Eighty-five seconds into his first Major League Soccer game, St. Louis City SC defender Fallou Fall found himself chasing after a ball in his own end of the field and feeling pressure from a Nashville player with another player cutting off his angle to play the ball to goalkeeper Roman Burki. Fall had yet to touch the ball in the game, and this would be his first play of the ball for City SC in a real game.

Almost casually, without even turning his head, he backheeled the ball, kicking it upfield while facing downfield, to teammate Devin Padelford, who then progressed the ball upfield. The play brought a roar from the crowd at Energizer Park.

“It was something that made me chuckle,” said City SC coach David Critchley, “because it worked out. If it didn't work out, I would have been a lit

See Full Page