St. Louis CITY SC defeated Colorado Rapids 1-0 at home on Saturday night, extending their unbeaten streak to eight matches across all competitions. Rapids defender Rob Holding was received a red card 12 minutes into the match, and the game remained scoreless throughout the first half. Tomáš Ostrák found the back of the net in the 87th minute scoring his first MLS goal of the season off an assist from Tomas Totland, who earned his fourth assist across all competitions. CITY SC outshot Colorado 18 to two in the match and held Colorado to zero shots in the second half.
With the win tonight, St. Louis moved into seventh place in the Western Conference with a 7-6-4 record and 25 points.
St. Louis will face Real Salt Lake for the first time this season at Energizer Park on Saturday, August 1, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- Tomáš Ostrák scored his first goal of the MLS season and second across all competitions
- Tomas Totland now has three MLS assists and four across all competitions this season
- Roman Bürki earned his second clean sheet of the MLS season
July 25, 2026 – Energizer Park (St. Louis, MO)
Goal-Scoring Plays
STL: Tomáš Ostrák (Tomas Totland, Timo Baumgartl), 83rd minute – Tomáš Ostrák scored with a right footed shot from the left half space outside the box to the middle right zone.
Scoring Summary
STL: Tomáš Ostrák (Tomas Totland, Timo Baumgartl), 83′
Misconduct Summary
COL: Rob Holding (ejection), 12′
COL: Hamzat Ojedrian (caution), 25′
STL: Chris Durkin (caution), 45’+3
COL: Josh Atencio (caution), 68′
COL: Kosi Thompson (caution), 90’+6
Lineups
STL: GK Roman Bürki ©; D Jaziel Orozco (Lukas MacNaughton, 86’), D Timo Baumgartl, D Dante Polvara; M Tomas Totland, M Conrad Wallem, M Daniel Edelman, M Chris Durkin (Tomáš Ostrák, 76’); F Sangbin Jeong (Eduard Löwen, 58’), F Marcel Hartel (Miguel Perez, 86’), F Simon Becher (Palmer Ault, 76’)
Substitutes not used: GK Ben Lundt, D Fallou Fall, M Rafael Santos, F Mykhi Joyner
TOTAL SHOTS: 18; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; FOULS: 22; OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 0
COL: GK Nico Hansen; D Reggie Cannon (Noah Cobb, 46’), D Loic Williams ©, D Rob Holding, D Lucas Herrington; M Hamzat Ojediran (Kosi Thompson, 55’), M Paxten Aaronson, M Josh Atencio (Wayne Frederick, 69’); F Darren Yapi (Georgi Minoungou, 46’), F Dante Sealy (Miguel Navarro, 17’), F Rafael Navarro
Substitutes not used: GK Adam Beaudry, D Keegan Rosenberry, F Alex Harris, F Donavan Phillp
TOTAL SHOTS: 2; SHOTS ON GOAL: 0; FOULS: 9; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 2
Referee: Nabil Bensalah
Assistant Referees: Adam Garner, Diego Blas, Fotis Bazakos
VAR: Ismir Pekmic
AVAR: John Krill
Venue: Energizer Park
Weather: Sunny, 88 degrees
Postgame Recording: Recording
Postgame Video: Footage (Passcode: m2@nhA=@)
Head Coach Yoann Damet
Take longer than you would have liked to get that goal?
There was no time frame in this game. You know, it was just two teams that have a plan. The event of the game made the context a little bit different for us, and yeah, at the end of the day, we got what we wanted. It took some time. I thought we created some good chances in the first half and in the second half. You wish you could leave that game way earlier.
But at the same time, us being able to convert later on in the game is a very good feeling. I think it’s the reward of all the chances we created. I also know in those games it’s very difficult to create chances. In the end, I thought the guys did a very good job. They put their head down, they kept trying, moving the ball, being selfless in a movement.
Yeah, I think the guys got the reward and that’s all that matters tonight.
As a tough run, you’re looking at getting behind them and when you look back, they can’t get behind any more?
