Kessler returns at center back for 51黑料 City SC, finds himself in a battle
Whoops! There it goes again for 51黑料 City SC
51黑料 City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley reflect on another blown lead by City SC, which continues to allow late goals that continue to cost them. If City SC could hold leads, it would be in playoff contention. But it can't, so it isn鈥檛.
51黑料
A lot has happened since Henry Kessler had last appeared in a game as a center back for 51黑料 City SC, most notably the acquisition of another center back, Fallou Fall, who will be a contender for playing time, just like Kessler and Timo Baumgartl.
With interim coach David Critchley committed to a four-man back line, he said last week he didn鈥檛 see a scenario where all three could be on the field at once. Which means the competition will be high in practice this week with all three players fit enough to start.
鈥淗ealthy, healthy,鈥 is how Kessler described the competition Tuesday. 鈥淚 think we all bring things to the table. All can play those positions. So it鈥檚 been good.鈥
Kessler started and played 57 minutes on Saturday against Chicago, his first appearance since June 8 in Portland. It was just his fourth appearance since April 13, when he suffered the first of two injuries to his left hamstring. Critchley said Kessler got the start because he had a fixed number of minutes to play, and bringing on Fall late would help with the defense.
Kessler was probably the team鈥檚 MVP over the first two months of the season, anchoring at the time the league鈥檚 stingiest defense. Kessler thinks it鈥檚 quite possible his second hamstring injury 鈥 same leg, same muscle 鈥 was an extension of the first injury, but he also knows that the second time he injured it was on a hot day on the artificial turf in Portland, and that was probably not the best situation for him to be playing in.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e definitely related,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut a lot of things within the body are, so it鈥檚 unsurprising. ... Maybe, maybe if it wasn鈥檛 100 degrees in Portland, maybe then I don鈥檛 get injured. Maybe if that game wasn鈥檛 on turf, I don鈥檛 get injured. So there鈥檚 a lot of factors that have to be considered, and I think we learn from it, both myself and all the medical staff. The conditions were brutal. It was, I think, 95, felt like 103, something like that. So one of the hotter games I鈥檝e ever played, and 90 minutes, and it came down to a late goal. So we were definitely pushing for it. And unfortunately reinjured that muscle.鈥
Now Kessler, like many of his teammates, has eight games to show what he can do. His contract is up after this season, with the club holding an option.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an opportunity,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always so much to play for, even if it鈥檚 not where we want to be in the standings. Personally, as a team, there鈥檚 a lot of pride that we have, guys playing for contracts, stuff like that, so there鈥檚 always plenty to play for.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 those three competing for those two starting spots,鈥 Critchley said. 鈥淪o I鈥檒l be looking at what partnership will complement the game best based on the opponent and where we鈥檙e at confidence-wise, so if Thomas Muller is going to start the game and is going to be good drifting into the pockets, I need a defender who鈥檚 going to be aggressive stepping into the next line. But it always starts with the foundation of how they show up this week in training.鈥
Goodbye to Xande Silva
Xande Silva, whom City SC acquired from Atlanta at the close of the first transfer window, moved on four months later at the close of the second, as City SC transferred him to Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C. in the Israeli Premier League on Tuesday. City SC will keep a sell-on fee for any future transfer. Hapoel earned promotion from the second division to the first after last season.
Silva鈥檚 time with City SC was unremarkable at best. The team took a chance on him after it was clear he was not going to be playing with Atlanta. He was acquired on April 23 for $100,000 in general allocation money, plus more from incentives, though it鈥檚 unlikely any were hit. He played in 11 MLS games, always coming off the bench, and had no goals, no assists and just three shots on goal out of eight shots overall.
He also played two U.S. Open Cup games, making his only start with City SC in the game against Union Omaha. He was a healthy scratch for his final two games, not making the roster for the games against Nashville and Chicago.
Silva鈥檚 departure opened up another international spot for City SC, and the club quickly turned around and moved it to Chicago for $150,000 in GAM.
