香港三级片

St. 香港三级片 City SC lost for the second time in four days to Minnesota United, and the pressure on coach Olof Mellberg only increased after the team failed to hold a 2-1 lead in the closing minutes and was eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 16 on Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Anthony Markanich, traded away by City SC late last season, scored twice in the closing minutes of the game, once in the 85th minute, then again in the 88th minute to give Minnesota its 3-2 lead that would become the final score. It was the first time he scored two goals in a game as a professional. City SC has allowed seven goals in the 70th minute or later in the past four games.

City SC had a chance to tie the game in the 90th minute when Simon Becher got his head on a ball in the box, but Minnesota goalkeeper Wessel Speel got to the ball.

It was the 11th straight match against an MLS opponent without a win for City SC, which last beat an MLS team on March 15 against Seattle. While this Open Cup match won鈥檛 count in the league standings, it will go on Mellberg鈥檚 record,

City SC had taken a 2-1 lead in the second half on goals 10 minutes apart by Marcel Hartel and Klauss and looked on its way to the quarterfinals. But then Markanich scored first on a breakaway, beating goalkeeper Roman Burki, and then headed in what would become the game winner.

The draw for the remainder of the tournament, including home-field priorities, will be held Thursday morning. The quarterfinals will be June 8 or 9.

City SC fell behind in the 10th minute on a goal by Kelvin Yeboah, who was looking away from the goal when he made a side flick of the ball into the net with Josh Yaro standing right behind him.

City SC scored twice in 10 minutes early in the second half. The first came in the 55th minute after a free kick that didn鈥檛 work, but Timo Baumgartl tracked down the clearance, crossed it back into the box and Hartel deflected it in for the tying goal. For Hartel, it was his first non-penalty kick goal since March 8.

That goal energized City SC, and 10 minutes later, Cedric Teuchert started with a nice spin and a run through the Minnesota defense, getting the ball wide to Hartel who then put in to the box where Klauss leaped over his defender, heading the ball down into the ground and past Speel.

That was in the 66th minute, which meant that the ensuing minutes, generally the worst for City SC this season, would be treacherous.

And indeed they were.

Mellberg made three changes to the starting lineup from the first meeting, with Chris Durkin and Jannes Horn, both coming back from injuries, returning to the starting lineup along with Klauss, while Tomas Ostrak, Celio Pompeu and Akil Watts came out. (Watts replaced Horn at halftime.) Minnesota made seven changes from the first game, but five of the new starters on Wednesday saw action off the bench in the first meeting.

Becher came on for Klauss, who also scored in City SC鈥檚 first Open Cup match this season, and Xande Silva came on for Durkin

St. 香港三级片 City SC

Plenty at stake for St. 香港三级片 City SC in rematch with Minnesota in US Open Cup

• Tom Timmermann | Post-Dispatch

St. 香港三级片 City SC

Naomi Girma returning to roster for US women's team for June 3 game in St. Louis

• Tom Timmermann | Post-Dispatch

St. 香港三级片 City SC

As pressure mounts on Mellberg, St. 香港三级片 City SC coach says he's focused on next game

• Tom Timmermann | Post-Dispatch

Defender Naomi Girma will make her first appearances of 2025 with the U.S. women鈥檚 national team in the two games in the upcoming international window, including a game against Jamaica on June 3 at Energizer Park.

Girma has been out with injuries but returned to action with Chelsea FC, which won the Women鈥檚 Super League and the FA Cup in England.

She was among 24 players chosen to join the U.S. team in camp for the two games. The U.S. will also play China on May 31 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Coach Emma Hayes will be allowed 23 players in uniform for each game. The game in St. 香港三级片 will a tribute match for Becky Sauerbrunn, with a pregame celebration of the Ladue High product鈥檚 career.

Girma is one of seven players on the roster who were not on the roster for the team鈥檚 games with Brazil in April.

Other returning faces are forward Lynn Biyendolo and midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who has not been with the team in more than a year. Moultrie, 19, is one of four teenagers on the roster, along with Lily Yohannes, 17, and Claire Hutton and Gisele Thompson, both 19.

There are three uncapped players on the roster, with defender Kelly Abello and midfielder Lo鈥檈au LaBonta getting their first call-ups. At 32, LaBonta, the captain of the Kansas City Current, could become the oldest player to debut for the women鈥檚 national team. Goalkeeper Claudio Dickey is also uncapped.

Seventeen of the 24 players are from NWSL; the rest play in Europe. Kansas City has the most players on the roster, with three. This is a transitional year for the women鈥檚 team after the 2023 Women鈥檚 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, so it鈥檚 a chance for Hayes to look at younger players with no major international competitions in the immediate future.

