in the game and I thought in the second half, the game was a lot more for us.
So it was a game of two halves, I believe. I still have to rewatch it to have a little bit more perspective but no, I really enjoyed it. Listen, like I told you all season, I think Vancouver is the best team in our league or one of the best, and competing in those games is as good as it gets to prepare us for the future. So very positive, overall.
Did you make significant changes at halftime or is it just the team feeling comfortable?
No, just a little bit of reframing and messaging going into the players. I think we had to be a little bit more patient on the ball. I thought there was a little bit of nerve playing forward, getting in the end, too early, then running after the ball when they were having it. And maybe getting too eager of pressing and recovering the ball quickly.
Where I thought we needed to be a little bit more patient, on both sides, defensively and offensively, and I think in the second half, the game opened up a little bit. But again, you’re playing against a top team.
So it doesn’t look the same than another game, for example, where maybe you are not creating as much. But the quality of the chances tonight is much more important than the amount of opportunity that we are creating.
So yeah, more so the messaging going into the second half than making any tactical adjustments.
Following up on that, in the second half — in the first half, you have 44 percent session, in the second half 63. Is that just a symptom of winning battles and being on the front foot more often?
In the game, it’s hard to tell. They came out really — in the middle, the way they tried to create different challenges for us was really, really good. And then, of course, they played down a man three days ago, four days ago, so is it to be expected in the second half, they are playing on the road again? Is it us being a little bit more composed with the ball? There is probably a little bit of both. It’s really hard to say today it’s either/or. It’s just the dynamic is shifting a little bit, and us being a little bit more patient, I think on-ball and off-ball.
And Conrad’s [Wallem] injury in the first half, is there any update on him yet?
He’s fine. I think you’ll see on his face, he’ll have a nice mark for the rest of his life with a nice story to tell. But no, he’s okay.
On that same note, any updates on Chris Durkin? What did he experience in the game?
Same thing. There is that ball that got to his head. I think he was starting to not feel too well towards the end of the game, and right now he’s getting evaluated. So we’ll see. We’ll see how he feels, but right now, I’ve got no update on Chris.
And then can you speak a little bit about the defensive work that your team did, holding Vancouver, they had 16 shots but no shots on target. What do you attribute to that, and did that change at all as the game progressed with what you members of the juried in the second half?
I think the team has been defending really well for a big chunk of the season. I think we have grown a lot on the defensive side and I’m really, really proud of how brave the team is and how front footed we are. I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen for a month now, and tonight is, again, credit to the work of the players.
The way we are managing movements, the way we are dealing with their shape, the way we are dealing with different scenarios of the game, you have to be collectively in sync but you also have individually to win your battle and be sharp for 90 minutes.
So I thought tonight was another of those games where we made less mistake where then you can keep a clean sheet because at the end of the day it’s a game of mistakes. When you can limit those, I think you also can be on the other end, more efficient defensively.
So overall, it starts with the front. I think I could speak about every individual, but you see the guys are the pressed, it starts with Nava [Rafael Navarro], Carlo [Holse], [Alex] Matan, Chris, Danny [Edelman].
And the wing backer, unbelievable, with how much effort they are making, Conrad, Toti [Tomas Totland], Rafa [Santos] tonight and the center back are also taking a lot of responsibility in the way we want to defend.
And then you have Roman [Bürki] at the back also covering for us.
It’s a unit work, and those guys, they are taking as much pride in how they defend individually than how they defend collectively. Right now tonight a clean sheet is a very important thing for us.
You mentioned the experience. What do you feel like the value for this group long-term is to games like this, not just obviously setting the record but with the sort of build up and the match up of the team like this and sort of whether it’s the pressure or just the expectation of a game like this, what do you feel like the value for your team is going forward in these types of games or Open Cup games?
I think those mentions are completely valid. We are playing in a final in one week. The feeling is going to be very, very close and similar to that. Probably even worse because we are going to play on the road. And also, at the end of the day, we want to look at what the top — the top team are facing, from season to season.
If we want to keep pushing towards the top, if we want to become one of those teams that are competing every year to be at the top of the standing, if we want to compete in every competition, if we want to speak more about the Champions League play in those games, we need to go through those moments that are giving us a lot of experience in terms of how we feel in terms of the game dynamic, in terms of the decision we make, how brave we need to be, and I think this is very important for us. I think we’ve had a lot of games this season. They all feel different but tonight felt a little bit different than any other game. Maybe more like those Cup games like those semi, quarterfinal where you know that the stakes are very high, and you can help but feel a certain way when you play those games. I think it’s natural. The players care so much and they have been working so hard to put themselves in that position that you start the game with probably some feeling that for some of the guys, it’s the first time.
For some of the guys, it’s been a long time since they last experienced those feelings, and I think right now, at that point of the season, I think there is six games left, including the final. I think it’s very important to have those feelings and to learn from it so we can be better when it comes to the next game that is going to be like that, and starting on the front foot and getting a different feeling for ourselves.
What can your team learn from a game like this, a lot more pressure-filled, close competitive battle with the top of the conference, as opposed to maybe Sunday’s match, a comfortable win. What can your team learn from a match like that?
I don’t know if there is any comfortable game to be honest. Right now we are trying to really stay on our toes until the final result. So I actually don’t want us to feel comfortable in any game. I think it always can be better. We always need to stay on our toes. I spoke about that in the last press conference.
I think it’s very important that we are all aware that the game can change very quickly. Tonight is different for sure because of the stakes and — and because of the setup of the game.
