St. Louis CITY SC earned a 3-1 win after a strong performance against New England Revolution on Saturday night at Energizer Park. New England opened the scoring in the 14th minute, but Simon Becher equalized in the 29th minute, netting his first goal of the season. In first half stoppage time, Chris Durkin gave CITY SC a 2-1 lead, finishing off a corner kick from Rafael Santos. While second half play was back and forth, Marcel Hartel sealed the win in the 83rd minute, catching New England’s goalkeeper off his line and scoring his second goal of the season.
Tonight’s win was CITY SC’s first of the season and their seventh all-time home victory against an Eastern Conference opponent. St. Louis will return to action after the international break with a first-ever visit to NYCFC on Saturday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- Yoann Damet earned his first MLS win as head coach with CITY SC
- Simon Becher scored his first goal of the season and 13th in his MLS career
- Becher has now scored in both of CITY SC’s matches against New England
- Chris Durkin recorded his first goal of the season and his first since his goal against Inter Miami on June 1, 2024
- Marcel Hartel notched his second goal of the season
- Daniel Edelman earned his second assist of the season
- Rafael Santos marked his first goal contribution with CITY SC with the assist on Durkin’s goal
- Mbacke Fall made his St. Louis CITY SC debut, entering the match as a substitute
- Célio Pompeu made his first start of the season
- CITY SC remains undefeated against New England Revolution
- St. Louis improved their home record against Eastern Conference teams to 7-2-3 with a plus 14 goal difference
March 22, 2026 – Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO)
Goal-Scoring Plays
NE: Ilay Feingold (Luca Langoni, Carles Gil), 14th minute – Ilay Feingold scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the lower right central zone.
STL: Simon Becher (Daniel Edelman), 29th minute – Simon Becher scored with a left footed shot from the center of the box to the lower right central zone.
STL: Chris Durkin (Rafael Santos), 48th minute + 3 – Chris Durkin scored with a right footed shot from the center of the box to the lower left central zone.
STL: Marcel Hartel, 83rd minute – Marcel Hartel scored with a right footed shot from the left half-space outside the box to the lower right central zone.
Scoring Summary
NE: Ilay Feingold (Luca Langoni, Carles Gil), 14’
STL: Simon Becher (Daniel Edelman), 29’
STL: Chris Durkin (Rafael Santos), 45’+3
STL: Marcel Hartel, 83’
Misconduct Summary
STL: Rafael Santos (caution), 38’
NE: Brayan Cellabos (caution), 52’
NE: Mamadou Fofana (caution), 66’
STL: Jaziel Orozco (caution), 88’
STL: Roman Bürki (caution), 90’ +10
Lineups
STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Jaziel Orozco (Mbacke Fall, 90’ + 8), D Timo Baumgartl, D Dante Polvara (Lukas MacNaughton, 89’); M Conrad Wallem, M Chris Durkin, M Daniel Edelman, M Célio Pompeu (Sergio Córdova, 73’), M Marcel Hartel, M Rafael Santos; F Simon Becher
Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Tomas Totland, M Miguel Perez, M Sangbin Jeong, F Mykhi Joyner, F Brendan McSorley
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 11; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 1
NE: GK Matt Turner ©; D Will Sands (Diego Fagundez, 74’), D Brayan Cellabos, D Mamadou Fofana, D Ilay Feingold; M Matt Polster, M Carles Gil ©, M Brooklyn Raines (Peyton Miller, 73’); F Alhassan Yusuf, F Dor Turgeman (Leo Campana, 59’, Jackson Yueill, 78’), F Luca Langoni (Griffin Yow, 59’)
Substitutes not used: GK JD Gunn, D Tanner Beason, D Keegan Hughes, M Ethan Kohler
TOTAL SHOTS: 8; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDES: 3 CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga, Jeffrey Greeson, Muhammad Hassan
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
AVAR: Joshua Patlak
Venue: Energizer Park
Weather: Clear, 77 degrees
Postgame Audio: Postgame Recording
Postgame Video: Footage (Passcode: 1vyWX9!%)
Head Coach Yoann Damet
This is your first time in this room after a win; three points, how does it feel?
Good. Good. Mostly I’m happy for the guys and for the staff. Those guys they show up every day. They put in the work. They believe. They are growing. They are improving. I am just happy for them.
What I just told them in the locker room. It’s about them. It’s not about how I feel. It’s about like them believing how good they can be and what they can do.
And again, like I don’t want to minimize the results but it’s just another game in our journey.
So like I think at the same time we have to stay level-headed. We’ve got to enjoy it. We worked really hard for it. But we don’t get carried away.
New England goes up first, make it 1-0, and they had to claw back into the game at that point. What do you say about the response from that point?
That’s what I’ve been saying since the beginning. This group has a strong mindset. They push really hard. You can see it every game, even when we are behind, there’s that belief that we can with get back in the game, and there’s that belief that we can get the results.
And tonight, that’s what I saw. I saw a group of guys that even going 1-0 down, kept on pushing, kept on believing. We changed the game at the end of the first half, like that was going back into the locker room. And yeah, I think it says a lot about the mindset of the group. These guys, they have got special mindsets.
What did you think of their performance?
Today I’m going to be honest, it’s probably our worst performance this season. If you look at the game, and then you could argue, like with the win, like where do we stand with the performance?
Two halves: I think in the first half, I thought we were a little bit disconnected. In terms of our structure. I felt like we gave too much space. We were a little bit late in terms of our shifting, in terms of our defending. And that’s why I thought that we increased the amount of running our midfielders had to do. So you could tell that Chris [Durkin] and Danny [Edelman], they worked really hard again tonight and they covered a lot of ground.
I thought the second half, we were a little bit more control of the space, a little bit more the way we looked in the past four games.
Again, credit to the guys. When you speak about mindset, work ethic, I think our midfield is that.
[Célio] Pompeu gets the start tonight. Can you talk a little bit about that decision and what you thought about his performance?
Yeah, we were looking to isolate him like in a wide area. So we adjusted a little bit the plan with him. I think Conrad [Wallem] coming from behind and having him like a little bit more underneath the structure of the game changed like quite likely. We had like a first plan with more of a diamond in the middle, and that changed like back into a double pivot with two number 10. I thought he did well. I thought he brought some energy.
I would like to see him more connected to the game in terms of staying active and more involved like at times, but I thought he created what we wanted him to create tonight. You know, a little bit of chaos. A little bit of 1v1. The thing is to grow and believe in himself in creating his position.
But I thought it gave us a different look on that side, and I thought that sort of gave a different look to Conrad, coming from behind, and also being in support of Célio, which allows him to attack maybe a little bit more 1v1 because he knows he’s got a defender in support that can make up in case he loses the ball.
No, very happy. Again, I think we are flexible. I think we have got a different plan, different ideas with different profile of players, and Célio gave us a different look tonight.
Following this victory, do you feel the team is beginning to move past the challenging start against top opponents, and is now in a position to build positive momentum in the coming matches?
Yeah, we’re hoping. We’re hoping to keep building. I think the team is improving, that’s the most important thing.
I’m looking game after game, like in terms of performances, in terms of how the players are reacting and in terms of the flexibility we can have and the way we defend and the way we attack.
I would say we are definitely growing. I would love to build momentum on that win. The reality is, we are going to go in the next three games, play away, and now, I thought we had some decent performances, as well, playing away.
Can we take the same approach and be maybe like a little bit more pragmatic in some moments? I think what cost us in the first games is moments in the game. We had very good performances but those moments had an impact on the outcome.
So looking at the game tonight, if we can take a little bit of that, like those key moments and the way we manage them and take that with us in our next three away games, I think it’s going to be good.
But every game is different. The scenario is different all the time. So it’s more like our experiences in those first five games, what have we learned that we can use like in those upcoming games.
How you are going to celebrate?
How am I going to celebrate? I think I need to sleep a little bit, you know.
Obviously every time you come out you’re looking for three points but there is definitely a little more in the air than just soccer tonight. Obviously thousands of fans holding up signs, wearing gray in support of Edu [Löwen] and all that going on with just this trying time, and possibly even yourself wearing gray, I may have seen on the sideline. Can you talk about the emotions of a match like this that’s so important for the standings but also for an emotional perspective with everything going on?
Yeah, the feeling I’ve got in this group with those players with this staff within this organization is like the feeling of a big family.
We went through a tough time like those past two weeks, obviously, like there is someone that we hold in our heart that is going through an even tougher time and we’ve got to remind ourselves that. Like he’s going through a tough time and we’ve got to show him the love, the support and the energy that he deserves.
So it’s been emotional to say the least but at the same time, like I think the guys, like what I wanted them and what they wanted to do is to show like those values that we embody as a team, like for him.
So tonight, like I was aware of the initiative by the fans with the gray. I thought it was like just a little like reminder for all of us to remember her and give Edu our support and our love. Again, it’s a tough time. It’s not an easy time. But at the same time, we’ve got to do everything we can to show support and the love.
Like I said, the feeling is quite special. We’re one big family and that everybody cares for one another, and yeah, we’re just doing like everything we can to be there to support him.
You talked the second half, you had more control and the game you wanted to play. Was that a message at halftime or did that fall into the natural rhythm in the second half?
It’s hard to say. I spoke in the first half with clarity about what we wanted to do but, I don’t know, there was something off, in terms of like the timing, the distances. A little bit of the energy, as well, to be honest.
So we just tried to address that at halftime and explain that we need to function as a unit. You know, like I thought we functioned too much, like, individually in the first half, one guy pressing and then the other one, rather than as a group.
I think we grew into that first half. I think the two goals gave us confidence, as well. But the main message at halftime was, hey, let’s get back to working together because that’s what makes our strength.
I thought we were more compact, and I thought we were more the size — even the moment we picked to press, I would say the same offensively, and then of course the game becomes a little bit strange. They want to score. They want to push.
