San Diego dominate possession but draw blank in home opener

San Diego 0 – 0 St Louis City

After a dour first half, these sides produced an even dourer second one, with 0-0 being the scoreline the game deserved. San Diego managed 16 shots but only two were on goal and St Louis City keeper Roman Burki was very well protected by his colleagues.

The first threat in an uneventful first half came from the home side but Chris McVey could only head a corner over the bar.

Fifteen minutes later Anders Dreyer did all the hard work and then tripped over his own feet in the penalty box. At the other end, San Diego keeper Antunes Dos Santos got his first touch with a comfortable save from Akil Watts.

Just after the half hour, San Diego had another cause to worry when Mexican international Chucky Lozano had to be taken off with Ghanaian Emmanual Boateng, making his debut, replacing him. Lozano’s absence was to reduce even further the home threat down their left wing.

St. Louis’ Kyle Hiebert had denied him just five minuted previously with a great block and the Canadian defender was one of the visitors’ few highlights of the evening.

Perhaps realising the threat lost by Lozano’s absence, Dane Marcus Ingvartsen intelligently tried an effort from distance although it sailed over the bar before Anibal Godoy saw a shot well saved by the feet of St Louis City keeper Burki with the best chance of the half.

There was very little to enthuse about in the seccond half either with a weak effort on goal by St Louis City birthday boy João Klauss in the 70th minute being the best effort other than a bout of pinball in the SLC area twelve minutes before.

As the match ended, the ugly face of football appeared with a couple of puto chants as the visiting goalkeeper Burki took a goal kick. That, as well as the early evidence of wear on the pitch, may be the more immediate problems for the club.

The two issues both came up in the press conference after the match with Head Coach Mikey Varas saying the word was “unacceptable”.

San Diego are yet to concede a goal after two matches and SLC are yet to either score or conceded one and they collected five yellow cards while holding off a San Diego side that monopolised possession with 67% of the ball. The transgressors were Eduard Loewen (39’), Simon Becher (44’),  Conrad Wallem (73′), Christopher Durkin (76′) and Hiebert (87′)

Franco Negri (37’) and Godoy (68’) received yellow  cards for the home side.

San Diego head to Salt Lake for their next fixture in March 8. St Louis are back in California to face LA Galaxy the following day.

Attendance 34,506

Referee: Lukasz Szpala

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