Roman Bürki extends St. Louis City's perfect defensive start to the season in 3-0 win over LA Galaxy
CARSON, Calif. — Roman Bürki made eight saves while keeping his third consecutive clean sheet to start the season and St. Louis City kept the MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy winless with a 3-0 victory Sunday.
Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel and Simon Becher scored the first goals of the season for St. Louis, which began with two scoreless draws before this win over the Galaxy that was less one-sided than the score.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
After MLB-best May, can Cardinals' depth keep them winning in June?
We've passed the one-third mark of the season, and we still aren't sure what the ceiling is for the St. Louis Cardinals. What we do know: The team's floor seems much higher than originally projected. After a frustrating April in which the Cardinals went 11-16, St. Louis powered through May with a 19-8 record, the MLB's best mark of the month. The Cardinals hit .258 and their pitching staff had a 3.40 ERA, with both numbers ranking seventh in the majors. The Cardinals (33-26) enter play Tuesday seven games over. 500 with a +30 run differential and four games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. April showers, May flowers indeed. 10 strikeouts today makes 1800 CAREER STRIKEOUTS for Sonny Gray! 🔥 — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 31, 2025 But with a new month comes new challenges. St. Louis has just one remaining off day this month, which sets them up to play 28 games in 29 days. What makes that stretch concerning is factoring in how much the Cardinals benefited from their schedule in May. The team had a scheduled off day on four consecutive Thursdays, making it easy for manager Oli Marmol to give his starters ample rest. This month, he'll have to be creative. Advertisement 'We were able to run our (starting) lineup out there almost every day,' Marmol said. 'We mixed and matched a little bit to give guys days off leading into a scheduled day off, that kind of thing. But for the most part, we had our lineup out there. In June, we're going to have to give guys more of a blow and use our bench differently than we did in May.' There are several ways to look at this. The lack of off days presents Marmol with an ability to use a rotation of position players, which would allow someone like Nolan Gorman to play more. There are staples in the lineup: Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Masyn Winn, Pedro Pagés, Victor Scott II and Lars Nootbaar will still start most games at their designated positions. But the defensive flexibility of Brendan Donovan will allow Gorman to see additional starts at second base when one of the above players needs a rest day. Alec Burleson (first base, outfield) and Iván Herrera (catcher, designated hitter) being able to play multiple positions also helps with the rotation. The Cardinals will be without Jordan Walker (10-day injured list, left wrist inflammation) for at least a week, but they are optimistic he won't miss much time. He'll be eligible to come off the injured list over the weekend. When he returns, Marmol is confident he'll still be able to find consistent playing time for Gorman. Gorman had been the odd man out for most of May, but the Cardinals want to find ways to work his bat in more regularly. In 91 at-bats this season, Gorman is hitting a dismal .187/.280/.297 with just one homer and nine RBIs. But Marmol and hitting coach Brant Brown are encouraged by Gorman's underlying metrics, namely his strikeout rate, which has dropped from 37.6 percent in 2024 to 27.1 percent this year. 'What's tough for Gorman is when you look under the hood, he's making more contact, he's chasing less, he's walking more,' Marmol said. 'Yes, the bat speed is down, but that's at the expense of making contact. He needs a run of games to show that it's coming into play.' Advertisement When it comes to starting pitching, Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake have been intentional with their rotation scheduling for a reason. With limited depth in Triple A, the Cardinals needed to keep their starters on a six-day schedule for as long as possible. They did that easily in May because of the scheduling. That scheduling also allowed Steven Matz, who served in the hybrid role between the rotation and bullpen in April, to take over as a more traditional reliever in May. Moving Matz to the bullpen full-time was instrumental in the Cardinals' success in May. Before their series loss to the Texas Rangers over the weekend, Cardinals relievers posted a 2.90 ERA in the month. Matz registered a 3.00 ERA in six relief appearances and held hitters to a .235 average and .559 OPS. While the Cardinals might consider moving Matz back to his hybrid role, that would leave them scrambling for coverage in the bullpen. It would also leave them short on innings in the rotation on days he starts, as he's no longer built up. 'All of that comes into play,' Marmol said when asked about Matz and the upcoming pitching plans. 