It’s not the same kind of runs. It’s little runs that you have to repeat consistently, like a little run you feed, then it’s not on, you bring it back, you run again.
So you’re trying to, like, create a little bit of disruption in their block, which I thought they did a good job at, like, making sure they were compact and dealing with our runs. You are trying to create a little bit of chaos to get in the end and create those opportunities, which I think we did a good job overall and I’m very happy with the goal and the result in the end.
What have you seen from Tomáš Ostrák and how tough has it been off and on him having to shut him down in the first half of the season and then bring him?
It’s part of the life of a professional athlete. Like you want to play and injury is a part of life of those guys, and you hope that you have to deal with that the least amount of time possible, and unfortunately like for him, like the first six months, were a write off.
He knew coming back in preseason, he had a lot to prove and a lot of work to do and he still has. I think tonight getting the goal is the reward of the work he’s been putting the past six weeks. I’m happy for him. It shows, as well, that there is a process and that when the guys are working out and putting their head down and keep going, the reward ends up coming.
You had some practice up a man against the Galaxy on Wednesday. You were a little bit frustrated with how quickly you played and how you were able to move. Did you feel like you had some of the same frustrations tonight or did you see some of the things you thought about we had?
No, much more pleased with the way we dealt with it tonight. That’s what I was telling the guys is, like, you finish Wednesday and you get the feeling like we really need to address some things like how to handle those situation.
I thought the games were a little bit different because like Galaxy went down a man and they were losing already. So they have nothing to lose. They want to get back in the game. They are a little bit more in the front foot. I thought tonight Colorado had a clear plan of what they wanted to do. They wanted to try to keep that result, and eventually use a counterattacking moment or get a set piece to get something even better.
Two different games. I still really enjoy the way we stayed locked in and focused on ourselves in this game because you could easily get frustrated. You could easily like start losing patience, forcing things. I thought with the right amount of when to try things and when to just keep the ball moving, and I think our chances showed for that.
Edu [Löwen] up being the first. Is that specifically because of what he brings on the ball and trying to break down? When he comes on is that because of what he brings?
I think it’s the kind of game where Sang-bin [Jeong] was cramping so we needed something fresh. I thought like it was a good time to have someone that could bring more quality in and around the box, can finish and pass and assist.
So that’s why I thought it was the right time for him. He’s moving. He’s got some freedom. He can make things happen. I think it was just a good opportunity to throw him in.
Things change with the game plan obviously when they go down a man but what were the tactical ideas to continue pressing after going up? Did you continue with the philosophy you had earlier or were you telling the guys that you wanted to see the same or different?
Of course, like you want to keep pressing. I think there is clarity. The interesting thing is there is very much clarity when you play 11 against 11 but when you play against a team down a man there is less clarity, so you have to readdress a couple of things.
For me, you need a goal. You have an extra man at the back. You should be able to have a safety net of some sort when you are pressing. So we have to go. We have to keep like being brave. We are doing it when we are playing 11 against 11. So when we are playing up a man we should do it even more and be even more aggressive and that’s what I really enjoyed tonight.
I thought the guys, they did a great job. I thought they defended forward a lot. Again, these are games where you could become like a little bit complacent because we had a midweek game and there is a bit of fatigue from the travel. But overall, I thought the guys did a great job tonight.
Without being complacent, there still is difficulty in breaking the back line. How long do you give the players and what led into the mindset in the second half of when to make changes and look a little bit different?
I think you can say it’s hard to break a low block but I haven’t looked at the data. So I don’t know how many times we shot on goal tonight. I don’t know how many times we entered the box.
But I think we did a great job in creating enough opportunities for ourself to score the goal. I think we had like some clear chances that should have been a goal, as well.
So, I think we didn’t struggle that much against the low block. I think we just had to show more patience. And then at halftime, it’s more a matter of addressing a little bit the spaces we want to occupy, the runs we want to see, the organization around the ball to pull them apart.
And again, after, we have to stick to that. We have to stick to the plan and make sure that everybody understands a little bit of the motion and movement we need in those scenarios.
