Reeling City SC goes up against stingy Cincy defense

St. Louis City SC has gone from a 5-0 start to its inaugural season to a two-game losing streak. They face another tough test on Saturday when City SC host Cincinnati.

Cincinnati leads the Eastern Conference with a 5-0-2 record and has not only won every match decided by one goal but is also coming off three straight shutouts. Both of Cincinnati’s draws came on the road, for what it’s worth.

Cincinnati is led by the duo of Sergio Santos and Junior Moreno, who have two goals to each of their names. They are averaging 1.3 goals, 4.3 shots on goal, and 2.9 corner kicks through seven games while allowing 0.6 goals per game.

City SC is eighth in the Western Conference in goals allowed with eight, despite giving up three goals for the first time all season in a 3-0 loss at Seattle on April 8 in the battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference.

Seattle had a 12-9 edge in shots against City SC last week, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. Led by João Klauss’ five goals, City SC averages 2.1 goals, 5.4 shots on goal, and 5.3 corner kicks through seven games while allowing 1.1 goals per game.

As good as St. Louis is on defense, the team who gets the most shots off, especially toward the net, will win.