St. Louis CITY SC fans – all 22,423 of them – brought an electric atmosphere before kickoff Saturday night for CITYPARK's MLS debut.
With the sellout crowd participating in a full-stadium tifo, the expansion club’s supporters announced they mean business.
They, of course, were treated to a 3-1 comeback win over Charlotte FC that will always be remembered by this historic Midwestern community and a talent-rich hotbed for the sport.
Though St. Louis fell behind early to Charlotte on Enzo Copetti’s header, the newcomers roared back via Bill Tuiloma's own goal, a penalty from Eduard Löwen and a chipped finish from striker João Klauss.
At each turn, the home-opening party intensified. St. Louis was awarded an expansion slot in August 2019, creating a three-and-a-half-year wait.
"The moment I stepped out I had goosebumps," said Löwen, a Designated Player alongside Klauss. "You could tell the whole city was waiting for this moment for so long. I had to keep myself a little bit down the day and the days before, try to not focus too much on the game because I know that the excitement is so big, and it was an incredible night."
St. Louis, combined with a 3-2 win at Austin FC on Matchday 1, are one of four teams league-wide with two wins to start the 2023 season. Their "incredible" fans played a massive part in making that possible, head coach Bradley Carnell said.
"I think we have set the bar really high," Carnell said. "There's not too many stadiums with this atmosphere; I can tell you that now."
These rapturous scenes return to CITYPARK, which cost nearly $500 million and is a new downtown pillar, when St. Louis host the San Jose Earthquakes on March 18.
"If we were tired, it didn't matter because we knew that we had 22,000 people behind us screaming, pushing us on," said fullback Jake Nerwinski. "But we put it all together tonight, and it's another three points. We’re at six points and top of the league right now. We want to keep it that way. Because I know a lot of people have said we're going to finish last. It's a good start for us."