A long journey home
Travel is never easy for City SC, perched as it is on the eastern edge of the Western Conference. The team has to make seven trips to the West Coast every season, including this week, when it makes the longest trip of the season: 1,766 air miles, to play at Vancouver. But that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 the worst trip.
That might well have been City SC鈥檚 trip back home from Chicago on Saturday. Or really, Sunday. Because of thunderstorms, the game didn鈥檛 start until 9:02 p.m. and ended about 11 p.m., which means it was after midnight when the team got to the airport for the short flight home.
But an equipment problem with the plane kept the team on its bus for an hour, and then when it got on the plane, it was just in time for another wave of storms to hit. The plane didn鈥檛 take off until 3:33 a.m., landing in 51黑料 at 4:24. Players weren鈥檛 getting home until 5:30 a.m.
鈥淚t was not ideal,鈥 Kessler said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the closest trip and ended up being the worst travel. That鈥檚 just how it works.鈥
City2 clinches playoff spot
City2 became the first team to clinch a spot in the MLS Next Pro playoffs with its win over North Texas on Saturday.
City2 has a league-record 13-game unbeaten streak and is up 12 points in the West, though the team in second in the West, Town FC, has three more games than City2 left on its schedule.
The team is home on Sunday to face Sporting Kansas City II at 6 p.m. at Energizer Park. City2 is 40 points up on SKC II, which is at the bottom of the league with just two wins in 21 games.
Whoops! There it goes again for 51黑料 City SC: STL Soccer Talk
Whoops! There it goes again for 51黑料 City SC
51黑料 City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley reflect on another blown lead by City SC, which continues to allow late goals that continue to cost them. If City SC could hold leads, it would be in playoff contention. But it can't, so it isn鈥檛.
51黑料
51黑料 City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley reflect on another blown lead by City SC, which continues to allow late goals that continue to cost them. If City SC could hold leads, it would be in playoff contention. But it can't, so it isn鈥檛.
Another game, another blown lead as 51黑料 City SC falls 3-2 to Chicago Fire
As 51黑料 City SC staggers to the close of its season, it showed again on Saturday night that what it is lacking in wins, it more than makes up for in exasperation.
On another night where a potential success gave way to another heavy helping of frustration, City SC led 2-1 going into the 67th minute, only to give up two late goals and come away with nothing in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Fire at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. It was the second time in its past three games City SC has led that late in the game, only to lose, and the fourth consecutive game it had allowed a goal in the 85th minute or later. If City SC could have held on to the leads it has had this season, it would be in a playoff position.
鈥淭his one, it was tough tonight,鈥 said interim coach David Critchley. 鈥淢y mind is still going in a thousand directions. This one stings a little.鈥
And the way SC goes about these games continues to make the losses even more painful. City SC was outplayed in the first half and trailed 1-0 but then came out in the second half and scored twice to take a 2-1 lead and create the thought that maybe this game would be different. But they seldom are, and City SC gave up goals in the 67th and 87th minutes, and once again, it didn鈥檛 even get a point for a tie.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very disappointing,鈥 said midfielder Tomas Ostrak, who almost single-handedly put City SC in the lead, scoring the first goal and setting up the second. 鈥淚 think we played very well in the second half. We came with good energy. I felt like we鈥檙e doing a very good job. We pressed very well. We鈥檝e been confident on the ball. We passed the ball around very well, quick. We had some good decisions, then we score goal, second goal, very good, good in the game. And then I don鈥檛 know. I don鈥檛 even know what happened.鈥
What happened was City SC couldn鈥檛 hold its lead. Since Critchley took over, City SC has lost 11 points from winning positions in the second half. That鈥檚 more than under Olof Mellberg, primarily because the team led far less often during his time as coach.
