ST. LOUIS, MO (July 1, 2010) – AC St. Louis Head Coach Dale Schilly has been on the job for one week as of today. And in that first week he has had to face the best team in the U.S.S.F. Division II Pro League, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the best team in Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Welcome to the world of professional coaching Mr. Schilly.

While his introduction to coaching at the professional club level has been a baptism of fire due to the schedule, Schilly and AC St. Louis have taken it all in stride, producing two results that are more than respectable. The 0-0 draw against Vancouver and a 2-0 loss to Los Angeles, where the outcome was more than in doubt late into the second half.

Thursday gave Schilly and his players a chance to collect their breath and reflect on the week that was, and on the month that is ahead, and where they want to be at the end of July.

“We held our own against the Galaxy,” said forward Mike Ambersley. “LA put out the best unit they had available, and for the first half I felt we outplayed them. We played with them, stuck with them, and gave it everything we had.”

To a man everyone who was a part of Tuesday night’s third round match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Los Angeles at The Home Depot Center felt like the team took a big step forward despite the end result. Furthermore, players and coaches were on the same wavelength about what needs to improve.

“I thought for the first 60 or 70 minutes we were very good,” stated Head Coach Dale Schilly. “We created chances and played with them and did well with the ball. We then ran into a fitness problem midway through the second half.”

“For the first 65 minutes we played really well as a team. We created chances in the first half, but we couldn’t finish them. I think fatigue set in during the second half, and that is when they put two goals in,” echoed captain Jack Traynor.

Fitness will be a part of AC St. Louis’ daily regiment, and an issue that will be corrected. Beyond fitness though there was a noticeable change in the mentality of the team. AC St. Louis has taken the game to Vancouver and Los Angeles in their last two outings. They have not sat back and tried absorb pressure, instead they have consistently pushed forward their attack for the first time this year.

“This is a process, and right now we are in the stage of players recognizing that we have to play a little bit quicker, have to be stronger on the ball, and have to move the ball better,” reflected Schilly. “Technically we need to be a little bit better and a little sharper. That will happen. We are moving in the right direction.”

“Our mentality going into the LA game was that we wanted to play our game,” observed midfielder regular Troy Cole. “We wanted to go out and attack them, not sit back and be afraid. We believe in ourselves. We are excited, we have a lot of energy right now because of a new, positive change.”

“I think we played real soccer out in Los Angeles,” offered Traynor. “It is a lot nicer to have a team that goes forward more. We would much rather play in the opposing half of the field then in our own end.”

AC St. Louis coaches and players clearly know what they want and need to work on, and they all know where they want to get to by the end of the month.

“We want a winning record for this next month,” declared Traynor. “If we reach our goals I think we can even take a run at the playoffs.”

“In one month we would like to be an attacking oriented team,” said Schilly. “A team that can figure out how to score goals and create chances. By the end of season we want to be in the playoffs.”

AC St. Louis returns home next Saturday night for a July 3 match against the Carolina Railhawks. Tickets are still available and can be obtained by calling 1-888-STL-GOAL, or by visiting www.ac-stlouis.com.