Another Road Draw, Another Night of Almost

Another Road Draw, Another Mixed Bag, Another Night of “Almost:” St. Louis City SC walks out of Dallas with a 1-1 draw, and honestly, that feels about right. Not a robbery. Not a collapse. Not exactly a statement either. Just another night where City did enough to keep you watching, enough to make you think maybe they could steal all three points, and then just enough nonsense to make sure you close the night muttering at your TV like a deranged soccer prophet. As I’m writing this, the final whistle has just blown, and the overall feeling is not rage, not joy, just that very specific City SC cocktail of cautious appreciation mixed with low-grade irritation.

First Half Control, Same Old Finishing Problem: For long stretches of the first half, City was the better team. The possession looked good. The pressure looked good. The shape looked good. The opportunities were there. The problem, once again, was the part of soccer that matters most: putting the ball in the net. Dallas’ keeper came up with some big saves, no question, but City also continues to make scoring look like it requires solving a Rubik’s Cube underwater. There were chances. There was movement. There was attacking intent. There was just not enough end product. At some point, “we created chances” becomes soccer fan therapy, not analysis.

Second Half, Same Horror Movie Scene: And then, just like last week, City came out of halftime and immediately forgot how second halves work. This is becoming a nasty little trend. Defensive lapse, moment of hesitation, and boom, the other team cashes in. Back-to-back weeks now with that same ugly script. It is starting to feel less like bad luck and more like a team that goes into halftime, gets a drink of water, and accidentally leaves its brain in the locker room. You cannot keep doing enough good work in the first half just to hand it back five minutes into the second. That is a great way to become the kings of the honorable draw and the absolute masters of finishing 13th.

Credit Where It’s Due, City Punched Back: To City’s credit, they did respond. And that matters. Down 1-0, they did not fold, they did not panic, and they did not completely retreat into backward-pass cowardice. In the 60th minute, Edelman, making up for his earlier mistake, plays a beautiful ball to the far post and Baumgartle taps it home. Great response, great composure, great moment. It was one of those goals that felt earned, not random. And honestly, it was needed, because another road shutout would have felt like a crime against paying customers and anyone unfortunate enough to bet the over.

The Substitution Circus Rolls On: Now let’s talk about the thing that made me want to launch a folding chair into orbit: the substitutions. I cannot believe McSorley did not come in earlier for Becher. And then when does he come on? The 94th minute. The 94th minute! What are we doing here? Is he being punished? Is there a witness protection program for energy players? Is there a secret club where only exhausted starters are allowed to remain on the field no matter what? It makes no sense. Same issue with Teuchert. He comes in late again, immediately brings energy again, immediately looks dangerous again, and then nearly steals the whole damn thing on a breakaway in stoppage time before the Dallas keeper makes another huge save. Every week this guy comes in and looks like he might actually do something, which of course means we should wait until the game is almost over before using him. Brilliant system. No notes.

Cordova Better, But Still Not the Answer I thought Cordova was better tonight. That part is fair. He looked more central, more involved, more useful in the hold-up play. But the deeper truth is still the deeper truth: he does not look like the answer. At best, he feels like a poor man’s João Klauss, and I do not mean that as a compliment. He can battle a bit, he can occupy space, he can give you moments, but he still does not feel creative enough, sharp enough, or clinical enough to be the guy this team leans on. City does not need “fine.” City needs someone who scares defenses. Right now, Cordova feels more like someone defenses tolerate.

Wallem, Patron Saint of the Back Pass: And then there is Wallem. Good grief. The game is in its dying seconds. You are in the attacking half. There is basically one last chance to throw chaos into the box, make something weird happen, maybe steal a miracle. And what does Wallem do? Holds it. Slows it. Passes it backward. Game over. This man treats forward momentum like it is legally dangerous. There are DMV employees with more attacking urgency. There are people at the self-checkout lane showing more creativity. I am begging, literally begging, for one game where he sees space and decides to attack it instead of returning the ball like he is dropping a library book into a slot before the building closes.

Apathy, But Slightly Respectful Apathy: And yet, here’s the annoying part: I do not actually hate this result. That is what makes it so frustrating. A 1-1 draw on the road against a team higher in the standings is not bad. It is not some disgraceful disaster. It is acceptable. Maybe even earned. Dallas absolutely had their stretches, especially late, and yes, they were threatening in the closing minutes, but City also had enough control and enough chances to say this point did not fall from the sky. The problem is not the result in a vacuum. The problem is the pattern. Draws keep you alive, but they do not exactly light the table on fire. At some point, you need wins, not character-building road ties that leave everyone saying, “Well… okay then.”

The Big Picture, Still Foggy: So where does that leave us? Same place we have been hovering around for what feels like forever: not dead, not convincing, not exciting enough, not bad enough to fully bury, not good enough to fully trust. City continues to show enough resilience to stay in the conversation, but not enough sharpness to control it. The US Open Cup matchup is next, then back on the road again for Seattle. The road draws are fine, I guess. Fine is just not a personality. Fine is not a playoff push. Fine is not what this club sold in Year One when they had this city convinced we were building something loud, chaotic, fearless, and fun.

Final Take, A Point Is a Point, But Stop Making It So Annoying: So yes, take the point. Pocket it. Move on. But also, for the love of all things red and navy, can we please stop making every game feel like a half-finished group project? There is something here. There are stretches where you can see it. There are players who flash it. There are moments where the game actually looks like it might belong to City. Then somebody misses a finish, somebody falls asleep defensively, somebody waits too long to make sub, and Wallem sends the ball backward like he is trying to reverse the concept of time itself. Another road draw. Another decent-enough result. Another night where City SC did just enough to avoid disaster, and just little enough to make sure nobody feels all that good about it.