City Salvages Controversial Draw In New England In Attempt To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

FOXBOROUGH, Mass - St. Louis City SC is a much improved soccer team in the second half of the season, one worthy of qualifying for the MLS Playoffs. Unfortunately, City had to play a few dozen MLS matches before the summer transfer window and before the arrival of their new fleet of playmakers, and were one of the worst teams in MLS in that period.

So this much-improved soccer team has very limited time to undo the months of poor results and poor play that haunted City throughout the opening half of the season and ultimately cost former head coach Bradley Carnell his job.

In an ideal fantasy world, this vastly different St. Louis team with a different guiding voice would storm its way back into the playoffs to try to right some of the wrongs of 2024 and even the end of 2023. This isn’t that idyllic fantasy land, it’s Major League Soccer, where the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

City needed three points and their first road win of the season when they flew to the Eastern Seaboard to take on the New England Revolution. City scored early and grabbed a lead, one that quickly vanished, and had to claw back a 2-2 draw in the second half.

The pre-match team sheets confirmed a reunion of center backs in Foxborough. Tim Parker, now of New England, formerly of St. Louis City, started his first game for the Revolution after sitting on the bench for his first few MLS matches with his new club. Henry Kessler, now of City, formerly of New England, started once again, having essentially slotted into Parker’s old spot.

The Revolution even played a video tribute to Kessler, who spent his formative years at the Foxborough club.

“I kind of heard it a little bit during the warmup. But, you know, it was really nice that they did that,” said the former Rev Henry Kessler. “You know, I spent four and a half years here, so it was really nice of them to do that tribute before the game. As far as emotions, I don't think it really changed anything, just because once you start playing, it doesn't really play a factor.”

Friendly hugs and handshakes would come after full-time, but the opening goal of the contest came from Kessler after City dominated the opening stages. Another corner kick assist for Marcel Hartel, who swung in a cross that found Kessler running away from goal. Kessler’s glancing header looped over New England goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic and into the Revs goal.

It’s Kessler’s first MLS goal all season, regardless of the shirt he was wearing. No muted celebrations at his former club either, the center back was jumping for joy in the corner with Hartel celebrating giving his new club the lead.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but in a few minutes time City would concede an equalizing goal. Will Sands would find his way around City’s Chris Durkin and Jake Nerwinski on the attacking left wing before passing to Luca Langoni further upfield.

Kessler, covering for Nerwinski/Durkin, tried to meet Langoni on the left wing, but slipped on the Gillette Stadium turf, giving Langoni a clear run at Roman Bürki’s goal. Bürki attempted to close the distance and make himself big, but Langoni had an easy finish to level the score.

It’s the fourth time in their last six games (across MLS and Leagues Cup play) that St. Louis City has allowed a goal within five minutes of scoring one themselves. A problem that City thought they found a solution for last week against the LA Galaxy has reared its ugly head yet again.

“It was an eventful night.,” said Kessler on his return to Foxborough. “I knew that going in, obviously the goal made it more eventful. Also giving one up on the other end, which I'm really disappointed about.”

The Revolution grew into the game following their goal, and suddenly Bürki was the busier of the two keepers, with the City box coming under siege from wave after wave of New England counters.

In the 39th minute, the right side of the City defense seemingly left acres of space for Sands to run into and pick Dylan Borrero out at the top of the box. Borrero’s strike slammed into the woodwork of the left post of the City goal, but the warning shot had been fired. Less than a minute later, a similar setup would result in a second Revs goal.

Sands once again had time and space to cut into the City defense, and picked out Carles Gil inside the D at the top of the City 18-yard box. Gil opted for placement over power, passing the ball off the inside of the right post into the goal. Roman Bürki was left rooted to his spot.

After a fantastic game and defensive performance last weekend against the Galaxy, one of the best and most dynamic teams in Major League Soccer, the City team in the first half Saturday night looked a lot more like the team that dropped a 3-1 lead in Portland two weeks prior.

“It's disappointing,” said Kessler. “We could have had a win, and we had a bad 20 minutes to end the first half, and we got a draw.”

City interim head coach John Hackworth made a few tweaks in an effort to clean up the defensive end but also put some added firepower in attack. Nökkvi Thórisson and Joao Klauss came on in hopes to find an equalizer and potential winner.

Hartel almost found it in the 58th minute, when he sent a rocket toward the top right corner of the New England goal. Aljaz Ivacic made the save of the night, flying to his right to deny City’s new talisman and keep the Revs in the lead for the time being. He replicated his efforts eight minutes later to deny Eduard Löwen.

City moved into a back three defensively for an extra man in attack with the fresh legs of Klauss and Thórisson on the field. This left Kessler as the lone true center back, with Nerwinski and Kyle Hiebert playing on the right and left respectively.

City’s second half attacking duo of starter Simon Becher and Klauss off the bench showed encouraging signs of an attack that could be. Two very different profiles of striker, Klauss and Becher complemented each other well, and the combination led to the second City goal in the 73rd minute.

A patented City goal from the start, a forced turnover in midfield turned into a quick break with City white Confluence Kits moving upfield. Klauss played a through ball to Hartel on the left wing running toward the New England box. Hartel cut a pass back in the direction of Klauss, who let the pass roll by him as defenders bit towards the big Brazilian.

After the Klauss dummy, Becher raced into the TV picture and prodded a shot with his right foot into the left side of the Revs goal.

