St Louis CITY2 earned a 3-1 win over North Texas SC on Saturday night at Choctaw Stadium. CITY2 held North Texas to zero shots on goal throughout the first half and were rewarded for their performance with a goal in the 45th minute from Mykhi Joyner. Joyner’s goal was his fourteenth of the season which came off an assist from fellow homegrown player Tyson Pearce. In the second half, NTX equalized in the 49th minute but just two minutes later, Brendan McSorley found the back of the net to restore the lead at 2-1. St Louis kept the pressure on, and Matteo Kidd sealed the 3-1 victory in second half stoppage time, scoring his sixth goal of the season. CITY2 extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches while maintaining the top spot in MLS NEXT Pro overall standings with 51 points. The team returns home to Energizer Park as they face cross-state rivals Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- Mykhi Joyner notched his fourteenth goal of the season and second in back-to-back matches
- Joyner has contributed to 17 goals this season for CITY2 (14 goals, three assists)
- Brendan McSorley scored his eighth goal of the season and is now one goal shy of matching his 2024 tally (9)
- Matteo Kidd bagged his sixth goal of the season
- Tyson Pearce recorded his second assist of the season
- Emil Jääskeläinen tallied his team-leading seventh assist of the season and has now recorded assists in back-to-back matches
- Five players have scored six or more goals for CITY2 this season: Miguel Perez, Emil Jääskeläinen, Matteo Kidd, Brendan McSorley, and Mykhi Joyner
- Interim head coach John Hackworth now holds an 11-match unbeaten streak since taking over CITY2 on June 4
- St Louis has extended their unbeaten run to 13 consecutive matches and earned their fifteenth win of the season
- With tonight's victory, St Louis won the regular season series against North Texas SC
Goal-Scoring Plays
STL: Mykhi Joyner (Tyson Pearce), 45th minute – Mykhi Joyner scored with a left footed shot from the center of the box to the middle right zone.
NTX: Aaron Essel, 49th minute – Aaron Essel scored with a right footed shot from the central position outside the box to the upper right central zone.
STL: Brendan McSorley (Emil Jääskeläinen), 49th minute – Brendan McSorley scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the central zone.
STL: Matteo Kidd, 90th minute + 2 – Matteo Kidd scored with a right footed shot from the central position outside the box to the bottom left corner.
Scoring Summary
STL: Mykhi Joyner (Tyson Pearce), 45’
NTX: Aaron Essel, 49’
STL: Brendan McSorley (Emil Jääskeläinen), 51’
STL: Matteo Kidd, 90’+2
Misconduct Summary
NTX: Aaron Essel (caution), 11’
STL: Emil Jääskeläinen (caution), 13’
NTX: Favour Aroyameh (caution), 15’
NTX: Gavin Gall (caution), 37’
STL: Seth Antwi (caution), 63’
STL: Wan Kuzain (caution), 63’
NTX: Mohammed Cisset (caution), 71’
STL: Matteo Kidd (caution), 88’
Lineups
NTX: GK JT Harms; D Jackson Dubois, D Álvaro Augusto, D Aaron Essel (Alejandro Urzua, 80’), D Gavin Gall ©; M Favour Aroyameh (Mohamed Cisset, 64’), M Caleb Swann, M Diego García (Christopher Salazar, 81’); F Anthony Ramírez (Jaidyn Contreras, 70’), F Tarik Scott (Faisu Sangare, 70’), F Enes Sali
Substitutes Not Used: GK Nicolás Arango Montoya, D James Bulkeley, M Marlon Luccin, F Leonardo Orejarena
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 23; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 3
STL: GK Christian Olivares; D Tyson Pearce, D Gabriel Mikina ©, D Cam Cilley, D Miguel Perez (Emiliano Chavez, 46’); M Seth Antwi, M Wan Kuzain (Lucas Demitra, 87’); M Brendan McSorley, M Caden Glover (Trip Clancy, 77’), M Mykhi Joyner (Matteo Kidd, 70’); F Emil Jääskeläinen
Substitutes Not Used: GK Colin Welsh, M Alex Jundt, M Evan Carlock
TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 20; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 1
Referee: Melvin Rivas
Assistant Referees: Ben Cuyler, Mark Novosel
Fourth Official: Kaitlyn Trowbridge
Venue: Choctaw Stadium
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 89 degrees
