St. Louis CITY SC delivered a convincing 6-2 victory over LA Galaxy on Sunday night at Energizer Park, remaining unbeaten against the Galaxy since the clubs first met in 2023. Carlo Holse’s rapid first-half hat trick set the tone early, and the hosts carried that momentum into a result that extended their unbeaten streak to 20 matches across all competitions—tying the MLS record for the longest such run.
Holse opened the scoring in the second minute with a left-footed finish from the center of the box, assisted by Rafael Navarro. He doubled the lead five minutes later, again from the left side of the area after work from Navarro and Dante Polvara. His third arrived in the 21st minute on a right-footed strike to the bottom right corner, set up by Chris Durkin and Polvara. The Dane’s three goals in under 21 minutes marked his first career hat trick and made him the second-fastest MLS player to record one in under 30 minutes, trailing only Hany Mukhtar.
Galaxy pulled one back in the 31st minute through Robert Taylor’s right-footed effort from outside the box. CITY SC restored its three-goal cushion just before halftime when Navarro converted a penalty in the 45th minute. Lukas MacNaughton then headed home in first-half stoppage time—his second goal of the season and fourth of his MLS career—to send the sides into the break at 5-1.
Navarro added his second of the night early in the second half, finishing in the 53rd minute after a setup from Durkin and Tomas Totland. João Klauss answered for Galaxy with a header in the 71st minute, but the damage was already done. Navarro’s brace gave him his sixth and seventh MLS goals of the season (18 across all competitions) and moved him to four goal contributions in the match—the first time any CITY SC player has achieved that in a single contest. He also recorded two assists on the night, continuing a stretch in which he has tallied 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) over his last five matches with the club.
Supporting contributions were widespread. Alex Mățan earned his sixth assist of the MLS season on MacNaughton’s goal. Durkin recorded his fifth and sixth assists of the campaign. Polvara picked up his first and second career MLS assists. Totland registered his seventh assist of the season (ninth overall) and now has five goal contributions in his last five matches. Sangbin Jeong entered in the second half to make his 100th career MLS appearance.
Head coach Yoann Damet described the outcome as convincing while noting some uneven stretches after the early lead, particularly in managing transitions once the score line grew. He praised Holse’s integration, work rate, and ability to contribute both defensively and in the final third. Holse himself highlighted the value of the fast start and the support of family in attendance, while Navarro credited the week’s preparation and the team’s daily commitment to improvement.
CITY SC has now scored three or more goals in eight of its last 15 matches since the World Cup break and sits at 18 games unbeaten in MLS play. The club returns to Energizer Park on Wednesday night to face first-place Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
