Marcel Hartel Wonder Volley Seals St. Louis CITY's First Win of 2026, 3-1 Over Revolution

Brayan Ceballos tried to play a simple pass out of the back. Marcel Hartel had other plans. The St. Louis CITY SC midfielder stepped in front of it in the 83rd minute and, without letting the ball hit the grass, volleyed it from more than 35 yards past Matt Turner and into the top of the net. Energizer Park lost its mind, and a couple of Hartel's own teammates just stood there holding their heads.

St. Louis CITY SC beat the New England Revolution 3-1 on Saturday night, coming from behind on goals by Simon Becher, Chris Durkin and Hartel. It was the club's first win of the season and, per the club, the first MLS win for Yoann Damet as St. Louis head coach. The hosts moved to 1-1-3 with four points, while New England fell to 1-0-3 with three.

The Revs Strike, St. Louis Wakes Up

For a quarter of an hour, this looked like New England's night. The Revs were coming off a 6-1 demolition of FC Cincinnati and played like a team that still had that feeling in its legs. Ilay Feingold dragged a shot wide in the 12th minute, then made no mistake two minutes later. Luca Langoni threaded a pass into the area and Feingold, a defender by trade, finished with his right foot through the middle of the goal.

The Revs said Carles Gil started that move with a pass up the left, and the club credited him with a secondary assist that it counted as his 100th for New England across all competitions, a first for any Revolution player. ESPN's data lists Langoni alone.

St. Louis answered with volume. Turner saved two Rafael Santos shots in the 23rd and 24th minutes, and Conrad Wallem blazed one over in between. The equalizer arrived in the 29th minute when Daniel Edelman found Becher in the middle of the box, and Becher lashed a left-footed finish into the top right corner. It was his first goal of the season and his 13th in MLS, according to the club, and he has now scored in both of St. Louis CITY's meetings with New England.

Stoppage Time Changes Everything

The most damaging moment for the Revs came at the worst possible time. Deep in first-half stoppage time, Santos whipped in a cross after a corner and Durkin hammered it home from point-blank range. It was Durkin's first goal of the season and his second for the club. St. Louis went into the locker room up 2-1 after trailing for 15 minutes.

New England had its moments after the break. Gil cracked a left-footed shot from distance in the 55th minute that Roman Bürki saved, his only stop of the night. Head coach Marko Mitrović went to his bench early, sending on Griffin Yow and Leonardo Campana in the 59th minute and Peyton Miller and Diego Fagúndez in the 73rd. Campana's night ended with an injury in the 78th minute, and Jackson Yueill replaced him.

The Golazo That Ended It

Then Hartel happened. The league's own website called it an almost certain Goal of the Year candidate, and it is hard to argue. The read on Ceballos' pass was sharp, but the decision to hit it first time from that distance was pure audacity, the soccer version of a half-court heave that never touches the rim. St. Louis CITY's report said the strike caught Turner off his line. It was Hartel's second goal of the season, and Turner had to deny him again from outside the box four minutes later.

The hosts saw out nine minutes of stoppage time, with Miller dragging New England's last look wide.

Who Delivered

Marcel Hartel had three shots, two on target and one that will live on highlight reels for a while. He also had a long-range try blocked in the 69th minute.

Simon Becher pulled St. Louis level with a sharp finish, one of his two shots on the night.

Rafael Santos put two shots on target and delivered the corner for Durkin. The club said it was his first assist of 2026 and his first goal contribution with St. Louis CITY.

Chris Durkin scored the winner with his only shot of the night.

For New England, Ilay Feingold scored for a second straight match, which the club said was the second time in his MLS career he has scored in back to back games. Luca Langoni added his fourth assist in two games, per the Revs, tying Steve Ralston for the most assists by a Revolution player through the opening four games of a season. Matt Turner made three saves.

The Turning Point

Durkin's goal in first-half stoppage time. New England had absorbed the equalizer and seemed set to reach halftime level, which would have let Mitrović reset. Instead, the Revs conceded off a set piece and spent the second half chasing on the road. Hartel's strike was the exclamation point, but the swing came before the break.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: St. Louis put 6 on frame to New England's 2.
• Possession: The Revs had more of the ball at 51.6 percent and did less with it.
• Shots: 11 for the hosts, 8 for the visitors.
• Crosses: St. Louis sent in 21 to New England's 11, and the corner pressure produced the winner.
• Clearances: New England made 26, a sign of how often St. Louis pinned them back.

What It Means

For St. Louis, this was a long time coming. Counting from the season's results, they had lost three straight and gone three matches without a goal before Saturday, falling 2-0 at San Diego FC, 1-0 at home to Seattle and 2-0 at LAFC. The club said it was their seventh all-time home win against an Eastern Conference opponent and that they remain unbeaten against New England. After the international break, St. Louis CITY make a first-ever visit to New York City FC on April 4.

New England's mood swings continue. The Revs opened with losses at Nashville and at Red Bull New York, exploded for six against Cincinnati, and now come home from their first trip to Energizer Park with nothing. Their next match is at home to CF Montréal on April 4.

The Last Word

Some wins are built brick by brick. This one had a foundation of grit and a penthouse of pure nonsense from Hartel. Damet's first MLS win as head coach in St. Louis, per the club, came with a goal fans will be talking about for a long time, and that is not a bad way to start a tenure.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club notes from STLCITYSC.com and RevolutionSoccer.net; goal description from MLSsoccer.com.