St. Louis City rebounds with 4-0 win over Sporting KC

There's never a better time to stop a losing skid than against the rival.

St. Louis City may be too young of an MLS franchise to have any rivalries, but their 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in St. Louis felt not unlike the Cardinals crushing the Cubs.

"They took it personal, what it means to the city of St. Louis, what it means to every individual who works for this club," said St. Louis head coach Bradley Carnell, who also mentioned that the full house crowd at CityPark gave him, "goosebumps down my spine."

Unlike the other professional sports leagues, a Major League Soccer club is comprised of players from all over the world who learn about America through the pitch. St. Louis City is no different. They got key players from Brazil and all over Europe, and have more starting players from Kansas City than St. Louis. According to Carnell, the impact of the rivalry game was felt after St. Louis (7-4-1) went from a 5-0 start to a 1-4-1 skid and needed a win to shake off the struggles and maintain a top-3 position in the standings.

"I think the game comes at the right time," Carnell said.

St. Louis City midfielder Eduard L�wen scores a goal on a penalty kick against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday at CityPark in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Eduard Löwen set the tone for St. Louis with a goal on a penalty kick in the 19th minute. Indiana Vassilev led the offense with a goal in each half, which were also his first two goals of the season.

"He's a smart soccer player," Carnell said of Vassilev. "He knows against the ball how to surprise the opponent, how to jump them at the right time, not arrive too early, not arrive too late. He covers a ton of distance."

Nicholas Gioacchini also scored his fourth goal of the season. It was his first goal — and St. Louis' first win — in Klauss' absence due to injury.

St. Louis City midfielder Indiana Vassilev chases the ball against Sporting Kansas City player on Saturday at CityPark in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

"We recalibrated Nico a little bit," Carnell said. "He found he was coming underneath in too many games, trying to find the game, working off Klauss, that's what we needed to do. But being the 'Klauss' now, being the lone target striker, the profile changes."

St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Bürki finished with six saves to earn the clean sheet for the fifth time this season.

St. Louis City will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, May 27. A win there could push them back to the top of the standings.

St. Louis City forward Nicholas Gioacchini dribbles the ball while being chased by Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell on Saturday at CityPark in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com