No expansion team in Major League Soccer history has been where St Louis City are right now. Never before has a newbie to the league taken 18 points from their first eight fixtures. The sight of Bradley Carnell’s team atop the Western Conference as MLS’s top scorers – they average 2.5 goals a game – is unprecedented.
Nobody saw this coming. Most expected St Louis City, who were largely assembled in the space of just 12 months and have few recognisable names, to struggle. Instead, they are early-season frontrunners.
So what have St Louis City got right that so many expansion teams…