鈥淲e try playing the same soccer,鈥 Ostrak said, 鈥渂ecause we鈥檝e been playing forward, playing fast, playing straight, nobody was hiding. But sometimes one fails, and they have a good team. They have very good attacking players, so they have quality, of course. We knew, and we should be more careful and be more prepared for them. But it was very tough because it was like one second, and then, we lost the ball. They got some transition; they scored the goal. And it鈥檚 with that kind of quality player, it鈥檚 very, very tough. But overall, I鈥檓 very happy for this performance of our team.鈥
鈥淚f we would have come away with it with a 2-1 win, I would probably be the happiest man in Chicago,鈥 said Critchley. 鈥淲e know we鈥檝e conceded goals late in games. I know that data shows in the 75th minute we鈥檙e the No. 1 team that鈥檚 conceded goals this season. I鈥檓 very fully aware of that. So we need to keep working on these details. And it鈥檚 not a combination of one thing. It鈥檚 a little bit of everything. So we鈥檝e got to continue to get through these moments. And when I saw this go 2-1 up, I knew we kind of needed a third goal, just by what the season has shown me as a coach that stepped into this group this season.鈥
While wins at this point are mostly cosmetic for City SC, the losses keep moving it closer to mathematic elimination, though in any practical sense, elimination is a fait accompli. If City SC were to win all eight of its remaining games, finishing with 45 points might not be enough to make the playoffs. And considering that City SC has lost seven straight on the road, getting outscored 17-5 in the process, winning all four of its remaining road games seems an ambitious proposition. City SC is tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy for the fewest points in road games this season: five.
In another ongoing occurrence at City SC games, a discouraging result overshadowed an encouraging performance. Ostrak scored his first goal in 17 months, much of which he missed due to a serious leg injury, and also had an assist and kept going his run of solid play over the past month. He tied the game in the 47th minute, getting a ball in the box, positioning himself so he had a shooting lane and put it into the upper left side of the goal. Twelve minutes later, he crossed a ball to Marcel Hartel, who controlled it and fired in a shot from about 8 yards out for his fifth goal and to put City SC ahead.
鈥淭omas has grown every week,鈥 Critchley said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 in a good position right now. I would probably say for me, it鈥檚 the best form he鈥檚 been in since being at this club. He鈥檚 training really well. He plays really well. I鈥檓 so super-happy when I see guys from the back end and training every single day, work on their craft and work as hard as they can and then get rewarded in front of the fans and globally. So Tomas is contributing very well to this team, so I should be happy with his performance.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy,鈥 Ostrak said, 鈥渂ecause after this injury, I think I didn鈥檛 score for one and maybe one-half year. Maybe, I don鈥檛 even know how long it is, but I鈥檓 very proud. I鈥檓 very happy for me, but very disappointed with the result. So I don鈥檛 know how I should manage it? It鈥檚 like nice feelings but bad feelings as well. So I will be happier if we get these three points. I will be happier from that.鈥
The start of the game was delayed one hour and 21 minutes as thunderstorms passed through the area.
51黑料 City SC can't hold lead, falls to Chicago Fire 3-2
51黑料 City SC rallied on the road to take the lead on Chicago in the second half, but gave up two late goals, including the goal that gave Chicago the lead in the 87th minute, and fell 3-2 in a rain-delayed game at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on Saturday night.
Tomas Ostrak had a goal and an assist and Marcel Hartel had the other goal but it wasn鈥檛 enough for City SC, which lost its seventh straight game on the road. City SC has been outscored 17-5 in those seven games. City SC is 1-10-2 away from Energizer Park this season.
The start of the game was delayed one hour, 21 minutes because of thunderstorms, and it turned into another frustrating night in a frustrating season for City SC, which once again had a chance to win a game and didn鈥檛 even get a tie. Brian Gutierrez scored from outside the box in the 87th minute, for a league-high 17th goal allowed after the 75th minute by City SC.
City SC almost tied the game in the 95th minute but Simon Becher鈥檚 shot hit the post.
Ostrak tied the game in the 47th minute, taking a pass from Devin Padelford and positioning himself in the box to get the lane he needed to put the ball in the top left side of the goal. For Ostrak, who missed most of last season with an injury, it was his first goal since March 16, 2024.
