In St. Louis, Rafael Navarro has made an immediate mark after his early-September arrival. The Brazilian forward produced two goals and two assists as St. Louis City swept aside LA Galaxy 6-2 at Energizer Park, extending a run that has quickly placed him among Major League Soccer’s leading scorers.
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The match, played in the 28th round of the MLS season, was effectively settled in a fierce opening spell. St. Louis were 3-0 ahead after 21 minutes thanks to Carlo Holse’s hat-trick, with Navarro creating two of those goals.
Navarro then converted a penalty before half-time and added another after the interval. MacNaughton supplied St. Louis’ sixth goal. LA Galaxy, whose squad includes former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, replied through Robert Taylor and Klauss.
“It was a magical night and one of the most complete performances of my career,” Navarro said. “We knew LA Galaxy had quality and important players, but our strength at home and the unity of the group made the difference. I am pleased to contribute with goals and assists, though the main thing is the team’s consistency and unbeaten run.”
The result took St. Louis City to 20 matches without defeat and left the club second in the Western Conference, one point behind Vancouver Whitecaps.
Navarro has scored seven times in six appearances since joining St. Louis from Colorado Rapids last month. Across his spells with the two MLS sides this season, he has 18 goals in all competitions, including 17 in the league.
That league return puts him joint-third in the MLS scoring chart alongside Brian White and Milan Iloski. Peter Musa has 19 goals, while Lionel Messi leads the way on 23.
The 25-year-old began his development with Fluminense, Atlético-GO and Botafogo, making his senior breakthrough at Botafogo in 2021. He spent two seasons with the Rio club, then two with Palmeiras before moving to the United States.
The next stop: Vancouver in St. Louis
St. Louis now host Vancouver in a direct contest at the top of the West. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 21:30 Brasília time, with Navarro’s new side able to move ahead of the conference leaders on home ground.
