CITY HYPE: A Fan's Perspective, Chapter Four

Chapter 4: Making History - Umbrellas and Ws

Date: Saturday, September 4 th , 2021

Matchup: St. Louis CITY SC vs. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota)

Location: Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex, Creve Coeur, MO

After the opening matches in Chicago, I was really looking forward to attending these first-ever St.

Louis CITY SC academy home matches. Well actually I was looking forward to attending them even

before then, but after both teams were in action the week before, my excitement to watch in

person increased. In Chicago, the academy teams really displayed some exciting soccer, the exact

style of play the Luts Pfennenstiel, St. Louis CITY SC's Sporting Director, had stated from the start

in how these teams will play.

As I was driving through the partially flooded street near the soccer complex I didn't really know

how many people would show up. I figured there would be some people there, but I did not

anticipate there being as many as there were, especially for an academy match. I also thought the

rain may have kept a lot of people away, after all it almost did me. It turns out that many people

had the same thought as I did, which was a little rain was not going to stop me from experiencing

history. This was the first ever home match of a team that was wearing the St. Louis CITY SC crest

and I was not going to miss it. The matches did not disappoint. I watched from under my

umbrella as the U16 team took to the pitch. After looking a little shaky in the beginning, probably

due to nerves, they quickly found their form. When they did, they dominated. The final score

showed 2-0, but this didn't even tell the whole story of just how dominant they were throughout

the match. It was quite impressive. The U17 match was next. Unfortunatelty, I only got to watch

this match until halftime because I had to go to work. They were doing really well during the first

half. The fans in the stands were into it. I even recall a short STL chant filled the air at one point.

When the first half ended and I had to leave, the match was relatively close. When I got to work, I

checked my phone expecting to see a a closer score, even though CITY SC was dominating this

match as well. I had to do a double take at my phone when I saw the score was 8-1. What a fitting

end to a historic day in St. Louis CITY SC's history.

It finally started to sink in that St. Louis CITY SC is finally here. We are getting close to that first-

team that will play in the MLS, and we are doing it the right way. Through our academy. Good

luck to all the St. Louis CITY SC academy players in their journey! Win, lose, or draw we CITY SC

fans will be cheering you on.

By Keith Smith