Overall, the performance is, I would say, average. But at the same time, the mindset that we showed, the energy that we brought all the way to the end and the work that we put, I thought like at the end of the game, in those games, teams are pushing and they are trying to create opportunities. I don’t think we conceded too much. That’s credit to the guys for staying compact, for staying on task.
Also, we didn’t make too many subs. I thought the guys were locked in. I thought the energy was good, and again, I think it’s credit to them and they deserved the win tonight.
What do you think the win tonight did for your fan base and your supporters?
It’s always great, of course. Like everybody in the stadium like wants that more than anybody, you know. And sometimes — sometimes, I think there is that feeling that they care and that we are not affected by it, and I think at the end of the day we want to show them that we are having those performances for them, like we spoke about, like making that place a very difficult place to play at.
I thought our first two performances at home showed that. I thought we were good. We were on the front foot and we created opportunity. I thought we deserved like better results in those first two games at home but tonight, to get it over the line for them, I think is special. And I think it’s just the reward of the work of the players and I think it’s a great feeling for everyone going home tonight.
Midfielder Marcel Hartel
On his thoughts on his goal tonight…
Yeah, first I intercepted the ball. I was speculating a bit that he’s playing there. And then I had actually a bad touch, but this bad touch, I had a bit of time to watch where the goalkeeper is, and then I was like, all or nothing, and I hit it perfect, yeah.
On the importance of his goal tonight to help seal the win…
Yeah, of course, the third goal, then I think everybody was just defending to get these three points. And there was this goal. We were like, Okay, now we have two goals, two goals in front, and now it’s time to defend to get this win, to get our first win over the line. And we don’t play well today. It was not our best game so far. We had better games during the season. But in the end, we don’t care now. We’re just happy about these three points, and we did a great job today.
On the message from Yoann Damet out of halftime…
That we defend first together. We had in the first half, our distance was not great enough in the defensive end, and we adjusted a bit that we stay compact, that we defend in a block, and it worked good. I think especially in the second half, New England doesn’t have any 100% shots on our goal, and so it worked out.
Forward Simon Becher
On his first goal of the season…
Yeah, good. I think the goal itself, you know, is winning the ball high, and playing the ball forward. So I think that’s, you know, kind of what we want to try to do. And, yeah, just nice to get my first one.
On the thought process before the goal…
I think when I got my head up the center back, he had a lot of momentum going, and he was kind of trying to block the shot, and I still kind of had it close to my feet. So I think the quick chop and getting the shot off quickly just uses momentum against him a little bit.
On potentially getting under the skin of the opponents…
I think we talk a lot about wanting it to be very difficult for teams to come here and play. And I think just coming out with a lot of intensity and energy and, you know, letting them know that when they come here, it’s going to be a difficult place to play regardless. And I think, while maybe not our best performance tonight, I think the entire team was bought in with intensity. And so for me, making it as hard as I can on the center backs, the goalies and the way I press and, you know, the way that I carry myself. So, I think that’s something that is a part of my game, and something I like to do.
On his ability to sprint for the entirety of the game…
I think it’s, again, something that we want to be a part of our identity. The repressing acts, the repressing part of our game, pressing, winning the ball high up the field. And, yeah, I said a little bit earlier, but making it difficult to play here, I think that comes from the front, that’s how I kind of look at it. I want to be one of the hardest working guys on the field. I think that’s a good tone. And, you know, credit to our entire team. The back line put in an absolute shift. The midfield is covering a ton of ground. Danny winning that first ball high. Cello [Hartel] scoring a beautiful goal off of again, pressing. And, yeah, so for me, again, I think it’s something that I want to be a big part of my game. And using my body and tracking back, winning balls, and giving a lot of energy for the team. If I can do that, guys are doing it below me and feeding me balls, and I’m scoring. So, yeah, I think it’s something that we want to be a part of our identity.
Midfielder Chris Durkin
On how he felt getting the first three points of the season…
Yeah, really excited. You know, proud of the guys. I felt like this moment should have come earlier in the season for us, with getting the first three points. But, you know, winning always cures everything. The group is so happy and Yoann already stressed on the next one, not going to get too high or too low.
On how he felt about his goal tonight…
Yeah, it was perfect service from Rafa [Santos]. That was the area we were targeting, which was the second post. Didn’t realize I was going to be that free. I was a bit indecisive between heading and kicking it. So I look like a bit of both, but really happy. I think it shows everything you know. I love scoring goals. Looking at a compilation of my celebrations over the years, they’ve been pretty bad. So that’s on the top of the list.
On how he thinks the first five matches have gone…
Yeah, I think they demand a lot from us, and we’ve been really happy to take on that workload. Daniel [Edelman] and I have a lot of film to review, a lot of work and responsibility, both offensively and defensively, and we really need to rely on each other and trust each other to cover you in certain moments and when to go, who steps, knowing that he’ll be there for a pass. All those things. It just needs to become synchronized, and it takes time, and getting those reps in MLS minutes was really valuable. I think you see that growth, you know, after these first five games, was it our best game at complete game? I don’t think so. But, you know, we saw really good moments, and I really enjoyed working next to him.
