St. Louis City2 played it by the book in selecting its opponent for the first round of the MLS Next Pro playoffs, choosing to play Ventura County in the game at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Energizer Park.

As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference (and overall), City2 had its choice of any of the teams that finished fifth through eighth in the West for its opponent. City2 opted for eighth-seeded Ventura County, the developmental squad of the Los Angeles Galaxy, even though it was the only team it played more than once this season that it didn’t beat. The teams met twice in the regular season, with City2 losing 3-1 at Ventura County, in a game where City2 was without Mykhi Joyner (who was with the first team) and Brendan McSorley (red card suspension). The teams met in St. Louis in July, after John

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