(Photo credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images)

Fallou Fall and Daniel Edelman scored early and late in the second half as host St. Louis City did more than enough to beat hapless Austin FC 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in a Western Conference clash.

City (4-6-4, 16 points) jumped over the Verde in the West standings after the teams' final match before the two-month MLS break for the World Cup. St. Louis heads to the break with a five-match unbeaten streak (4-0-1) over all competitions since dropping a 2-0 decision at Austin on May 3.

Ben Lundt made two saves for City in his first start of the year.

The Verde (3-7-5, 14 points) were playing their first game with interim coach Davy Arnaud in charge after coach Nico Estevez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell were fired Monday. Austin are still looking for their first road victory of the season (0-5-3) and carry an 11-match road winless streak that stretches back to 2025.

Austin's Jon Bell had the game's first shot on target, testing Lundt with a low percentage shot in the 10th minute.

St. Louis had plenty of opportunities to score in the first half but did not get any of their four shots on target. In the 40th minute, Marcel Hartel started a rush into the Austin zone, passing to Tomas Totland to the right of the box. Totland unleashed a centering pass that Austin defender Guilherme Biro intercepted at the near post but ended up heading into his net for an own goal, giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Lundt also turned away Facundo Torres' shot one minute into first-half stoppage time to keep the Verde off the scoreboard.

St. Louis' Eduard Lowen clanged a shot off the crossbar in the 52nd minute, and Chris Durkin's shot was stopped by Austin keeper Brad Stuver (four saves) four minutes later, keeping the Verde's deficit at one goal.

Fell doubled St. Louis' lead in the 56th minute, booting home the deflection of a corner kick by Hartel and beating Stuver high to the center of the goal.

Rafael Santos and Hartel bid to add to the lead on shots in the 63rd and 65th minutes, respectively, but Stuver was able to save both.

Edelman finished the scoring with a goal off an assist from Cedric Teuchert in the 90th minute.

--Field Level Media