ST. LOUIS – The script for year two of St. Louis CITY SC looks quite different from year one.

Midway through last season, CITY was well in position for an MLS playoff spot and pushing the record for most points for a team in the inaugural season.

Midway through this season, CITY only has three victories in 18 MLS regular-season games. With Wednesday’s shutout loss to Colorado, they haven’t won in seven games. And in many of those, they fell short of a draw, missing out on several opportunities to gain ground in the standings.


Bill Greason, former Cardinal with storied legacy, honored at Rickwood Field

CITY currently falls outside the playoff bubble with 18 points (3 wins, 6 losses, 9 draws) in 18 games. To reach last year’s cutoff for playoffs (44 points), they would need 26 points over their next 16 games. It’s not necessarily impossible, and a stretch of draws early in the season may help their cause slightly, but that looks to be a pretty tall order.

As CITY’s lack of wins have mounted, so have various injuries and transfers that could test the depth of this year’s squad.

INJURIES

Midfielder Tomas Ostrak suffered an ankle injury in late-May that’s expected to keep him sidelined for the rest of the season.

Midfielder Rasmus Alm was diagnosed with medial collateral ligament sprain in early June with a timetable of 6-8 weeks for recovery.

Midfielder Célio Pompeu suffered a dislocated fracture and fiubla fracture on Saturday that will sideline him for the rest of the season.

Defender Joakim Nilsson left Saturday’s game in discomfort while easing back into action from broken ribs in March.

TRANSFERS

Midfielder Aziel Jackson departed from CITY earlier this week in a transfer to the Columbus Crew.

Defender Nikolas Dyhr departed from CITY earlier this week in a transfer to Randers FC of the Danish Superliga league.

Forward Sam Adeniran has been limited or held out of the last several matchups. Head coach Bradley Carnell has told media members this is due to the possibility of a transfer, though a move has not yet been finalized.

The MLS transfer process allows teams to trade players, allocate money, or manage draft picks internally in a way that fosters competitive balance.

How does the team work out of its current stretch of losses and bad luck?

“We need to turn frustration into energy,” said Carnell. “To galvanize us even more as a group, to create successful moments within the game, to energy us and prepare us for 19 minutes.”

CITY has a quick turnaround, just three days in between matches, ahead of its next contest against Atlanta United FC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CITYPARK.