If St Louis had built Energizer Park as an indoor venue, then Marcel Hartel’s worldie would have surely blown the roof right off.

After shocking MLS in their 2023 debut by winning the West, St Louis have struggled for consistency. 2025 was a necessary transition year; the club parted with initial chief soccer officer Lutz Pfannenstiel after his most recent coaching appointment, Olof Mellberg, was sacked after just 15 games. Corey Wray was named as Pfannenstiel replacement in early November to top the sporting department, with the Thunder Bay native installing Yoann Damet as head coach soon afterwards.

It took St Louis five games to find a win this season, one of three teams in the league to go winless in the opening four matchweeks. Finally, the Wray and Damet era found its first three-pointer with New England visiting. St Louis held a 2-1 lead in the 83rd minute, when Hartel pounced on a poor pass by Brayan Ceballos. Rather than attempting to wind down the clock, Hartel sent St Louis into rapture with an audacious chip over Matt Turner.

The win was a feelgood moment not just for the club’s new leadership, but...