Blog

Nov 16, 2023

Match Preview

St Louis CITY2 (7-8-8, 34 points) hosts San Jose Earthquakes II (9-8-6, 38 points) on Sunday, August 27, at CITYPARK in the final match of a two-game homestand. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT, and

St Louis CITY2 (7-8-8, 34 points) hosts San Jose Earthquakes II (9-8-6, 38 points) on Sunday, August 27, at CITYPARK in the final match of a two-game homestand. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

Sunday’s fixture will be the second meeting between the two sides in just over a month. When the teams played in July, Quakes II enjoyed a lead going into halftime, but CITY2 responded with a goal in the second half to pull out a hard-fought road draw. San Jose secured an additional point with a 4-2 victory in the shootouts following the match.

In their most recent match, CITY2 routed Portland Timbers2 4-1 to extend the team’s unbeaten streak to five consecutive games (3 wins, 2 draws). Midfielder Isak Jensen and defender Nolan McGuire each etched their names on the scoresheet for the first time this season, giving CITY2 a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. Portland halved its deficit with a goal shortly after the intermission, but midfielder and CITY2’s leading goal scorer John Klein sealed the victory for the home side with two unanswered goals.

With his brace against Timbers2, Klein now has twelve (12) goals this season, tying him for fourth in MLS NEXT Pro. His current four-game scoring streak is the longest active streak in MLS NEXT Pro and tied for the third-longest such streak this season, trailing only Colorado Rapids 2’s Yosuke Hanya (six games) and Sporting Kansas City II’s Pau Vidal (five games). Hanya and Houston Dynamo’s Papa Ndoye share the crown for the most goals (seven) in a six-game stretch in MLS NEXT Pro this season, meaning Klein – who has six goals over CITY2’s five-match unbeaten streak – would move into a tie for that top spot with a goal this weekend.

By slotting four goals past Timbers2 last weekend, CITY2 brought its goal tally to fifteen (15) during the team’s unbeaten streak. During the run, the team has scored four goals on three different occasions and two or more goals in four matches. CITY2 is a perfect 4-0-0 when scoring four goals and a dominant 7-1-4 (28 points) when scoring two or more goals this season.

CITY2’s offensive success has come from all over the pitch this season, with two more players – McGuire and defender Lucas Bartlett -- recording their first goal contributions for the team in the win over Portland. Twenty (20) different players have now recorded at least one goal contribution for CITY2 this season, tying the team with Crown Legacy FC and Chicago Fire II for the fourth highest total in MLS NEXT Pro.

CITYPARK has become a fortress for CITY2 as of late, as the team has won three consecutive home matches (versus Portland, Real Monarchs and LAFC2). Overall, CITY2 is 4-4-4 at home (19 points) with a plus-four goal difference this season. Comparatively, Quakes II are 7-2-2 (24 points) with a plus-eight goal difference on the road this season.

San Jose enters the match coming off a 4-3 win over Houston Dynamo 2, having now earned points in five of their last six matches. Quakes II have been difficult to knock off when they have played on the road this season, having recorded five clean sheets and scored in all contests as the away side this season. Midfielder Eduardo Blancas is the engine of San Jose’s offense, leading the team in goals (7) and key passes (37), the latter of which is tied for eighth in MLS NEXT Pro.