I thought overall, the guys did a great job. Like I had some flashback from our friendly games like in preseason against Nashville where on the side we are able to combine and to create chances. I think again, it’s a matter of like being more clinical when it comes to the final product.
What does it tell you about the individual quality of your attackers, if you are getting chances in the final third, if you are creating enough opportunity but you are not finishing, what does that tell you about the individual qualities you have?
Doesn’t tell me much about quality. It tells me about moments. It’s all about moments. Are the guys able to take those moments when they create them? It’s more the question I’m asking myself is like how can we help the guys like when they find themselves in those moments where they are in the right spot at the right time and creating those big chances, like how can they finish.
So there is like always a confidence piece. There is always like a little bit of maybe some coaching to do. Like about like how to finish in some areas but for me, it’s more about moment than about qualities. Like can we read those moments, can we feel composed enough to take advantage of those moments, is more like where I want to look at in training like in the coming weeks.
Getting the result and you’re stuck 0-0 for a while in the match, still playing well, hot out, noise, good progress in the standings, what does it speak to the mentality of the group to keep pushing through what seemed relatively frustrating in the first half and break through and get the result at the end?
The mindset of the group, I’ve said that since day one, is amazing. Those guys are amazing, the way they are showing you have every day to put the work in, how relentless they are in being committed to one another and being committed to their own growth has been second-to-none. I’ve been very pleased with that. That’s definitely something where what’s happening when we speak to them, we need to keep that mindset. That’s also part of our identity.
For tonight, it’s more a matter of showing maturity. Like you are playing up a man, you are creating chances, you are on the ball. Can you show maturity to do the right thing: Moments to take risk, moments to keep the ball, moments to attack with pace and moments to be patient and move the opposition but also take care of the rest defense, manage transition, manage set pieces. There is a lot going into it.
So I’m really happy about how mature we looked tonight in our performance and ultimately, like you hope that that maturity in the end gets the reward with the result, which we did tonight. The game doesn’t stop.
So tonight is one game. There is a ton more games to play. We take the lesson. We try to learn from it but we also keep looking forward and keep moving on.
It is the halfway point of the season in terms of matches, 17 out of 34. Is that a benchmark that you guys are looking at as a coaching staff where maybe the next couple days you might do some evaluations or things like that?
The big evaluation was the break. It was the break. The gave us a good opportunity to reflect and look back at ourselves, where we are at, how we worked, and also where the players were at and come back with some very clear objective in terms of how we wanted to work for four or five weeks, which I think we executed on with the staff and also with the players.
They came back for four or five weeks and really put their head down, really worked out, we were really surprised how well the intensity raised and got up but at the same time, for us, it was a good opportunity to come back but with more. Demanding more but also expecting more from each other.
I think the guys have showed just that, and now it’s a matter of continuing. There would be some other moments like later on like in the second part of the season to reflect on little blocks of games, like we try usually to split the season in two blocks to reflect and not get caught too much into each game individually.
So we’ll do that when the right time come. Right now it’s a matter of like finishing the month strong next weekend and again reflecting on the game and going back to work.
Going back to the final third, when you are on the ball, and Colorado is down a man, is there an ideal tactical way to attack? Is it like crossing into the box or do you want that slow buildup in front of the box?
I think you need to play with some pace. I think you need to also analyze like playing with the back five or back four, like what are the spaces that they are giving away, like we have a back four. You know you can get that line a little bit more stretched. When you have the width with the back five, it’s a bit more difficult. So maybe the ball movement needs to go a little bit faster. It’s just different scenarios with different time. Every team is doing it different. Sometimes midfielders are dropping between the back line as well to defend spaces.
So each scenario is very different. So for us, it’s more understanding what’s the scenario, what are the spaces that we can occupy and then the runs we can make to, like I said, disrupt the compactness of the blocks. We are trying to give the guys some ideas against a back five, against the back four but each game is very different.
That’s what you saw on Wednesday. Galaxy played down a man but at moments it felt like they were playing 11 against 11. Can we also like learn from those moments and get better with our setup and keep being like consistent with our execution.
