Local News

St. Louis CITY SC’s Historic Win Is No Accident | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

3 years ago

March 20, 2023

[ad_1]

click to enlarge ST. LOUIS CITY SC Tomas Ostrak scored his first goal with St. Louis CITY SC during the game against San Jose.

This story was produced in partnership with the River City Journalism Fund.St. Louis CITY SC made history Saturday at CITYPARK, becoming the first Major League Soccer expansion team to start a season with four wins. But for head coach Bradley Carnell the win and the style of play his team executed in defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 meant far more than a line in a record book. Anticipating the outcome before the match, Carnell had said in a pre-game press conference that “the record would be a nice little reward, but you don’t get silverware. It’s nothing for us.”Afterward, Carnell said more important was that the match demonstrated that his team could measure up against anyone. “We can compete. We can come back. We can dominate.” A Battle of Philosophies CITY’s matchup with San Jose provided a showcase for contrasting identities and playstyles. “It’s completely different the way we play and the way they play,” striker João Klauss said after the match. “I think we could control really well their actions. And I think they didn’t expect this intensity in our game. And also, our high pressing was really good. We worked it really well today.” As expected, San Jose played with a structured 4-3-3 formation and was committed to playing out of the back throughout the match. A 4-3-3 is the foundational formation and shape for a team that likes to keep possession of the ball. San Jose ended the match with 55.1 percent possession. But just as expected, CITY’s high press made San Jose’s possession meaningless. CITY set up in a 4-4-2 formation, though this often looked more like a 4-2-4 when CITY was attacking or pressing. CITY used its two strikers to prevent San Jose from getting comfortable playing out of the back and to disrupt San Jose’s rhythm.CITY’s first goal was yet another example of how dangerous the team is in transition- moments when CITY wins the ball and begins a counter-attack. Midfielder Eduard Löwen carried the ball through the midfield and passed the ball out to left-back John Nelson. Nelson’s cross into the box was imperfect. But he was able to put the ball in a dangerous area where anything can happen. The San Jose defenders then committed a cardinal sin in soccer: They let the ball bounce in the box. This gives the attackers another opportunity to win the ball and rarely goes unpunished. In this instance, the ball bobbled off a defender and landed right into the path of striker Nicholas Gioacchini who scored.San Jose’s defensive woes continued throughout the match. During first-half stoppage time, Klauss picked up the ball around the middle of the pitch and carried it forward. Klauss tried to connect with Rasmus Alm but his pass rebounded off a San Jose defender. Klauss reacted first to the rebound and bulled his way through the defense for a goal. click to enlarge ST. LOUIS CITY SC Nicholas Gioacchini (No. 11) scored during St. Louis CITY SC’s game against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Tomás Ostrák’s goal in the 68th minute again demonstrated the teams’ contrasting identities. Löwen crossed a free-kick into San Jose’s box. San Jose won the initial header and blocked a follow-up shot by Ostrák. The ball then fell to San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza. Espinoza would have been wise to clear the ball up the pitch or out of bounds. That would allow the team to reset and regain its shape. But San Jose was committed to playing out of the back. With Löwen pressing from behind, Espinoza found himself at the edge of the penalty area facing his own goal. CITY forwards Samuel Adeniran and Nicholas Gioacchini positioned themselves in front of the only two passing lanes Espinoza had. Espinoza should’ve really cleared the ball at this point. But he didn’t, and CITY made San Jose pay. Espinoza tried and failed to slot the ball past Gioacchini. After several blocked shots, the ball fell to Ostrák who sealed the game with a deflected shot. “It was my first goal for St. Louis CITY,” Ostrák said. “I was really happy and the most important is the way that we won.” Making A Statement MLS analysts predicted that CITY would be one of the worst teams in the league before the team had even kicked a ball. Critics said CITY had been lucky in each of its first three wins. But it’s hard to argue that the fourth win against a quality opponent like San Jose came down to luck. “We can take control, and we can execute,” Carnell said. Carnell and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel were adamant before the season started that CITY would create havoc. The duo predicted that CITY would induce its opponents into mistakes high up the pitch and punish them accordingly. CITY has lived up to the principles so far and the results speak for themselves.“I thought the boys had the most complete performance as of today’s date,” Carnell said. Pfannenstiel agreed. “You could feel today, exactly the principles we were talking about from day one. You saw the high pressing. We didn’t give them a second to breathe. I’m really, really proud of the coaching staff and the players.”Still, analysts continue to have their doubts. They predict that CITY’s playstyle will increase the risk of injuries and the team lacks the depth to continue to compete at a high level. But Pfannenstiel has faith in CITY’s roster and in how they are coached. “It’s not always just about the level of the player, it’s also about the mentality,” he said. “Come in and make that moment into a big moment for yourself.” So far Pfannenstiel’s assessment has been correct. CITY’s level hasn’t fallen when its substitutes are introduced to the game. That’s a testament to the style of play and the extensive scouting that went into the recruitment of each player. “That’s the beauty of having a system. It’s the beauty of having an identity and the beauty of applying principles,” Carnell said.Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

[ad_2]

Source link

Local News

St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

[ad_1]

The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

[ad_2]

Source link