{"id":46900,"date":"2023-06-01T20:38:37","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T00:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/?p=46900"},"modified":"2023-06-02T13:03:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T17:03:55","slug":"st-louis-city-vancouver-whitecaps-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2023\/06\/01\/st-louis-city-vancouver-whitecaps-houston\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bird in Hand: SLCSC, Vancouver Whitecaps & Houston Dynamo"},"content":{"rendered":"

And now the games come fast and furious. Some MLS teams, like Vancouver, played on last Wednesday before jetting to weekend matches. Many played this Wednesday before heading to more matches on the first weekend in June. It\u2019s almost more than a poor, overburdened, underpaid and ridiculously good-looking St. Louis City soccer writer can keep up with. And Memorial Day weekend didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Recap. It\u2019s a Preview. It\u2019s a RecapeReview.<\/h2>\n

But sometimes the footie gods take pity and reveal connections that would be hidden to mere mortals. St. Louis City played Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. They play Houston Dynamo this Saturday. And in between? Vancouver and Houston play each other. So buckle up, dear reader, for a combo recap-preview \u2013 a recap review as it were. Maybe the first in the history of the world. Probably not. But maybe. So stop quibbling.<\/p>\n

What Did St. Louis City Learn From the Vancouver Match That They Can Use Against Houston?<\/h3>\n

Well, for starters, Houston would be out of their bloody minds to give Eduard Lowen even the shadow of a chance at a free kick. If you haven\u2019t seen what he did to Vancouver, see it here with Eduard Lowen’s goal<\/a>. Of course, that\u2019s easier said than done against a St. Louis City side that plays physically, especially at home, so good luck with that.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the fact that the new formation and personnel that Coach Bradley Carnell instituted against Sporting KC<\/a> seems to have worked as well against Vancouver as it did against “the artists formerly known as ‘The Wiz<\/a>‘”. Njabulo Blom playing above the backline not only shores up the defense, but it also frees up Lowen to build the attack. And as Louwen said after the match, the relationship he and Blom are developing is strengthening with each game. That, combined with Indiana Vassilev playing up top with Nic Gioacchini creates just the kind of space the youngster needs to showcase his remarkable speed. Oh and also Indy knows how to score goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The finish. The slide. \ud835\ude4f\ud835\ude5d\ud835\ude5a \ud835\ude48\ud835\ude64\ud835\ude62\ud835\ude5a\ud835\ude63\ud835\ude69 \u2728 #AllForCITY<\/a> x @MiggyCity<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Bc8dvd0esl<\/a><\/p>\n

— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) May 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n