St. 香港三级片 City SC

Plenty at stake for St. 香港三级片 City SC in rematch with Minnesota in US Open Cup

• Tom Timmermann | Post-Dispatch

St. 香港三级片 City SC needs a transfusion of pride.

Ten consecutive games without a win. These uninspired players are not playing proudly.

And for the first time since the team鈥檚 inception, pride is waning from some of the fans.

If City indeed wants to make the playoffs, as owner Carolyn Kindle passionately told the Post-Dispatch before the first game, then City needs a new leader, a new conductor, a new pride-injector. Coach Olof Mellberg might be a brilliant soccer mind 鈥� and was a big-time soccer player 鈥� but it鈥檚 not translating to his coaching of this team. Sorry, but it鈥檚 just not working.

Fire Mellberg to light a fire.

Yes, there have been injuries. Yes, City has played just 14 of the 34 games this year so far. But when a team doesn鈥檛 show fight and passion this early in a first-year coach鈥檚 tenure, then the coach isn鈥檛 the right fit for the team.

Also under Mellberg, the team has switched from its tried-and-true four-man defensive line to a five-man setup. There were some good results early on, but overall this year, it鈥檚 been ineffective.

St. 香港三级片 hasn鈥檛 won a game since the ides of March.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working on how to improve. ... Accountability starts with me,鈥� Mellberg said Monday at a news conference. 鈥淎nd it should run through the whole club, including the players. ...

鈥淩egardless of the positions you have, or how you are set up tactically, football is, in the end, about winning those individual battles. One v. one situations, second balls, aerial duels. All of that is so important ... especially in the in the final third.鈥�

In its most recent game, a 3-0 loss at Minnesota, St. 香港三级片 only tallied 13 touches from within the opponent鈥檚 box. And City鈥檚 expected goals number was a puny 0.58, its lowest since the March 22 loss to the hands (well, feet) of Philadelphia. The Union is coached by Bradley Carnell, who was City鈥檚 coach in 2023 and part of 2024, until a nine-game winless streak led to his pink slip.

Really, last weekend鈥檚 loss at Minnesota showed City鈥檚 dueling depressing deficiencies. Which is worse: the team鈥檚 inability to score or to prevent the other team from scoring?

But the game prior, for me anyway, was the one that captures everything wrong with Mellberg鈥檚 team:

Home game.

And against Kansas City, St. 香港三级片鈥� fierce rival.

And Kansas City had the second-fewest points in the conference.

And St. 香港三级片 took a 2-0 lead into the second half.

And ...

St. 香港三级片 allowed two second-half goals for a tie that captain Roman Burki said 鈥渇eels like a loss.鈥�

City deflated.

And regarding this team, the city has become deflated.

Because, look, it鈥檚 not just that the team isn鈥檛 winning 鈥� it鈥檚 also that the players aren鈥檛 playing hard enough or defending smart enough to change that trend.

Who鈥檚 directly in charge of the players? Olof Mellberg.

From the players鈥� standpoint, defender Chris Durkin shared Monday: 鈥淚 think effort is not just working hard out there 鈥� it鈥檚 taking pride in the effort that you put in, pride in the duels that you win. And I think we need a little bit more of that. That鈥檚 nothing controversial to say, I think. And I think everybody can muster up a little bit more desire to win.鈥�

Durkin described Mellberg as a straightforward coach. And that approach earned Mellberg enough previous victories that it earned him the City SC job. But a coach must be flexible enough to alter their approach, even midseason, to motivate and maximize players. I鈥檓 not saying City needs to bring in Ted Lasso, but the club needs some sort of jolt and rejuvenation. A new personality and, perhaps, new messaging.

After all, Mellberg mentioned that there are 鈥渇ixable things鈥� with this team. City has the same players 鈥� Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel, Simon Becher 鈥� who thrived offensively under interim coach John Hackworth following the Carnell firing. And Durkin and Burki are back from injury. Also, some of the other injured players are progressing 鈥� and after a U.S. Open game Wednesday (back in Minnesota) and a road game Saturday at Colorado, St. 香港三级片 has seven days off.

With 11 points, City is in second-to-last place in the Western Conference. But City is only seven points from the last playoff spot 鈥� and there are 20 more matches to play. So the season might feel over, but it鈥檚 not over.

Yet, anyway.

鈥淚 think points have been made in the locker room that we can get content with just how it鈥檚 going 鈥� but it takes a real effort to turn things around,鈥� Durkin said. 鈥淵ou have to show up to the facility saying, 鈥業鈥檓 going to change how we鈥檙e approaching every single thing today.鈥� It鈥檚 about the approach. And if you view coming to the facility as, 鈥業 have to come play soccer today,鈥� it鈥檚 not the right mentality. We get to. And we need to take pride in our job.鈥�

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• Benjamin Hochman | Post-Dispatch

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St. 香港三级片 City SC midfielder Chris Durkin didn鈥檛 hesitate on Monday to describe his team鈥檚 feeling at the moment as frustrated.