Twelve minutes later, he helped put City SC ahead. He brought the ball upfield, gave it to Conrad Wallem, immediately got it back and then crossed it to Hartel, who controlled the ball about 8 yards out and then blasted it into the net to make it 2-1.
The lead didn鈥檛 last long. Philip Zinckernagel of Chicago weaved his way through traffic, holding off a grab by Eduard Lowen and then cutting back on Fallou Fall and beating a helpless Burki to make it 2-2.
It looked like City SC was going to have a golden chance to take the lead in the 75th minute when referee Jair Marrufo signaled for a penalty kick after the ball struck defender Carolos Teran in the arm, but after going to the VAR monitor, Marrufo decided Teran鈥檚 arm was against his body and waved off the PK.
In the first half, the Fire took the lead in the 16th minute with dazzling quickness. Brian Gutierrez took the ball near midfield, played a long ball to a running Andrew Gutman, who beat Jaziel Orozco to the ball and hit a first-time cross to Hugo Cuypers, whose run took him past Padelford and Timo Baumgartl and put him alone on Burki and his first touch redirection beat Burki to make it 1-0. It was the 15th goal of the season for Cuypers.
City SCs best chance came about eight minutes later on a long ball to Klauss in the box but he couldn鈥檛 get his footwork sorted out and didn鈥檛 get enough on the ball to make it a challenge for goalkeeper Chris Brady.
Henry Kessler and Chris Durkin both made their returns to the starting lineup. For Durkin, it was his first start since May 31, David Critchley鈥檚 first game as interim head coach. For Kessler, it was his first appearance with City SC since June 8, Critchley鈥檚 second game. Kessler鈥檚 return dropped Fall to the bench for the bench. Wallem also returned to the roster after a one-game suspension. Both Fall and Wallem came on in the second half.
51黑料 City SC interim coach David Critchley speaks after the team's win over Nashville SC. Video edited by Beth O'Malley
Fallou Fall shows flash, physicality and room to grow in debut with 51黑料 City SC
Eighty-five seconds into his first Major League Soccer game, 51黑料 City SC defender Fallou Fall found himself chasing after a ball in his own end of the field and feeling pressure from a Nashville player with another player cutting off his angle to play the ball to goalkeeper Roman Burki. Fall had yet to touch the ball in the game, and this would be his first play of the ball for City SC in a real game.
Almost casually, without even turning his head, he backheeled the ball, kicking it upfield while facing downfield, to teammate Devin Padelford, who then progressed the ball upfield. The play brought a roar from the crowd at Energizer Park.
鈥淚t was something that made me chuckle,鈥 said City SC coach David Critchley, 鈥渂ecause it worked out. If it didn鈥檛 work out, I would have been a little bit more upset, probably. But it just shows a young, brave, confident young man.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 just like, the good decision to take,鈥 Fall said. 鈥淭he striker was closing to my keeper, and that鈥檚 the only decision I have to take and I just take it. ... Sometimes if I have to do it, I will do it, without thinking.鈥
Did he notice the response? 鈥淵eah, yeah. I heard it,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his was a good energy.鈥
Fall should get his second chance at an MLS game on Saturday when City SC faces the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Illinois, at 7:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Soldier Field in downtown Chicago, but was moved to the Fire鈥檚 previous home because of a conflict with a Bears preseason game. City SC will be looking to win two games a row for just the second time this season and win its second road game while keeping its fainter-than-faint playoff hopes alive.
Fall made a strong debut in his first MLS game, and while it is clear he鈥檚 a youngster 鈥 he鈥檚 21 and only two regular first-team players are younger than he is 鈥 and will make some mistakes, his 90 minutes against Nashville and 40 minutes in the friendly with Aston Villa, show that he鈥檚 a player who can make an impact.