'You are taxing your bullpen by giving your rotation a break, depending on how you do it.' One option that could be on the table for St. Louis is using Michael McGreevy as a spot starter in June. McGreevy is 6-1 in 10 games for Triple-A Memphis this season with a 3.02 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings. He's scheduled to take his next start on Tuesday at AutoZone Park, but could be a candidate for a call-up after that. McGreevy has thrived in the spot start role before, and the Cardinals would not be risking his long-term development if they use him as a sixth starter, even temporarily. That would also allow them to keep Matz in the bullpen, where there would be less risk of the team being unable to cover innings. Advertisement This is what Marmol and his staff will be balancing as St. Louis rolls into the new month. The Cardinals have been one of baseball's more surprising teams. Despite a grueling schedule, they'll hope to keep building off May's success and avoid a June swoon. 'Everyone has those stretches,' Marmol said. 'You prepare for it and put your head down and get through it, so that's what we'll do.' (Photo of Nolan Arenado: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals Labeled ‘Pleasant Surprise of 2025' by MLB Writer
Cardinals Labeled 'Pleasant Surprise of 2025' by MLB Writer originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In a season full of unexpected twists, Bleacher Report may have found the perfect way to describe the St. Louis Cardinals: 'The pleasant surprise of the 2025 campaign.' Advertisement That was the title given to the Cards in BR's '1 Sentence to Describe Every MLB Team Entering June' article posted on Sunday. And while some teams were labeled 'Underachieving' or 'The biggest disappointment in baseball,' St. Louis got something much sweeter — and very accurate. Coming into the season with +12000 World Series odds and as a consensus pick to finish below .500, the Cardinals continue to prove everyone wrong. St. Louis entered June at 33-25, just behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, and firmly in the playoff hunt. Since May 2, the Cardinals have gone 19-7. A surprising factor that makes the success even more unwarranted, is that the Redbirds have won despite major struggles from key names on their roster. Sonny Gray has been just OK; Willson Contreras is having the worst offensive season of his career and Jordan Walker still hasn't been able to put all the pieces together. Advertisement Despite the struggles, the roster is loaded with unexpected contributors that have been carrying the weight of the Cardinals during the run. While players like Lars Nootbar and Nolan Arenado are getting the job done, Masyn Winn and Brendan Donavan have been electric up the middle. Matthew Liberatore and Miles Mikolas have been playing better than expected on the mound, which was expected to be a key weak spot for St. Louis. Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) and shortstop Masyn Winn (0) and first baseman Willson Contreras (40) check the replay© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images 'They might mess around and win this division if any of those three players turn things around,' the BR article said. There's no telling how long the Cardinals can keep this going. But in a season that started with low expectations and offseason talk of shedding payroll, the fact that St. Louis is in this position at all is a win in itself. Advertisement Bleacher Report's label doesn't just reflect where the Cardinals stand. It captures how they've made their fans feel again. Pleasantly surprised. Related: Cardinals Farm Report: Pitchers Have Big Week Amid Roster Moves This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carlos Vela: The Legacy of the Best Mexican Player to Ever Play in MLS
Carlos Vela: The Legacy of the Best Mexican Player to Ever Play in MLS Carlos Vela announced his retirement from professional soccer on May 27. His career in MLS will be viewed as one of the best by a Mexican international. For many, both on the national team and in public perception, Vela represents Mexico's unfulfilled soccer potential. And one night, he said 'goodbye.' Carlos Vela hung up his boots at the age of 36. The Mexican international had played for Chivas, Arsenal, Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion, Real Sociedad, and LAFC. Like Gio Reyna of the United States men's national team today, Vela was seen by Mexican pundits as a player with world-class potential. Despite his unquestionable ability, he didn't find a true home until landing at Real Sociedad. Advertisement By the time Vela arrived in MLS with LAFC — a club he helped launch by becoming the face of the franchise — he had already been written out of the Mexican national team, more due to his own personal choice than his on field form. Whatever the circumstances surrounding Vela as a player and national team star, at the MLS level, he was nothing short of fantastic. He was exactly the kind of player the league needed to succeed and shift the narrative surrounding previous Mexican stars in MLS. Vela: The Best Mexican Player to Play in MLS On paper, Vela's numbers are unmatched when it comes to Mexican players in MLS, or Designated Players in general. He was an MLS Cup winner, a two-time Supporters' Shield winner, and a U.S. Open Cup winner with LAFC. Advertisement Individually, he was named to three MLS Best XI teams, won the MLS MVP in 2019, and also took home the Golden Boot that year. He was a four-time All-Star and a two-time CONCACAF Champions League Best XI selection. