It wasn’t a victory on paper for Saint Louis FC Sunday night, but the team is finally getting some much needed offense that it lacked a year ago.
Last year the team never found a commanding goal scorer up top despite being fundamentally sound through the middle and many of the best players possessing the back line.
Irvin Herrera has been that spark the team so desperately needed last year. In the past three games Herrera has scored five goals. One of them came in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Rio Grande Valley FC and it was a spectacle of a strike.
This strike from @enriquherrera for @SaintLouisFC is blowing our minds! 💥 We’re all tied up in #STLvRGVhttps://t.co/RIIJSgN2yB
— USL (@USL) May 30, 2016
“Every team needs a guy that they can go to and count on for goals, and right now he [Herrera] is our guy,” said head coach Dale Schilly.
Herrera leads the team with six goals on the season and will look to continue to build upon his recent success.
Saint Louis is starting to gel well as a team and the on field product is an example of that. The team remains undefeated at home and played one of its best matches last week in a mid-week tilt against the undefeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC II.
Saint Louis pounded the net on offense throughout the night and held an advantage for most of the game despite the 1-1 result. The home team outshout Vancouver 10-1 in the second half, but quality defense from Jackson Farmer and Sem De Wit prevented Saint Louis from capitalizing.
The team has played much better fundamentally from a year ago. After an 0-2 start to the season, Saint Louis has lost just one match in its last 10, going 5-1-4 with a goal differential of +9.
As the team continues to find its identity, the absence of Patrick Doody, who is on loan from Chicago, is one of the teams top tier players. Doody hasn’t see action since the teams home opener against the Tulsa Roughnecks on April 16. Although Saint Louis lacks height, Doody does an excellent job of controlling the ball and generating chances with crosses into the box.
Saint Louis will face off against NASL side Minnesota United FC in its next match, which is another Wednesday night game as it continues its run in the US Open Cup. If you followed the team at all last year then you’ll remember the huge penalty shootout victory Saint Louis put together behind goal keeper Mark Pais to send the team to Kansas City.
Oh baby @SaintLouisFC is going to Sporting Park to take on @SportingKC! Defeat Minnesota on PK’s @USL @StLouligans pic.twitter.com/TJSmBD85ja
— Nick Yahl (@NickYahl) May 28, 2015
The match is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Saint Louis FC’s website.
For more Saint Louis FC news and notes, follow me @NickYahl on Twitter or send me an e-mail at [email protected]
Our managing editor Nick Yahl is originally from St. Louis where he graduated De Smet Jesuit high school in 2012. Currently studying at the University of Missouri, majoring in broadcast journalism, he has worked with the Mizzou radio (KCOU), newspaper (Maneater), and television stations (MUTV) writing and producing coverage on Mizzou sports. He currently serves as the Mizzou beat writer for CBS Sports 920 & InsideSTL.com in St. Louis in addition to his duties at ACS.
He's also the creator and co-host of ACS podcast "The Post Game", which will soon start back up.
Besides Mizzou sports he is a die-hard Cardinals fan, but also supports the Blues and Saint Louis FC. He loves collecting jersey’s, baseball cards, and sports memorabilia. One day he hopes to work on the St. Louis Cardinals broadcast team. Follow him @NickYahl on Twitter
