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Not all draws are the same.
Saint Louis FC left their home-opener last Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds with a 1-1 draw in front of nearly 6,000 fans at the World Wide Technology Soccer Park. While a draw and a point against one of the more established clubs in the USL is nothing to be upset about, Saint Louis players and fans will have to be upset after their club thoroughly dominated most of the match.
Saint Louis outshot Pittsburgh 8-1 in the first half, and by a 15-7 margin throughout the match; yet Jamaican nation team goalkeeper Ryan Thompson and the Pittsburgh back line were able to hold up and prevent the match from getting out of hand.
The draw leaves both clubs with a 1-1-1 record. Saint Louis FC will play again tomorrow night at home against the Rochester Rhinos.
LOANEE REVIEW
Patrick Doody gave new meaning to My Left Foot on Saturday night, using his dominant foot to torment Pittsburgh players with dangerous crosses throughout the night. Those crosses finally paid off in the 43rd minute, when his corner kick went over the goalie's head and found a late-arriving - and unmarked - Brandon Barklage who put the ball in for the club's lone goal of the night. The stat line will show just one assist on the night, but Doody put his teammates into position for at least two more goals.
Like most teammates, Doody was unchallenged defensively for most of the game. He held his own once Pittsburgh started to push players forward, though he did lose his man on one play which required a great save from Pais to keep Pittsburgh off the board.
The game saw the first appearance by another loanee from Chicago in Greg Cochrane, the 24-year-old defender who started 12 matches for the Fire last season. Though he joined the club less than a week ago, Cochrane was inserted in the match as an injury sub at right back in the 50th minute. It was an overall quiet performance, as Pittsburgh struggled to maintain offense and rarely went to Cochrane's side of the field.
Goalkeeper Alec Kann did not play, and with starting goalkeeper Mark Pais having back-to-back impressive showings, it may be tough for Kann to see much playing time soon in St. Louis.