St. Louis CITY SC delivered a sharp, clinical away performance at PayPal Park on Saturday night, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 in Major League Soccer behind a Simon Becher brace.
Daniel Edelman gave St. Louis an early foothold when he opened the scoring in the 8th minute. The visitors continued to threaten with purpose and doubled their advantage in the 27th minute, when Becher rose to head home and send St. Louis into the interval with a 2-0 lead.
San Jose found an immediate response after the restart. Beau Leroux struck in the 47th minute to pull the Earthquakes back into the fixture and briefly raise the possibility of a comeback.
But St. Louis restored its two-goal cushion in the 55th minute. Becher completed his double with a volley, his second goal of the night, to put the visitors firmly back in control at 3-1.
The numbers underlined St. Louis’ superiority in the decisive areas. CITY SC produced 14 shots and put seven on target, compared with San Jose’s six attempts and one shot on target. The Earthquakes held a slight edge in possession, 52% to 48%, but St. Louis created more consistently and made their chances count.
The result continues a strong run for St. Louis, while San Jose were unable to turn their territorial control into enough cutting edge in front of goal. Becher’s two-goal display proved the defining difference in a composed road victory.
Goals
- St. Louis CITY SC: Daniel Edelman, 8′
- St. Louis CITY SC: Simon Becher, 27′
- San Jose Earthquakes: Beau Leroux, 47′
- St. Louis CITY SC: Simon Becher, 55′
