St. Louis CITY SC 3-1 Toronto FC
St. Louis CITY SC turned territorial control into a convincing Major League Soccer victory on Saturday night, defeating Toronto FC 3-1 at Energizer Park.
Carlo Holse gave the hosts a deserved breakthrough in the 41st minute after St. Louis had established the stronger rhythm in possession. CITY entered the interval with a 1-0 advantage and continued to dictate the match after the restart.
Tomas Totland doubled the lead in the 54th minute, rewarding another assertive spell from the home side. St. Louis kept Toronto pinned back for long stretches, moving the ball with purpose and pressing for a third rather than allowing the visitors a route back into the fixture.
That third goal arrived in the 68th minute through substitute Simon Becher, whose finish put the result beyond serious doubt. St. Louis finished with 60.8 percent possession, 17 shots and eight efforts on target, compared with Toronto’s 10 shots and two on target.
Toronto did manage a late consolation as Theo Corbeanu headed home in the seventh minute of added time, making it 3-1 at full time. It did little to alter the overall picture of a match controlled by St. Louis, who also won the corner count 8-4.
The result continues a positive run for CITY SC, while Toronto will look to respond quickly when they host Nashville SC on September 26. St. Louis next face Red Bull New York on the same day.
Goals
- St. Louis CITY SC: Carlo Holse, 41′
- St. Louis CITY SC: Tomas Totland, 54′
- St. Louis CITY SC: Simon Becher, 68′
- Toronto FC: Theo Corbeanu, 90’+7′