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single MLS season (34 in 2019), and he was the fastest player in MLS history to reach 75 goals and 50 assists. Off the field, Vela gave LAFC a strong connection to the Mexican fanbase looking for an alternative to the LA Galaxy. LAFC aimed to capture the hearts of Los Angeles' urban community, and Vela was the face of that effort. He was also surrounded by young talent, including Diego Rossi and Eduard Atuesta. Vela became the first player to score in the El Tráfico derby against the LA Galaxy, netting the first two goals in a game remembered for Zlatan Ibrahimović's incredible debut. Vela finished his debut season with 15 goals. Advertisement In 2019, Vela had the best season of his MLS career, and one of the best in league history, scoring 38 goals in 36 games across all competitions. That season included his first MLS hat trick, which came in a 5–0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Vela is the all-time leading scorer in El Tráfico with 12 goals and delivered countless jaw-dropping moments. One of his most memorable goals came against San Jose in August 2019, when he weaved through multiple defenders and slipped past the goalkeeper before calmly slotting the ball home. In total, Vela scored 93 goals in 187 matches for LAFC, playing injured in two of those seasons. When compared to other big-name Mexican stars, only Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Jorge Campos — each for different reasons — come close in terms of delivering on all fronts in MLS, both in performance and in drawing crowds. Advertisement The league has seen its share of high-priced Mexican disappointments, including Rafa Márquez, Luis Hernández, Carlos Hermosillo, and more recently Giovani dos Santos and Chicharito Hernández. A Passion for the Game To many Mexican pundits, Vela's Achilles' heel was his 'lack of passion' for the game. It's one of the reasons often cited for why he never reached an even higher level. Vela himself admitted he never had the burning obsession for soccer that drives players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. For him, soccer was a job, not a lifelong passion. That mindset shaped his career. He showed moments of brilliance — perhaps most notably in the 2013-14 season with Real Sociedad, where he had 28 goal contributions, the fifth-most in La Liga — but lacked the relentless drive to dominate year after year in Europe. And in the brutal world of elite sports, that missing edge can make all the difference. Advertisement At 29, still at the peak of his powers and capable of competing in top European leagues, Vela chose a different path — one of balance, lifestyle, and personal happiness. To many in Mexico, choosing MLS was a fatal mistake and a growing trend among the country's top talents: a reluctance to truly test themselves at the highest levels. Carlos Vela and the Mexican National Team: The Big 'What If'Vela was once seen as the future of Mexican soccer: A gifted forward with European pedigree and rare creativity. But after a fallout with the Mexican Football Federation in 2010, his relationship with the national team grew distant. Vela began skipping call-ups, citing personal reasons and mental fatigue. Advertisement What followed was a series of high-profile absences: the 2011 Gold Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup, and, most notably, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In each case, the decision to stay away was his — not due to injury or exclusion. Those years marked a golden window for Mexico, and Vela's absence was always felt. Under Miguel Herrera, the team played bold, attacking soccer, but lacked a player with Vela's vision and calmness in the final third. His skill set might have made the difference in matches that slipped away, like the heartbreaking loss to the Netherlands in 2014. Fans could only imagine what a Vela-Chicharito partnership might have accomplished on the world's biggest stage. When Vela finally returned for the 2018 World Cup, he delivered, scoring in Mexico's group stage win against Korea. But by then, the narrative had shifted. He was no longer seen as the face of a generation, but rather as a gifted outsider who had passed on too many chances to lead. Advertisement Vela's story with Mexico isn't one of failure, it's one of detachment. In choosing distance over devotion, Vela gave up the opportunity to become a national icon. Instead, he remains one of the sport's most fascinating 'what ifs.' Maybe MLS and LAFC saw the very best version of Carlos Vela. And while some may criticize him for spending prime years in MLS, Vela was a star for a segment of fans that the league had long tried to attract. Say what you will about him, but in the halls of MLS and LAFC, Vela is one of the best to ever do it. When Vela was happy, he delivered. And in LA, he was at peace.