“Obviously a really good cutback from Marcel [Hartel]," said City striker Simon Becher. “But I think Klauss did a really good job, selling a little fake there, which I think maybe throws the goalkeeper off, throws those defenders off and allows me to get a pretty clean shot off. So, a really good ball by Marcel and a good fake from Klauss, because a lot of people take that ball.”

City found the equalizer, but really needed another for the victory they desperately needed to keep playoff hopes alive. Hartel briefly thought he had that go-ahead goal in the 80th minute, but was judged to have fouled a New England defender to gain possession.

During the run of play however, the main referee, Timothy Ford, didn’t blow his whistle to stop play after the assistant on the sideline raised his flag for the foul. With no whistle, Hartel kept playing, and lifted a shot into the roof of the net over the head of Aljaz Ivacic. Luckily for Hartel, he realized the goal wasn’t going to stand before he was able to rip his shirt off, saving a bit of embarrassment.

VAR came into play late as Hiebert came under question for a potential handball in the box that would have awarded the hosts a late penalty to take all three points. The ball did, in fact, strike Hiebert’s hand, but only while Hiebert was going up for a 50/50 header. Referee Timothy Ford was called over to the pitch-side monitor to see for himself, and decided that Hiebert wasn’t deliberately attempting to play the ball with his hand.

Home fans, and Revolution manager Caleb Porter, were not thrilled with Timothy Ford’s decision. Porter let his feelings be known during the post-game press conference.

“I don’t know how you can look honestly at the screen and decide not to give a penalty,” said Porter postgame. “It is a complete joke, it is a travesty. There needs to be some accountability for that decision, because we lost two points because of it.

“We have literally had that same thing happen to us three different times where the official has been sent to the monitor for a clear penalty and the official doesn’t call it. What is happening? It’s mind-boggling, mind-boggling that he doesn’t call that a penalty. We are the only team in the league that hasn’t had one penalty. What is happening,” Porter asked.

“All I can say is that the referee was a complete coward in that moment, a complete coward. He shouldn’t officiate. He cost our players two points today, two really important points. I’m not going to stand for it. I don’t care if I get fined, I don’t care what (MLS Commissioner) Don Garber says, what Don Garber needs to do is look at the official in that situation and hold this official accountable.”

Not done there, Porter also criticized Ford’s decision to force New England to play a man down before the second St. Louis goal. Langoni took some time to get off the field after being down with an injury he was kept off the field and the Revs didn’t have a stoppage in play to bring on a substitute.

This gave City a man advantage that might have factored into Simon Becher slashing into open space for the equalizing goal.

“The second part of the joke show, clown show, was giving us a [man disadvantage] for [Luca Langoni not getting out of the game],” Porter frantically continued. “He was injured, he couldn’t sprint any faster to get out of the game. Initially he walked yes, but he sprinted to get out of the game.

“The referee told me 14 seconds it took for him to get out of the game. Because he’s four seconds late, they penalize us (forcing NE to play a man down) and we give away a goal during that penalty. The game isn’t meant to be played this way. It’s an absolute joke.

“(Referee Timothy Ford) didn’t use his discretion in either of those moments. If he looks at the monitor and decides that’s not a penalty he should not be an official in this league. He’s not competent enough to be an official in this league… This is a joke. It’s impossible to talk about the game without talking about (the officiating).”

There was disappointment but optimism on the City postgame press conference Zoom call, a bit of a different vibe than Porter’s fiery presser down the hall.

“It's tough to sit here and think of this as being a positive (night), but I do think we took another step in the right direction tonight,” said interim head coach John Hackworth. “This is a tough place to play. New England, I give them a lot of credit, they're a well-coached team, they're a really good team. I'm really happy with our performance, for about 70 minutes of that game. We're so close to being a really good team.”

“I think there’s definitely a lot of frustration in the locker room again,” said City attacker Simon Becher. “I think putting together a really good performance for the entire 90 minutes is something we have to work on. (Playing well) for 70 or 75 or even 80 (minutes), we have to find ways to get through hard periods of time.

“I think there's 15 or 20 minutes in the first half (when City gave up two goals) that we have to be able to see through. Because I think we came out in the second half and really showed our game plan, and how effective it can be. Really disappointed coming out with only a point, but again, something to build on.”

John Hackworth talked about the second half strategy change that saw City go to a back three and Joao Klauss join in attack, finding a point-saving equalizer:

“Bringing Klauss into the game is great,” explained Hackworth. “I would look at Simon Becher and how he played, you know, for 85-plus minutes, he was amazing. The work rate that he had was incredible. Really nice to have him and Klauss on the field at the same time.

“Nice that we can adjust to get our back three and really put [New England] under pressure and not give up any opportunities when we do that. When you make a change like that, it's difficult, but give our guys a lot of credit for adjusting and adapting and understanding a completely different role, (a different) system that we were going to play.”

City are not mathematically out of the playoffs, but just one point will put a dent in lingering hopes. Hackworth preached positivity.

“I personally believe that we're not out of time yet, you know, we still have control. We have to fix this little moment where we take our foot off the gas, where we don't play with the same initiative that we do to start the game. That's something we can fix. We have fixed it. We have gotten better. So, you know, I'm positive Pete here, and I'm going to say I'm blue in the face, but I believe in this group of guys. I still think we have a good chance.”

City will have their best chance to make up ground in that playoff chase this Saturday, September 14, when they host Minnesota United, who currently occupy the final playoff place in the MLS Western Conference with 36 points, eight more than City’s 28.

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