Your squad committed a season-high 22 fouls tonight. Was that part of the game plan overall to out-physical Colorado or was it how the game unfolded?
It’s hard to say you play to make fouls. We want to be a team that is aggressive. We speak about the mindset. We need to be aggressive in the way we attack and the way we defend. That’s part of our identity. We want to be intense. We want to defend forward. We want to be on the front foot. So it comes with it. Again, like to make fouls, you need also to have an opponent that is physical which was the case tonight.
It was very physical. Two teams that want to get after it. And yeah, so at the end of the day I don’t look too much into that. It’s just part of some games where you know that teams that defends a little bit like both our teams do, with a set up that is man oriented, you are going to get into those 1v1 battle that are going to create some moments where there is going to be fouls.
When you bring Ostrák into the game in that situation, what are you looking for from him?
I’m looking for someone that can keep stretching the back line, keep making runs in behind but also receiving it. He’s got the ability to fit guys inside the box and to play some key passes through the line and also he can finish. He showed that early in the year when he played that Cup game.
You are expecting the guys to understand the tactical set up and at the same time to express themselves in which he did. Got the reward with the goal. It’s very important to notice that all the guys that have played minutes this year, and it’s almost all of them, have contributed in some sort of getting results for the team, for the club, and that’s very important.
Everybody is a big part of what we do every single day. Some guys are getting more opportunities than others. There is a lot of competition but at the same time when opportunities come, guys are there to take them. Tonight is a perfect example of it where Tomáš Ostrák gets on the end of it and get that goal for the group.
What were you discussing with the Colorado coaches at the end of the game?
Nothing special. Emotions run really high after games, as you can imagine. So it’s just part of the game.
Was Jazi [Orozco] cramping up? Did he have something else when he came out?
To be honest I can’t tell you much about Jazi. I need to speak to the medical staff. I don’t know too much where he’s at right now. We’ll evaluate but yeah. Very happy with the night. Very happy again with the support from the fans and looking forward to our game next weekend.
Defender Timo Baumgartl
On the win tonight:
I mean, as a defender, a clean sheet is always nice. But you’re right; it would be a frustrating one if you don’t get the win today. So I’m happy. Although we have to play better when we’re one man up, that’s for sure faster. But in the end, the result matters. It’s three out of three, and that’s what counts.
On the adjustments after halftime:
I mean, you need to stay calm. That’s the most important thing. You need to calm your mind because these guys will drop. These guys just want to get the draw, maybe get one counterattack, and that’s also dangerous. I think they did it well, but as I mentioned, we have to do it better, playing faster, let them move. I think it was hot outside. They played on Wednesday as well, so at the end they were tired. So that’s what happened, and then you need to be ruthless and score. I mean, that was a great strike, right? To be honest.
Midfielder Tomáš Ostrák
On his goal tonight:
A lot of emotion was happening in that time; it was a very difficult past couple years. But I always fight through, and it was an amazing moment. Very happy, very happy that we won, that we get the three points at home, that we fought, and we fought together. So I’m very very happy.
On Roman Bürki running the length of the field to celebrate his goal with him:
He was telling me that it was well deserved. It was a great goal and I have to enjoy this moment. So he was very happy for me. I really appreciate his long run. You know, I’m happy that he didn’t cramp. No, I’m just kidding. But no, it was a great moment to see the captain celebrate with the team. Even bigger that we celebrate together as a team. That was the big thing, and it was an awesome moment.
On learning the new coaching system:
I was trying to from the beginning of the preseason, like January, I was trying to observe and trying to learn. But as you know, if you are not on the pitch, it’s very, very difficult. So I needed the practice. The World Cup break was a great moment for me because we basically had a second preseason, and it helped me a lot to understand what or where I have to be positioned and what my position actually is. So it was very helpful for me, and I think I learned a lot, and I just want to observe, and continuing learning because you know we are not perfect. So I want to be better as well. I’m very happy that I received playing time today, and yeah, I’m grateful for that. But we want more, so we will continue to be better as a team. So we are improving, improving every day, and I like this group that we are humble, but we still want to improve and be better every day.
