The Town FC goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa made five saves against St. Louis CITY2. The 19-year-old was TTFC’s go-to goalie all season.
ST. LOUIS — The Town FC’s inaugural season was halted by St. Louis CITY2 in the Western Conference Semifinal round in a 4-2 extra-time finish on Sunday at CITYPARK.
No. 3-seeded The Town (13-7-8, 51 points) made the midwest trip after defeating Houston Dynamo 2 (10-11-7, 39 points) in the quarterfinals round on Oct. 20. After a long season spanning seven months, TTFC’s playoff chances were cut short in a back-and-forth, heartbreaking loss that saw No. 2-seeded St. Louis (17-7-4, 56 points) capitalize down the stretch to take the crucial victory.
Forward Brendan McSorley opened up scoring in the seventh minute, but The Town would respond in kind to even the match by halftime. In the 28th minute, first-year pro Jamar Ricketts tipped in a cross from Will Richmond on a quick attack for the equalizer. Richmond redeemed himself after hitting the crossbar earlier in the match, and the goal was Ricketts’ first of the season — an opportune time for a personal milestone.
Substitute forward Riley Lynch added to his already impressive breakout season by scoring his eighth goal of the campaign, giving TTFC a 67th-minute lead. Lynch used his speed and agility to find the back of the net as he maneuvered up the right side of the field for the score.
CITY2 didn’t quit, however. Six minutes later, Gabriel Mikina headed in the team’s second goal off a free kick, stunning goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa in the process.
All knotted up at the final whistle, the two teams played an extra 30 minutes to decide the winner. In the additional frame, St. Louis forward MyKhi Joyner notched a clutch brace, scoring in the 103rd and 123rd minutes to put CITY2 in front. The Town couldn’t respond, allowing St. Louis to advance to the Western Conference Final to face first-place North Texas SC (16-4-8, 62 points) for a chance to play in the Final.
While The Town FC wasn’t able to hoist any hardware in 2024, the season had plenty to be proud of. TTFC was MLS NEXT Pro’s best defensive team, only allowing 28 goals during the regular season, and only lost one home game in regulation. The team finished fifth in the overall standings and won the Pacific Division.
This season saw the team make multiple changes — rebranding to “The Town FC” before the season began and moving into Saint Mary’s Stadium in Moraga — further connecting with the East Bay sports community.
Midfielder Eduardo Blancas was TTFC’s regular-season scoring leader with eight goals and defender Aaron Edwards led the team with 11 goal contributions. Four goalkeepers suited up between the posts, but Ochoa was the main option, shining immensely as a 19-year-old.
While four teams remain in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, head coach Daniel DeGeer and The Town FC will look ahead to next season. With an abundance of top talent and multiple players suiting up for the first-team San Jose Earthquakes, the team will have its eyes on another deep playoff run in 2025.
The 2024 MLS NEXT Pro playoff bracket can be found here.
Follow Kasey Kazliner (@kaseyjkaz) on X for more TTFC updates.
MEDIA ASSETS
Click here to download photos of the match
Click here to watch highlights of the match
MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
St. Louis CITY2 4 – 2 The Town FC
CITYPARK
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Scoring Summary:
STL (1-0) — B. McSorley 7’
TTFC (1-1) — J. Ricketts 28’
TTFC (2-1) — R. Lynch 67’
STL (2-2) — G. Mikina 73’
STL (3-2) — M. Joyner 103’
STL (4-2) — M. Joyner 120 + 3’
Misconduct Summary:
TTFC — W. Eisner (Caution) 22’
TTFC — E. Mendoza (Caution) 52’
TTFC — C. Walls (Caution) 55’
TTFC — J. Garcia (Caution) 96’
STL — G. Mikina (Caution) 112’
TTFC — A. Edwards (Caution) 115’
TTFC — J. Garcia (Red Card) 116’
St. Louis CITY2: C. Olivares (GK), J. Reid, M. Wentzel, G. Mikina (E. Kinzner – 113’), T. Pearce, S. Antwi (C. Cilley – 91’), M. Kidd, M. Joyner, H. Kijima (R. Becher – 85’), J. Klein III (C. Glover), B. McSorley
Substitutes not used: S. Pidro, D. Armstrong, J. Buebendorf, S. Gomez, O. Benitez
SHOTS: 20; SHOTS ON GOAL: 9; FOULS: 16; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
The Town FC: E. Ochoa (GK), R. Ibarra, C. Walls, A. Cano, W. Eisner (J. Garcia – 82’), B. Leroux (A. Edwards – 90 + 3’), E. Mendoza (R. Rajagopal – 82’), C. Medina (C), J. Ricketts (J. Donnery – 82’), E. Blancas, W. Richmond (R. Lynch – 46’)
Substitutes not used: J. Spivey, S. Bilter, D. Sweeney
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 19; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 5