Saint Louis FC are set to kick off their inaugural season on March 28. Their roster is up to 19 players, with several other trialists well on their way to joining the team. With a collection locally grown talent and blue-chip recruits, General Manager Jeremy Alumbaugh and Head Coach Dale Schilly are well on their way to forming a quality side in USL.
From watching friendlies, looking at the roster closer, and speaking with a few members of the organization, it’s clear to see who some of the early leaders are on the field: Bryan Gaul and Parker Maher.
After being unable to crack the LA Galaxy lineup and going on multiple loans, Gaul made his way to STL FC, not to far from Peoria, IL, where he played college soccer for Bradley University. Gaul played both forward and midfielder in college, before spending most of his professional career as a defender. Upon joining The Chupacabras, he was moved back to forward.
It’s clear to see he’s settled back into his former position. Even in limited time in LA, at 6′ 5”, he was always good in the air. He has shown to be good in Route One and hold up play. He also has a very good sense of the game to know when to drop back into the midfield to help regain and maintain possession. After the match, Schilly sayd “that’s his MO, he has really good feet. He’s a good target. He is comfortable coming back into midfield, turning, and figuring out how to play the next ball.” He added, “it is certainly the way he plays the game.”
Saint Louis FC fell that night to the Tulsa Roughnecks by a score of 2-0. Two unlucky goals for the visitors and some poor finishing left Saint Louis wanting more. Gaul had three of STL FC’s 11 shots. His best chance came on a second half corner, when he had a wide open header that his the woodwork. He combined well with fellow forward Mike Ambersley all night, but was unable to finish. Preseason lack of finishing is not uncommon. Gaul will look to improve as the season starts. With his size, style of play, and a decent finishing touch, he could be very well be one of the top 10 scorers in USL in 2015 and certainly the best offensive weapon for STL FC.
Maher has worked his way into the starting left back for STL FC. He easily is able to stretch the field out left, and gets further forward than any other player on the backline. His spped allows him to overlap and combine well with anyone in the midfield, but he has seemed to form a good relationship with Charles Renken. “Parker is very skillful, very technical. [He is] a good passer,” said Schilly adding “I don’t know that he felt as confident earlier in the preseason, but I think today did a lot for him to come out of his shell.”
The former Missouri State Bear might not be the next DeAndre Yedlin, but he’s got excellent speed and awareness about when to go forward. At only 21-years-old, he’s still an unfinished product, but if there were any bold predictions to make about this 2015 Saint Louis roster, it would be that Parker Maher’s going to be the first one to break through in MLS.
Gaul and Maher have stood out early on in the preseason. Gaul looks to be the focal point of the attack. Maher looks to be a unique and valuable outside back. Coach Schilly has the team playing a possession style of attack that can create lots of chances. These two will be a big part of gaining possession, holding it, and giving it a purpose. If the team can come together and these two can continue to perform, Saint Louis FC is well on their way to a playoff birth in their inaugural season.
Coach Schilly Post Game 3/14/15 by Lastwordonsports on Mixcloud
Mark Paise Post Game 3/14/15 by Lastwordonsports on Mixcloud
