Rafael Navarro struck inside five minutes and two second-half substitutes added late goals to wrap it up, as St. Louis City beat New York Red Bulls 3-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Wednesday night. The result extends St. Louis’s unbeaten run to 17 games, according to mlssoccer.com, and moves them up to second place in the Western Conference with 44 points. Michael Bradley’s Red Bulls, now eighth in the East, were overrun for long stretches and never threatened an equalizer.
Key Moments
- 5′, Rafael Navarro put St. Louis in front almost immediately, converting an assist from Wallem to give the visitors the lead they would never relinquish.
- 63′, New York began their substitutions, bringing on Faello for Padelford and Pedro Castro for Ruvalcaba a minute later, as Bradley looked to spark a response that never came.
- 87′, Becher, on as a substitute since the 71st minute, doubled the lead with a goal set up by Durkin, effectively killing the match with three minutes left.
- 90′, Ostrak, another late substitute, added a third in stoppage time, completing a dominant visiting performance.
Tactical Breakdown
St. Louis controlled this match from the first whistle. Playing a 3-4-3, they finished with 55% possession, completed 413 of 505 passes, and generated 15 total shots to New York’s 10. Their eight shots on goal against five from the Red Bulls tell the story of a side that was consistently more dangerous and more composed in the final third.
The early goal allowed St. Louis to play on the front foot throughout. When they brought on Becher and Jeong Sang-Bin in the 71st minute, the visitors did not lose their momentum; if anything, fresh legs on the flanks pushed a tiring Red Bulls back line further into retreat. Becher’s goal at 87 minutes, assisted by Durkin, came from inside the box and ended any lingering doubt. Ostrak added the third in the 90th minute, turning what was a professional away win into a statement.
For New York, the problems were structural. Bradley’s 4-3-3 never found a way to press high enough to disrupt St. Louis’s build-up, and Horvath was forced into five saves to keep the margin from being even wider before the late floodgates opened. The Red Bulls generated only five shots inside the box all night and converted none of them.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
St. Louis City’s 17-game unbeaten run, confirmed by mlssoccer.com and ESPN, is the defining storyline of their season and this result keeps them firmly in playoff position at fifth in the West with 44 points. New York Red Bulls stay eighth in the Eastern Conference on 33 points, in a playoff spot but under growing pressure from the teams immediately below them as the regular season enters its final stretch.
New York Red Bulls
St. Louis City
Rafael Navarro