香港三级片

If St. 香港三级片 City SC looks different than it did last season, a different formation, a team more confident building out of the back than just waiting to counterattack, the results looked awfully familiar.

The combination of effective defense and chance-creating offense was only enough to get City SC a 0-0 tie against the Colorado Rapids before a sellout opening night crowd at the re-named Energizer Park on Saturday. City SC had 13 ties last season in 34 games, and it鈥檚 1 for 1 this season.

There was a lot to like about the start of Olof Mellberg鈥檚 time as coach of City SC. The team did a lockdown job on defense, limiting the Colorado Rapids to just two shots, neither of which were on goal and required a save. On offense, it took 18 shots, put five of them on target and had an expected goals total of 1.8.

City SC had significant edges in just about every offensive category, but with one exception: goals.

鈥淭his normally is a game we win.鈥� Mellberg said. 鈥淚 think we dominated most of the game. We have the stats here, it was 18-2 in shots, and we limited them to zero chances. Basically, there were a couple of dangerous situations in the box, where we defended well, but apart from that, they didn鈥檛 have any chances, and we created enough to score at least two or three goals. Little bit unlucky with the offside there on (Henry Kessler), and we had three, four great chances to score. So obviously, again, we should have won, but the performance was good.鈥�

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something to build on,鈥� said Kessler, who anchored the back line, 鈥渂ut not a result that we鈥檙e satisfied with.鈥�

Getting a tie in a game it could have won was a problem for City SC last season, costing it valuable points that cost it a playoff spot. City SC came away encouraged by every part of this game except its finishing.

鈥淲e created a lot of chances going forward,鈥� said forward Simon Becher, who had five shots, three on goal, and a 1.05 expected goals total, 鈥渏ust have to put some of them away and take them as they come. And mentality in the game is next chance, next chance, try to put the last one behind you. We stuck to the game plan. I think maybe on another day, one or two of those go in. So just keep working.鈥�

Becher started up front with Klauss, and it was Becher who had the better of the chances, starting in the 17th minute when he shot a ball straight to Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen. It looked like Becher had a goal in the 20th minute after a free kick by Eduard Lowen had hit the post and Kessler got the rebound to Becher for a short goal. But Kessler was offside on the original shot by Lowen, and the goal didn鈥檛 count.

Klauss played the full 90 minutes and almost scored as regulation time ended on a header that was stopped by a diving Steffen for Colorado.

City SC controlled the game while having 54.3% of possession, something in the past that did not usually lead to wins. Over its first two seasons, City SC had four wins, 10 losses and five ties when it had 54% of more of possession.

鈥淚 was pleased with the attack as well,鈥� Mellberg said. 鈥淲e had some great combinations from buildup, varied our game with the longer ball, the ball in behind, with some really good periods in possession as well, where we managed to create chances. It wasn鈥檛 an amazing performance from our point of view, but it was the first game, and we dominated. We probably should have won.鈥�

While City SC had seven shutouts last season, none looked like this. It was just the second game in the club鈥檚 brief history in which it didn鈥檛 allow a shot on goal (the other came last season in a 1-0 win over Austin) and the 0.3 expected goals allowed total matches that Austin game as the lowest in club history.

The most easily recognizable change in how City SC plays is going from the four-man back line that had been the default formation under Bradley Carnell and John Hackworth, with two center backs and a left back and right back, to a three-man backfield with three center backs, while the left and right backs are pushed up the field.

With Joakim Nilsson out with what Mellberg thinks is a minor injury (same for midfielder Rasmus Alm, who also didn鈥檛 dress for the game), the job fell to Kessler, Josh Yaro and Kyle Hiebert. All three made significant contributions throughout the game, with Kessler, playing in the middle, ranging all around the field to track down balls and break up plays.

鈥淛ust individually great performances,鈥� Kessler said. 鈥淚 think the shifting in the back line was really good, covering for each other at all moments. All those things were really good.鈥�

Chris Durkin suited up for the game but didn鈥檛 play while Akil Watts, who got a lot of time at the position in camp, went the full 90 minutes. Cedric Teuchert, who just arrived in St. 香港三级片 on Friday after going back to Germany to get his green card, came on in the 81st minute. Newly signed defensive midfielder Alfredo Morales subbed on for Lowen in the 69th minute. Morales, a trialist who had been in camp in California with City SC, signed with the team Friday.

Before the game, City SC signed second-round draft pick Joey Zalinsky to a first-team contract, which brings the roster to the limit of 30. Zalinksy is a defender out of Rutgers who came up through the New York Red Bulls academy system. The club鈥檚 other two picks, forward Emil Jaaskelainen and goalkeeper Colin Welsh, are likely headed to City2 if they sign. Zalinsky signed a one-year contract with three option years for the club. Zalinsky was on the roster Saturday night but didn鈥檛 play.