鈥淚 think every individual in that locker room is definitely not happy,鈥� he said.

Embattled coach Olof Mellberg had a simple answer for how best to relieve that frustration:

鈥淲e win,鈥� he said.

Winning has proved elusive for City SC over the past two months, to the point where the first-year coach鈥檚 job is definitely in jeopardy. The team is winless in 10 games, and in its past two games, it blew a 2-0 lead in the 70th minute against its archrival Sporting Kansas City to earn only a tie, then followed that with a desultory effort against Minnesota that ended with a 3-0 loss.

The criticism of the team, which featured weak offense but solid defense to start the season but no longer has that defense to fall back on, has mounted. Meanwhile, the team has been shut out in seven of its 14 games after being shut out eight times all last season.

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, in his weekly radio appearance on KMOX, said he was 鈥渆mbarrassed鈥� by recent performances and the club is 鈥渁t the lowest point we can be.鈥� With just three points out of its past 10 games, the team has already passed the point at which Bradley Carnell was fired last season, three points in nine games.

鈥淚 always put a lot of pressure on myself, regardless of the results鈥� Mellberg said Monday as the team began preparations for a Wednesday match in the U.S. Open Cup tournament against Minnesota. 鈥淲e had a really good start to the season but still wanted to really improve from there. We were still not happy. So obviously, after having this really, really tough period, extremely disappointed with the result and with that, pressure comes not only from myself, from everywhere, but that鈥檚 just part of the job.鈥�

As for his job security, Mellberg said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think too much about that, to be honest. Now we have a lot of games. You have a game Wednesday, Saturday as well, so we鈥檙e just looking at the next game and how to win that.鈥�

A win on Wednesday may only delay things. It鈥檚 an Open Cup match, so while a win there would put City SC into the quarterfinals of the tournament, it would not snap the winless streak or improve its position in the MLS standings. Then on Saturday, City SC travels to Colorado for an MLS match, which is where the real payoff lies.

But if City SC were to lose to Minnesota on Wednesday, there鈥檚 no guarantee Mellberg would be headed to Denver.

The team has met after each of those two games to discuss the problems and then had its regular film reviews of games to start the next week for another round of discussion. The Minnesota game got reviewed on Monday morning before the team hit the practice field, a practice that started about 20 minutes behind schedule after the meeting ran long.

鈥淲e want to do better,鈥� Mellberg said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking on how to improve and how to take accountability as well. And that starts with me and should run through the whole club, including the players. I hope good things will come from those conversations and meetings, for sure.

鈥淲e are always trying to be constructive but not pointing fingers too much at individuals. Just really seeing how we can improve as a team and how we can demand things of each other. So we鈥檙e really trying to use those meetings to really pinpoint the areas which make a difference. That obviously also will look at the positives. There were quite a lot of positives the other day, especially from individuals. I thought some of the players had really, really good performances. So a lot of people feel that everything is a disaster when you lose 3-nil, but we鈥檙e trying to be focused on and really see how we can improve.鈥�

But the situation with the team is severe. City SC is 27th out of 30 teams overall in the standings, it鈥檚 28th in goals scored and, after posting shutouts in its first four games of the season, now allowed the 14th-most goals. The team no longer has an offense- or defense-minded personality.

And while Mellberg says winning will alleviate the team鈥檚 feeling of frustration, he also said that it鈥檚 no slam dunk to make it happen.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the secret,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easier said than done at the moment, but for sure, we are obviously looking at all of these things that made us lose the game the other day. And again, it鈥檚 why Minnesota are where they are and we are where we are. It鈥檚 not coincidence. And when you really look at the game in detail, you can see those differences between the two teams, and I think these are fixable things. That鈥檚 why I think the future is good for this team, but it鈥檚 obvious that we need to pick up points very soon.鈥�

As if in some meteorological metaphor, while Mellberg and the team were en route to Minnesota on Friday, a tornado hit his home.

鈥淚 live in that area,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 home at the time. My wife was, so it was right there in the Central West End. So, terrible, obviously, especially for the victims and everybody affected. We send our thoughts to them.鈥�

In what Mellberg has to hope is an extension of that metaphor, the power is back on at his home.

St. 香港三级片 City SC

Another dud showing, another locker room conversation for St. 香港三级片 City SC

• Eli Hoff | Post-Dispatch

St. 香港三级片 City SC

City SC's Olof Mellberg says 'every game is a must win' for his struggling team

• Tom Timmermann | Post-Dispatch

Lynn Worthy

Worthy: Early struggles may be leading to tough decisions for St. 香港三级片 City SC leadership

• Lynn Worthy | Post-Dispatch