This past Saturday afternoon (31 May) had the first of two soccer matches at Energizer Park for me. St. Louis CITY SC was hosting San Jose Earthquakes and I arrived well before kickoff at the Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans pre-match party. I got a beer from a Schlafly beer test (their Summer Lager) and a gyro from the Go Gyro Go food truck. I also bought raffle tickets and contributed to the St. Louligans' Charity du Jour, Action St. Louis.
I then joined the supporters' march into the stadium for the match, which was the first for CITY under caretaker head coach David Critchley. CITY scored just before halftime on a Joao Klauss effort to take the lead. San Jose equalized in the 83rd minute, but CITY won it on an Edward Lowen penalty in stoppage time. The victory was most welcome for CITY and its supporters.
Last night (3 June), I drove from work in Ballwin back to Energizer Park, this time for a women's friendly between USA and Jamaica. I arrived in the stadium just after the two teams arrived on the pitch and while former USA international and St. Louis native Becky Sauerbrunn was honored for her career.
After witnessing this ceremony, I made my way to my seat, which was on the upper deck of the North End. This gave me a great overall view of the pitch.
The match opened with the US dominating possession, but not able to find the back of the net until the 19th minute, when Ally Sentnor scored. She added a second tally 10 minutes later and the Stars and Stripes took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
A number of substitutions were made during the second half as new lineups were evaluated. One player brought in was Lynn Biyendolo, who entered the match in the 58th minute. Two minutes later, she hit paydirt to make it 3 to the good for the USA. Biyendolo added a second goal two monutes from time and the Americans ran out 4-0 winners.
It was quite an entertaining match, the scoreline notwithstanding, and Sauerbrunn was working as a studio analyst for TNT's match telecast. I caught a glimpse of her and the other studio analysts and host interviewing Sentnor after the match.
After a long day at work and this match, I came home a happy man.
Later.
Websites of Entries Mentioned in this Post:
Energizer Park: Energizer Park | St. Louis CITY SC
Schlafly Tap Room: Schlafly
St. Louligans: Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer
St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC
Action St. Louis: Action St. Louis
US Soccer: U.S. Soccer Official Website | USWNT & USMNT
