*Rafael Navarro didn’t need much time to introduce himself.*
Thirty-four seconds into his first start for St. Louis CITY SC, the club-record signing had his first CITY goal.
By the 51st minute, he had two.
Navarro’s brace in Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw at Portland gave him the *fastest goal in club history* and made him the *fastest CITY player ever to record a brace*. He now has 12 goals and four assists in MLS this season.
And even though Portland equalized again in the 89th minute, CITY’s ridiculous run keeps going:
🔥 *15 matches unbeaten across all competitions*
🔥 *14 straight unbeaten in MLS*
🔥 The *second-longest MLS unbeaten run in league history*
Bright and Kev break down the Portland draw, Navarro’s immediate impact and another game that somehow felt both encouraging and frustrating.
Then comes tonight.
CITY returns to Energizer Park against Minnesota United, and this one feels different.
St. Louis enters Matchday 26 in *sixth place in the West with 38 points*, level with San Jose and only two points behind FC Dallas for fourth. If the playoffs started today, CITY would face LAFC in Round One.
Minnesota enters in *11th place with 29 points*, coming off consecutive losses to Portland and Dallas. But the Loons have actually been better away from home this season at *5-5-2*, and they’ve owned the recent series against CITY, winning six of the last seven meetings across all competitions.
So who starts?
⚽ Navarro seems impossible to bench after two goals in his first start.
⚽ Simon Becher has been one of CITY’s hottest attackers.
⚽ Alex Mățan keeps making himself indispensable.
⚽ Conrad Wallem returns from suspension.
⚽ Carlo Holse still needs minutes to settle into the system.
⚽ And Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Colorado is already looming.
Navarro is also officially *one yellow card away from suspension*, and he will be unavailable for Wednesday’s Open Cup semifinal because he is cup-tied after previously appearing for Colorado in the competition.
CITY has depth.
CITY has momentum.
CITY finally has its $12 million striker scoring goals.
Now they need to start turning more of these close games into three points.
TONIGHT: MINNESOTA UNITED AT ENERGIZER PARK.
Kickoff is *7:30 PM CT on Apple TV*.
Bright says *CITY 3-1*.
Kev says *CITY 3-0*.
🎙️ *CITY SC Posse Ep28 - Navarro Has Arrived: 2 Goals, 15 Unbeaten & Minnesota Must Be a Win*
