ST. LOUIS, MO (July 26, 2010) – AC St. Louis, playing in the USSF Division 2 Pro League, begin a five-game home stand on Wednesday evening, July 28, against the Portland Timbers. St. Louis will finally get a large run of home games since they have only one road game over the course of the next month with eight of their nine upcoming matches taking place at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park.

St. Louis ended their recent four-game road trip with a 1-0 win in Baltimore on Saturday. The victory propelled them off the bottom of the table for the first time this season, and sets the club up for a run at the playoffs. St. Louis remains seven points back of the final playoff position for the moment, but few clubs will enjoy a schedule like AC St. Louis has in front of them.

“The biggest thing for us about this upcoming home stand is that we get to train regularly, which is what we miss the most,” says Head Coach Dale Schilly. “Being able to train on a regular basis is going to help us a lot.”

Since Schilly’s arrival the club has played just two home games. Schilly’s short tenure as head coach has seen him travel to the West Coast twice, Minnesota and Austin in the Midwest, and most recently Montreal and Baltimore on the East Coast. The upcoming schedule provides some welcome relief for a road weary team.

“We are all really excited to be back home,” stated team captain Jack Traynor. “The last two weeks have definitely been a grind, but being back in front of the home crowd with family and friends is something we are all looking forward to.”

The home stand now turns the attention of AC St. Louis from trying to earn points on the road to trying to earn a playoff spot. The club has given themselves the opportunity to make a push for the playoffs with their run of results in the league since June 1.

“If we string together two or three wins in a row we are right back in it,” stated forward Mike Ambersley. “It was good to get out of last place. That is a confidence builder for the team. It is also the first time we have done that all year. When you have eight home games coming up you have to look to get three points out of every one. We are looking to do that.”

Monday morning saw the club train at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in preparation for Wednesday night’s match. Chris Schuler, the on-loan defender from Real Salt Lake, enjoyed Monday as his first complete day in St. Louis. The 6’4’ center back has two more games remaining with AC St. Louis, and hopefully his presence will lead to two more clean sheets like Saturday.

“I feel like the transition has been pretty seamless,” said Schuler following Monday morning’s training session. “My number one priority during this loan spell is to try and help this team win. I know we weren’t in the best position as far as the standings go, but I just want to help this team get some wins while I can.”

“Our team is working hard, and the guys are moving in the right direction,” reflected Schilly. “We have to be at our best to beat the upper echelon in this league. Hopefully Wednesday night will be that day for us.”

AC St. Louis return home on Wednesday, July 28 for a match against the Portland Timbers. Tickets are still available and can be obtained by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL, or by visiting www.ac-stlouis.com.