City SC's Gioacchini gaining confidence with each goal

St. Louis City SC coach Bradley Carnell was relatively pleased, despite a 1-1 draw with the lowly LA Galaxy on Sunday, June 11, at CITYPARK.

City SC forward Nicholas Gioacchini delivered a beautiful goal to give City SC a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute.

“It was a really good goal,” Carnell said. “He’s been searching for that. He’s getting better with each game. He’s never stopped learning and that is what we ask of the group. If you stick to your principles, you’ll get rewarded.”

Gioacchini said the goal just came down to instinct.

“The ball arrived a little awkwardly,” Gioacchini said. “I was just trying to put it on frame. I knew the goal was a little behind me to the right. It wasn’t really an extremely calculated gesture.”

City SC conceded the tying goal in the 85th minute. Still, the level they played at throughout is something they hope to see carry over into Saturday evening's matchup with Nashville SC. Carnell feels the goal can be a springboard for Gioacchini and his game.

“It sparks a lot of confidence,” Carnell said. “The next few touches after a goal are always good and silky so it just shows what a spark of good fortune can do and what it can do for you as a player.”

Gioacchini echoed what Carnell said about the goal's impact on his mentality.

“It’s a boost of confidence,” Gioacchini said. “When you trust your instincts and make those it’s great. I love winning games though and that’s a big priority.”

Gioacchini has started in 14 of 16 games he’s played and he has six goals and one assist on 18 shots this season for City SC.

As City SC prepares for Nashville, they will try to emulate the physicality they played with on Sunday.

“I think it’s just the nature of how we play,” Carnell said. “We’re a physical group. Do we like to collect as many yellow cards? No, because yellow cards break (the pressure). We want to be relentless.”

City SC will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, when they travel to take on Nashville SC.

Following the matchup with Nashville, City SC will return to CITYPARK at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21 when they host Salt Lake.