鈥淎s a left-footed center back,鈥 Critchley said, 鈥渨e know he鈥檚 going to bring some qualities on the field to us from a playing standpoint. His adjustment so far has been smooth. I鈥檓 really happy with what I鈥檝e seen so far. So now, being such a young lad, we鈥檝e got a young product on our hand.鈥
He did miss on some passes, which can be a liability for a center back with no one but the goalkeeper behind him usually, but Fall also make some slide tackles to win balls and didn鈥檛 hesitate to get physical, once taking the ball from Nashville star Hany Mukhtar and then shoving him to the ground, or screening a ball so it went over the end line but then shoving the Nashville player to the ground at the same time.
Fall said his play in Norway, another physical league, made that natural for him, and he likes that style anyway.
鈥淎s a defender,鈥 he said, 鈥渨e just have to defend it, to protect the goal and everything. And this was just like in the moment, I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 like about something learning or something. We are defenders, we have to defend.鈥
He said he actually learned more from the Aston Villa game 鈥 the level of play of a Premier League team will do that 鈥 and that, plus the work of teammates and coaches, has made his transition to America a smooth one.
鈥淚n the game, I see that I lose many balls and that thing happened to me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 have to, I think, build that thing up, and I can be like one of the best defenders in the league, because I鈥檓 good in defending. If I have that thing extra, it will be amazing for me.鈥
Fall, who took his uniform number of 95 by adding the birthdates of himself, his wife and his best friend, plus his wedding day, may have a new partner for at least part of the game on Saturday. Henry Kessler is back and, after being on the roster but not playing last week, figures to see some action. City SC is the healthiest it has been all season, with only Cedric Teuchert and Michael Wentzel unavailable. Critchley has 23 field players to choose from for 18 spots.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got good numbers, which equals good competition,鈥 Critchley said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we want. So it鈥檚 been nice to have the problems of, how do we set up a game with more than 22 players? So these types of problems we haven鈥檛 had so far since I鈥檝e been here. So we鈥檙e healthy, we鈥檙e sharp. So it鈥檚 a really good environment to be in right now.鈥
One player who has seen his playing time drop to zero as the team has gotten healthy has been forward Xande Silva. He didn鈥檛 play against Minnesota or Astron Villa (when the team used 26 players) and he didn鈥檛 make the game-day roster against Nashville, with the team calling up Mykhi Joyner from City2.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the training, as always, with all these players,鈥 Critchley said. 鈥淚f they come in and they train well and they perform in training, for me, that鈥檚 when they get their first opportunity. But not just Xande. I鈥檓 not saying this message against him, it鈥檚 against the entire team: No one鈥檚 bigger than the team. The team comes first. And if you don鈥檛 train to your best ability, there鈥檚 other players that will do that.鈥
51黑料 City SC interim coach David Critchley speaks after the team's win over Nashville SC. Video edited by Beth O'Malley
City SC beat writer Tom聽Timmermann聽and co-host Beth O'Malley talk about maybe the best game of the season for City SC, certainly the best under David Critchley, as the team takes advantage of its chances for a change. Now, can they follow it up, on the road no less, which has not been kind to them?聽
51黑料
City SC beat writer Tom聽Timmermann聽and co-host Beth O'Malley talk about maybe the best game of the season for City SC, certainly the best under David Critchley, as the team takes advantage of its chances for a change. Now, can they follow it up, on the road no less, which has not been kind to them?聽
A complete game for 51黑料 City SC
In his hardest season, 51黑料 City SC's Durkin looks to restart his season one more time
The 2025 season for 51黑料 City SC midfielder Chris Durkin has been filled with false starts.
He missed preseason and the season opener as he recovered from a knee injury suffered late in the 2024 season. He returned and played five games, only to hurt his knee again in a collision in a game against Austin. He missed seven games and then three games after he came back, he overextended his knee taking a shot from distance and hurt it again, missing another seven games. (鈥淐ompletely hit the reset button on that, which sucked,鈥 he said.) When he returned from that injury, he got a red card after 10 minutes of action and, because of the suspension and an off week for City SC, his return to the starting lineup was pushed back at least three weeks. Every time he鈥檚 about to get started, he stops.
鈥淚t feels like I've been playing catch up the whole year,鈥 he said Tuesday.
