St. Louis CITY SC builds momentum in first comeback of the season.

St. Louis are in the win column with their 2-1 win over Portland. What this win, plus the incoming acquisitions, means to a potential playoff push.

St. Louis CITY SC finally has a comeback win in 2025 following their 2-1 win over Portland on Sunday night. Marcel Hartel’s second-half brace led the way, a just reward for a club that has been much better over the past month… even without the results to back it up.

In recent weeks, caretaker manager David Critchley preached patience in the face of more tough losses, preaching the quality of the squad’s training sessions since he was given the wheel. However, his squad lacked a signature win to follow up on the 2-1 victory over San Jose that closed out the month of May.

Critchley echoed those thoughts post-game, saying, “I was very optimistic. We had an unbelievable training week.”

St. Louis has had good play in recent weeks but has lacked the ability – or skill – to reign in matches after finding themselves with success on the scoreboard. Two goals in Utah, two goals vs Orlando, and three goals vs the Galaxy, but none of those matches came with the balance required for St. Louis to finally find themselves in the win column.

Against Portland CITY SC finally put it all together.

“The performances have been so good, but we couldn't quite get across the line with the result,” Critchley said. “I asked these guys to be emotionally connected with the game. That's what I think helps winning teams: be emotionally connected with the game while also applying the discipline and the tactics and all of these things.”

Hartel’s brace – read my STL Mag recap here – led the way, but the entire performance was one Critchley can point to in future weeks.

The attack had a field day against Portland. Courtesy MLS Analytics.

St. Louis led the xG battle 2-1; they led in field tilt 55-45, completed more passes within the final third, and doubled Portland’s touches in the box. Yes, Roman Bürki needed to come up big to keep the match 0-1, but the comeback seemed to awaken something within the group.

“We didn't change any tactics. I just tried to demand more from the players.” Critchley reiterated. “So that one percent better mentality — sprint back and double up on them. I think Da Costa had one where he was picking the ball up and running at Totland, and you saw a guy creating back -- to create 2v1 for us, 3v1 for us. What changed is that we continued to do what we did, but the mentality and intensity hit another level in the second half. So, they now feel what is required to go win a football game.”

The lineup showed up, Jaziel Orozco thrived in his second appearance as the hybrid LB on a short-term loan from CITY 2, Jake Girdwood-Reich did his job along the back line, and everyone in the attack had a positive impact.

To put it simply, it was an emotional win.

“That felt good… that felt good,” Critchely finished.

The only lingering concern out of this one will be the health of Célio Pompeu after landing hard on his shoulder late in the match, but Critchley is optimistic.

Now, the question becomes, can they replicate this Saturday in Dallas?

Help is on the way.

Today, St. Louis announced the signing of 21-year-old Senegalese CB Fallou Fall from Fredrikstad of the Eliteserien. Fall is a 6’4” left-sided CB who has experience playing in a back three this past season and arrives in St. Louis with plenty of potential. Fall has been thriving through the season restart in Norway, and will bring an aerial presence that St. Louis has missed through their CB injuries this season.

Fall has been an aerial threat for Fredrikstead.

“Fallou is a young, line-breaking defender who brings the size, athleticism and defensive instincts we value in our back line,” said Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel. “At just 21 years old, he’s still developing, but we believe his physical tools, technical ability and mentality give him the foundation to grow into an important piece for our squad. He’s someone who can help us this season and, even more importantly, be part of our long-term vision. Bringing in a player like Fallou reflects our approach to adding young talent and building a competitive team for both the now and the future.”

Fall’s aerial numbers — along with his defensive actions — paint the picture of a player that should thrive under Critchley’s system, especially with Edu Löwen’s return to set-piece duties.

Fall is one of two expected U22 additions to come this summer, with Minnesota United’s Sang-Bin Jeong also expected to arrive, according to Give Me Sport’s Tom Bogert.

Sang-Bin arrived in Minnesota with significant hype after his time with Grasshopper club Zürich, but had stalled in recent months; he’s only started twice in MLS play this season. It’s that context that Pfannenstiel pulling the trigger on a cash trade could benefit CITY SC in the long term. Sang-Bin has a club option in his contract at the end of the season, and recently acquired his Green Card, meaning he won’t take up an international slot.

Sang-Bin’s player profile compared to other fullbacks, the position he has played most this season. Courtesy FB Ref.

The speedy wide player could be the perfect addition, but given the squad’s usage of Xande Silva since acquiring him from Atlanta, it will also be easier to walk away from if it doesn’t work out in St. Louis.

Pfannenstiel is building with the future of CITY SC in mind, but there is hope that the additional competition will drive the current roster forward. These moves are a gamble on the squad’s ability to develop, but there is also a need for success right now that Pfannenstiel hopes these moves can build towards.

There’s a mountain to climb.