What I hope we can learn is how we can keep managing momentum. We have our head a little bit underwater at the beginning, how do we manage that? How do we turn that over and create momentum for ourselves? So those are the learning that we need to get from those games, but also the feeling. The feeling of, like, let’s go. We have been all in all season, so let’s keep being all in.
And also tonight I think there was a little bit more nerve that we didn’t see in some other game, and it’s completely normal. It’s also playing three days later. We had two days to get ourselves ready. So there is a freshness element to it. But yeah, there is that momentum that is a big piece but also how to deal with those top teams that have a plan and that are coming with some ideas, and are defending a certain way and giving us a different tactical challenge as well.
I know you guys have larger goals to bring home trophies and things this year, but to get to 21, nobody has ever done it in MLS before. What’s the pride in the room like to accomplish that?
I think you’d have to ask the players. But I’m sure everybody is very proud of that. I think it’s more than a number. I think it’s the pride in working so hard to create that momentum and to sustain it and to show consistency.
I think this is one of the hardest thing to do in sport at the professional level. So being that consistent for that amount of game, there is a reason why it’s never been done before.
So, of course, everybody is really, really proud but we also know that we have another game in three days and that we have to get ourselves ready. One of our objectives, which is to make the playoff, has been done tonight, but on the other end, there’s still five league’s game to play and we want to go for more. And the two words that we have been using, being on board and hungry are still very important to us.
There were many people in the soccer world probably thought you guys would get here but maybe not in the first season and maybe not this quickly. How impressive is it for Corey taking over at the sporting director and you taking over as the coach, to take this team and get to this spot in your first season so quickly?
I think it comes with — like you never plan for those things. That’s everybody’s goal, and that’s why I spoke a lot about understanding the difference between ambition, standards, expectation. These are words that all mean different things, you know.
So I think at the start of the year, the ambition is you want to win as many games as you can and you want to be as consistent as you can, and this is the same. You could ask all the coaches in the League, that’s what they want to do. We want to do that. To be able to do it this year, I think all the credit goes to the players. They have been working really hard. They have bought in, the project, the vision, what we said we were going to try to do. They grew in confidence and belief in doing it, and they have been able, to do it on a consistent basis.
So I think right now, there is a lot of pride that goes into that stretch but at the same time, we also need to manage expectation. This is only the start of our journey all together, for Corey as much as it is for me. We said that this year was going to be last week a first step.
It still is a first step. So I know how the game is, as well, when you start having a little bit of result, people start changing their expectation for what they think you should be competing for. At the end of the day, the word humility is one of the key for us. Right now we have been able to do that but at the same time we remain on board because we know it’s only a first step and now we have to build sustainability with what we have been doing.
You’re always a half-glass full guy. In January, do you think this was a realistic possibility to be in the playoffs?
In January, I thought we were going to work really, really hard and have no regret in terms of what we do on a daily basis to get in a better place, to get better, to improve, and to play the way we are playing today, 100 percent. I have no doubt that this group would progress a lot to be where we are at today. Like, of course, was not in my thoughts, but I thought — I’ve always thought, one step at a time, one day at a time, trying to get better, trying to improve and let’s see where it brings us. Like the players, we have to stop limiting ourselves to what we think we can do. That was the first message on day one of the preseason, and I think today is a good proof of that.
Defender Timo Baumgartl
On CITY SC clinching the playoffs:
I mean, that was our goal before the season. We checked another box. To be honest, we had a load of goals before the season. Now we checked another one, but we keep going. That’s a nice-to-have now. I think how many games? 29? So a couple of games left to achieve something bigger.
On his confidence in the team during January:
You know me. I’m always positive. I’m always thinking that anything is possible. I learned from you Americans that anything is possible in this country. So now, I always believe in this team. I saw the qualities. I saw the quality of the coaching staff. Now we have some new weapons in summer, so this addition helps us a lot. I mean, Nava [Rafael Navarro] is a great player, Carlo [Holse], Matti [Alex Mățan], all the guys who came. They give us something special, which is really important for us; you can see the self-confidence growing, as the automatism grows. So we’re on the right track, to be honest.
On finding ways to improve the team’s performance:
I mean, if you saw us after the game last Sunday, a couple of guys weren’t satisfied because it was a six-two; it wasn’t our best game. It could have been an eight-four or something, so we weren’t satisfied, especially with how we lost balls, how we defended, and how open we were. So I think this group gets a little bit of German mentality. Sometimes angry, sometimes not. That’s actually nice now. He’s very strict. He’s very straightforward, with room for improvement. He’s not a guy who’s like, when we win high, he’s always happy, and when we lose, he loses his mind. So he’s always in between. He always sees room for improvement, and especially in the first part of the season, the first 10 games or nine games, get six points. Still keep his plan combined. Just thought about how we improve, and now we see the results. So we’re a team. We’re humble. We know we started not well this season. We see where we came from, and now it’s about hunting, hunting like 60, 56 points because that’s the record of the club. We want to hunt that. We want to go for the highest spot on the table. Those are our goals, and we want to keep continuing. And we need to be ready for the playoffs because these games will count in the playoffs. These games, high-quality teams play, and details matter. And we have another final in a week, so we need to be prepared for that.
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ABOUT ST. LOUIS CITY SC
St. Louis CITY SC, one of the few majority female-led ownership groups in all of professional sports, is Major League Soccer’s 28th expansion team and plays at Energizer Park, an STLMade 22,500-seat world-class soccer-specific stadium. Energizer Park is part of a new world-class stadium district, which includes a practice facility, team store and team headquarters all within the same 30+ acre urban campus in downtown St. Louis to help further the region’s continued growth and revitalization. St. Louis CITY SC’s vision is to be an exceptional club and neighbor that brings people together through the power of sports.