If all goes right, Durkin should be able to return to the starting lineup for City SC on Saturday when it faces the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Ill. Though he hasn鈥檛 played in an MLS game since July 26, Durkin was able to play a half in City SC鈥檚 friendly with Aston Villa and 70 minutes on Sunday with City2 to give himself a chance to close out a forgettable season, for him and the team, with some semblance of normalcy over the final nine games.
鈥淚t's been a turbulent season for me,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think it's been the hardest season for me personally, in terms of just dealing with injuries, setbacks from those injuries. It's been really tough. But I'd like to think now that I'm beyond all that stuff, and now I can really start to put my head down and get to work, and then you pile on the red card 10 minutes back into to my appearance. That took a little bit of a hit on the confidence, for sure, but it's all about how you respond from those moments.
鈥淚鈥檓 finally able to strike through the ball with my right foot, which was taking a really long time to feel no pain. The fitness is starting to come back, and now it鈥檚 just continuing to get sharper and sharper with the ball.鈥
Durkin had been one of the team鈥檚 ironmen, going the full 90 minutes 26 times in 2024 and was second among field players in minutes played. This season, he鈥檚 gone 90 minutes twice, playing just 10 games.
鈥淚 was fortunate to have the Aston Villa game on Wednesday (after the red card) to kind of put that behind me a little bit,鈥 Durkin said. 鈥淚t really sucked to let my team down in that moment, for everybody to be excited for me to kind of come back and looking forward to being back on the field and to have that red card off of something that was so stupid. Yeah, it was unfortunate.鈥
The red card came at a time when City SC was still dealing with injuries everywhere and Durkin, who usually plays defensive midfield, had gone into the game as a center back. A ball was played into Minnesota鈥檚 Kelvin Yeboah in the box, surrounded by three City SC players, and it went south from there. It led to a penalty kick that tied the game and an eventual Minnesota win.
鈥淚 kind of took my first step forward,鈥 Durkin said. 鈥淭he ball went 10, 15, yards in the air. So as I'm tracking it, he does a really good job of just reacting right away. And next thing I know, I'm looking at the ball, and he's already in front of me, and I just put my hand on his shoulder, and then he falls. I don't even really pull him. So as soon as he feels contact, he falls. So he does well with it. So hat off (to him).鈥
The one ray of sunshine amid a dreadful season has been the birth of his son, Ronan, in June. The lack of playing time has afforded him more Dad time.
鈥淚t's been tough,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut I've had the birth of my son in that process, and I've been able to help support my wife and see our son grow, he鈥檚 turning 8 weeks on Thursday. So it's just as much as my professional life has been really frustrating, my personal life has had some really positive moments as well. So it's a bit of balancing of both. Obviously, I prioritize my family more than anything else, so that's been really fun to see. But now I鈥檓 done with the quality Dad time. I鈥檓 ready to play soccer.鈥
There鈥檚 one more challenge for Durkin. His contract is up after this season, with the club holding an option. While he would seem to be a lock to have his option picked up by the team, it just adds one more bit of uncertainty to what鈥檚 going on.
鈥淐ontractually, it's tough,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an option year and I haven't been able to prove myself much on the field this year, so it's been tough, and I have my sights on trying to figure out that you're as strong as I possibly can, and then that's the goal.
鈥淚t's not my decision. It's out of my control. So when there's something that's not in your control, it's always difficult to just have that looming over. But I do believe that with the right mentality every day, proving yourself, all things that I hold dear to me, and the identity I have as a player, I think that that will speak. So that's all I can do.鈥
Jeong fined by league
Sangbin Jeong was fined an unspecified amount by the league鈥檚 disciplinary committee for an 鈥渋nappropriate gesture鈥 in the 66th minute. That鈥檚 when he scored his goal, and after he scored, he simulated shooting a weapon, something the league has frowned on in recent years and fined other players for doing.
51黑料 City SC interim coach David Critchley speaks after the team's win over Nashville SC. Video edited by Beth O'Malley
