Bradley Carnell is taking last week's 3-3 draw with Inter Miami as a sign of St. Louis City making huge strides in attack, as they prepare to host the Portland Timbers on Saturday.
St. Louis sit 11th in the Western Conference, three points behind the improving Timbers, after playing out a thrilling draw with Lionel Messi and company.
That result ended a three-match losing run for Carnell's team, and he hopes it will represent something of a turning point in their season.
"When you score three goals and create the amount of chances we did, I saw a lot of good things against a counter-pressing Miami team with a full roster," Carnell said.
"To go away from home and score three goals, it gives me a lot of hope. We've been working hard on exploiting space in transition as that's our bread and butter.
"We're excited about the development of some of the guys, we're happy for the success they're now getting. That gives me hope for the games coming up."
The Timbers, meanwhile, have taken seven points from their last three games to move into a playoff position, drawing 2-2 with the Houston Dynamo following wins over Sporting Kansas City (2-1) and Austin FC (2-0).
Boss Phil Neville said: "We're looking forward to the game, it's always tough to go to St. Louis. They're a high-pressing team that don't give you a moment on the ball.
"The players have trained well all week, coming off the back of a really good week. We put in a massive effort.
"We're focused for tomorrow. It's going to be a good game and we're really looking forward to it."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Indiana Vassilev
Vassilev scored just his second goal of the year against Miami last time out.
Only Celio Pompeu (34) and Joao Klauss (21) have topped his 20 key passes this term among St. Louis team-mates, so he could hold the key to opening up the Timbers.
Portland Timbers – Evander
Evander assisted two of the Timbers' goals last time out, taking his total to seven assists this season, along with seven goals.
No Portland player had ever reached seven goals and seven assists in fewer than 18 appearances at the start of an MLS season before this year (Diego Valeri doing so in both 2017 and 2018).
MATCH PREDICTION – ST. LOUIS CITY WIN
St. Louis and Portland both recorded 2-1 away wins over one another last season, with both games being played before the end of April. Three of the six goals in those matches were scored in the 75th minute or later.
St. Louis' 3-3 draw with Miami last week was their 15th regular-season game with at least three goals scored, two more than any other team since they joined MLS last year.
Coming up against a leaky Portland defence, which has shipped 32 goals in just 17 matches this term, Carnell's men could get some joy.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City – 43.5%
Portland Timbers – 29.7%
Draw – 26.8%
Arsenal left wanting at Hacken as Man City seize control in Champions League qualifier
Arsenal are facing an uphill battle after a surprise defeat in their Women's Champions League qualifier, though there was no such shock for Manchester City.
Jonas Eidevall's side were defeated 1-0 in the first leg away to Hacken on Wednesday, leaving a comeback needed in the reverse fixture next Thursday.
An error from visiting defender Katie McCabe, who missed a clearance from a diagonal pass, led to Tabitha Tindell's 77th-minute winner at Bravida Arena.
Arsenal face Man City in the Women's Super League between the two Hacken clashes, and Gareth Taylor's side will head into that domestic fixture with growing confidence from a fine European showing.
City ran out comfortable 5-0 winners away to Paris FC, with Vivianne Miedema scoring the opener on her competitive debut for the club.
Jess Park doubled the lead shortly after, and added a second to her own account later on, along with goals for Mary Fowler and Chloe Kelly in a one-sided outing in France.
Elsewhere in the qualifiers, Juventus secured a 3-1 first-leg lead in a battle of two heavyweights with Paris Saint-Germain.
New signing Amalie Vangsgaard opened the scoring against her former club before Thiniba Samoura levelled with a sumptuous equaliser soon after.
Sofia Cantore set up Juve's first and found the net for the home side's second to restore their lead, before Hanna Bennison wrapped up a fine team move to seal a commanding advantage.
There was no such fortune for Juve's fellow Italian side Fiorentina, however, as Wolfsburg produced a 7-0 hammering in the first leg at Viola Park.
Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp dominated with a hat-trick, along with a brace from defender Marina Hegering and goals for Jule Brand and Vivien Endemann.
Sparta Prague 3-0 Salzburg: Hosts end 21-year wait for Champions League win in style
Sparta Prague enjoyed a fine return to the Champions League on Wednesday, recording a 3-0 win over Salzburg in their first game in Europe's top club competition in 19 years.
Sparta grabbed an early lead that set the tone for the league-phase opener at the Epet Arena as home fans celebrated their team's first win in the tournament since 2003.
The hosts opened the scoring just two minutes in when Kaan Kairinen pounced on a loose ball after a great save by Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, effortlessly slotting home the rebound.
Victor Olantuji then doubled their lead in the 42nd minute, firing in from a tight angle after taking in a long ball over the top from captain Filip Panak.
Olantuji then turned provider as the hosts killed the game off just before the hour mark, assisting Qazim Laci for a coolly struck finish after a cheap giveaway from Salzburg.
Data Debrief: Long wait ends for Sparta
Sparta's victory, their first in the Champions League since beating Lazio 1-0 in December 2003, saw them halt a 14-game winless run in the competition (four draws, 10 losses).
It is also the first time they have ever started a Champions League campaign with a win, on their eighth appearance in the competition proper.
Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: Skorupski heroics preserve point for Rossoblu
Bologna were held to a 0-0 draw by visitors Shakhtar Donetsk, who saw an early penalty saved, in a lacklustre Champions League opener on Wednesday.
The first half lacked excitement, but Bologna's fans relished the milestone occasion as they returned to Europe's elite club competition for the first time in almost 60 years.
The game was four minutes old, though, when the visitors had a chance to take the lead, Stefan Posch fouling Eguinaldo to concede an early penalty.
However, Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski denied Heorhiy Sudakov from 12 yards, and that was the most dramatic moment of an otherwise tepid affair.
Despite an energetic start to the second half and a couple of impressive saves from Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk, neither team could make a breakthrough, taking a point apiece from their first outing in the competition's new-look league phase.
Data Debrief: Skorupski the hero
In a game low on attacking quality, Bologna goalkeeper Skorupski made headlines with his early penalty save, becoming the sixth Polish shot-stopper to keep out a penalty in the Champions League.
It also means that three of the last four penalties taken in the first four minutes of a Champions League game have not found the net.
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