St Louis CITY2 ended their 2025 MLS NEXT Pro regular season with a 2-1 defeat against Portland Timbers2. The match, played at Providence Park, saw Portland take the lead in the 20th minute through Mataeo Bunbury. Seven minutes later, Noah Santos extended the home team’s advantage to 2-0.
In the second half, CITY2 controlled possession with 67% and limited Timbers2 to just one shot on target. Miguel Perez converted a penalty in the 87th minute for his tenth goal of the season, reducing the deficit to one goal. Despite increased pressure late in the game, CITY2 was unable to equalize and suffered their first loss since May 11.
Evan Carlock made his professional debut for CITY2 as a substitute in the second half. The match included several cautions and an ejection for Emil Jääskeläinen during stoppage time.
CITY2 will begin their playoff campaign at Energizer Park on Sunday, October 19 at 6:00 p.m. CT. As part of MLS NEXT Pro’s “pick-your-opponent” process, top seeds select their first-round opponents from lower-seeded teams. CITY2’s opponent will be announced on Thursday, October 9.
The scoring summary listed goals by Mataeo Bunbury (20’), Noah Santos (27’), and Miguel Perez (penalty kick, 87’). The misconduct summary included cautions for players from both teams and an ejection for Jääskeläinen.
Lineups featured Lukas Burns in goal for Portland and Christian Olivares for St Louis CITY2. Both teams used several substitutes throughout the match.
Referee duties were handled by Dion Coxe-Trieger with Eric Krueger and Jordan Price as assistant referees, and Aidan Velasco as fourth official.
