Looking through the week of STL Sports and some of the faces that headlined the week, including Cardinals RF Lars Nootbaar (21), CITY SC MF Celio Pompeu (12), and Battlehawks WR Hakeem Butler (88).
St. LOUIS, MO – Reflecting on a busy week for St. Louis pro sports, we thought we’d take a tour around the city to see what’s been going on the week of May 8th.
XFL – The Battlehawks, watching slack-jawed in awe as the 9-1 DC Defenders lost to an Arlington team that went 4-6 in the regular season, had some good news for a handful of players. Fourteen rostered players, including standout wide receivers Hakeem Butler and Darrius Shepherd, were invited to initial NFL offseason camps. The Hawks went 7-3 in the third revival season of the XFL, narrowly missing the 4-team playoff cut despite an MVP season from QB A.J. McCarron and an XFL-best eight touchdowns from walk-on Hakeem Butler. Now, the fruits of some of the Battlehawks’ labor are paying off, as the Commanders, Bills, Eagles, and more have invited them to initial training camps, with a potential to make the bigs in 2023-24.
As for Alabama standout McCarron – who has yet to receive a phone call as of yet – has no qualms about rolling it back in St. Louis another year. “Listen, I would like to be back in the (NFL), and I think I’ve shown this year that I can still play at a very high level and lead an offense,” McCarron on the Springball Boulevard podcast. “But if it’s not God’s plan, then I have no problem coming back to play in the XFL. I thought it was an unbelievable experience.”
MLB – The Cardinals finally, mercifully showed signs of life this week, taking a series win against the Chicago Cubs and earning their first sweep of the season against the Red Sox. After a historically terrible start to the 2023 campaign, the Cards pull within eight games back of a relatively weak NL Central as they improve to 16-25.
Despite the continued struggles of the bullpen, the Redbirds’ hitting seems to have resurged, thanks in large part to Rightfielder Lars Nootbaar, whose 6 RBIs in 6 games have contributed to the Cardinals winning their last 6 of 7. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt has continued his NL MVP-winning ways in a Cardinals jersey, hitting his second 3-HR game with St. Louis (tying for 4th in all-time Cardinals history). Goldy leads the NL in doubles and is top 10 in almost every single offensive stat.
“Obviously, we’re not happy with how this season has started,” outfielder Brendan Donovan said last week. “This team does not quit. We’re not where we want to be as far as wins and losses or how we’ve played to this point. Today shows you that we still have fight.”
The Cardinals kick off a homestand against the division-best Milwaukee Brewers to start the week, followed by hosting the L.A. Dodgers. The first pitch for Monday’s game is slated for 6:45.
NHL – The playoffs are in full swing in the NHL, but the Blues, who finished 37-38-7 this season, had their sights set on the NHL draft lottery last Monday. The Chicago Blackhawks wound up with the 1st overall pick and most likely generational talent Connor Bedard, while St. Louis will pick 10th overall in the 2023 draft. In addition to Toronto’s no. 26 and Dallas’s picks, the Blues will have three picks in the first round as they look to retool with youth in the coming seasons. The first round of the NHL Draft in Nashville will take place July 8th.
Meanwhile, the IIHF World Championship kicked off May 12, with five Blues players suiting up for their respective countries. Sammy Blais, Jake Neighbours and Joel Hofer will dress for team Canada (under GM Doug Armstrong), Kasperi Kapanen will play for team Finland, and Scott Perunovich will play for team USA. Team USA and Canada are a perfect 3-0 in the Group Stages at the time of this article while Finland is 1-1.
MLS – The high-flying St. Louis CITY SC got their wings clipped this week, losing two games in a row to Chicago Fire FC, first in the U.S. Open Cup then again in MLS play. After a red-hot start to the season, CITY SC fell to third in the Western Conference with a 6-1-4 record losing two in a row to Portland and Chicago. Their latest loss saw an intense back-and-forth first half against Chicago Fire FC, with the only goal coming in the 40th minute off a freekick from Rafael Czichos at Soldier Field.
“It’s just frustrating, and I just have the feeling that something is missing,” said goalie and captain Roman Burki. “I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s (injured leading scorer) Klauss. I don’t know, but something is missing in the team.
St. Louis CITY SC will come home to CITYPARK Saturday, May 20 to host Sporting KC. St. Louis CITY’s match against FC Dallas was rescheduled to June 7th after severe weather postponed the May 6 match.
What Caught My Eye – Despite the losses for CITY SC, one bright spot came in the homegrown talent coming to the roster. 16-year-old Columbia, IL native Caden Glover made his debut for CITY SC in the 77th minute of Saturday’s game against Chicago. He’s the first MLS player born in 2007, as well as CITY SC’s first homegrown player, when he signed with the team on January 19. While he’s been on the bench when not playing for CITY2, Glover’s chance came up with injuries to leading scorer João Klauss.
“Obviously, making my debut is something that I always dreamed of,” he said. “Unfortunate result but pure excitement, just getting the opportunity to get out there. The result’s tough, but I’m still happy of course.”