Becher scores in each half, leads St. Louis City over Dynamo

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — Simon Becher scored a goal in each half, Marcel Hartel had two assists, and St. Louis City breezed to a 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

Becher used assists from Cedric Teuchert and defender Jannes Horn in the 14th minute to score the only goal St. Louis City (8-12-13) would need. Teuchert's assist was his fourth in nine appearances in his first season in the league. Horn's helper was his second in his eighth career appearance.

Becher took a pass from Hartel two minutes into the second half and scored for the fourth time this season in five starts and eight appearances.

Houston defender Franco Escobar was tagged with a red card in the 79th minute and the Dynamo (14-10-9) played a man down from there.

Defender Jake Nerwinski completed the scoring when he found the net two minutes into stoppage time. It was his first goal in 11 appearances this season and the fifth of his eight-year career. Hartel picked up another assist and has collected seven in eight appearances — all starts — since joining the league.

Roman Bürki finished with five saves in goal for St. Louis City, which struggled this season after winning the regular-season title as an expansion club last season. It was Bürki's seventh clean sheet this season.

Steve Clark did not have a save for the Dynamo, who have already qualified for the playoffs.

Both teams are idle until Decision Day on Oct. 19. The Dynamo will host the Los Angeles Galaxy, while St. Louis City travels to play Minnesota United.

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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer