Tomáš Ostrák's first goal this season came at the perfect time for St. Louis CITY SC.
The Czech midfielder curled home an 83rd-minute golazo from outside the box, giving St. Louis a 1-0 home victory over the 10-man Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening.
Ostrák's strike is the Energy Moment of the Matchday presented by Celsius for Matchday 18, and it's cathartic for a player who's been with St. Louis since their historic 2023 expansion campaign.
The 26-year-old has dealt with long-term injuries and has made just his second league appearance of the season (both as a substitute).
"A lot of emotion was happening in that time; it was a very difficult past couple of years," Ostrák said. "But I always fight through, and it was an amazing moment."
Following Ostrák's match-winner, St. Louis are now seven games unbeaten with six victories during that span. They're up to seventh in the Western Conference table with 25 points, and are on pace to return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
This all comes during head coach Yoann Damet 's first season with St. Louis, and they're doing it by committee. See Ostrák's golazo as the latest example.
"He knew coming back in preseason, he had a lot to prove and a lot of work to do," Damet said of Ostrák. "I think tonight getting the goal is the reward for the work he's been putting in the past six weeks."
