When: Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Children’s Mercy Park
How to Watch: MLS Season Pass

Last Result:
SKC: 2-1 Loss at FC Dallas
STL:  1-0 Loss vs Austin FC

Preview

Rivalry games are always packed full of drama and storylines, but when Sporting Kansas City host St. Louis City on April 5, it will usher in a new era of soccer at Children’s Mercy Park.

At kickoff, it will officially be the first SKC match without Peter Vermes at the helm.

After yet another slow start of just one point in six regular season games, Sporting and Vermes parted ways leaving assistant Kerry Zavagnin at the helm as interim coach.

To echo Mike Illig in response to low turnout at CMP this season, “Lately, there hasn’t been much to want to show up for.”

Maybe, just maybe… a new coach, a rivalry game and the chance of some weather, might just be what brings the fans out, at least against St. Louis.

Sporting under Zavagnin is a bit of an unknown. Despite how long he has been with the club and how much time he spent alongside Vermes, Illig is confident we will see a different version of the club.

“It’s not a rinse and repeat with the ‘Peter way.’ It’s up to him to create his own identity for how he wants the culture of the club and the team to exist,” Illig said.

Head-to-Head

Heading into this matchup, Sporting KC are tied with three other clubs for goals allowed this season with 12. On the flipside, the club has only found the back of the net six times, which is near the bottom as well.

Goals have been hard to come by for St. Louis as well, who have only scored four times this season, three of those coming in a shutout victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. The team has failed to score a goal in four of their six games.

The clubs head into a matchup that could give either side an edge in the all-time matchup in all competitions that currently sits at three wins a piece and two draws.

St. Louis are coming off consecutive 1-0 losses in MLS play after opening with four-straight shutouts, three of which at the hands of goalkeeper Roman Burki who has been sidelined by an injury since matchday 4.

While neither side has been impressive to start the season, both clubs are looking to rebound from lackluster 2024 seasons. As it sits at the moment, neither club is considered a contender (for obvious reasons). If you’re a believer in power rankings, STL sit 17th and SKC sit last in MLSsoccer.com’s latest list.

High hopes have faded quickly for these clubs, and there’s nothing like a statement win against a rival to boost the confidence.

Zavagnin has a chance to prove himself against a team who will be trying to rub salt in the wound that is SKC at the moment.

It will take a lot of work. There is a lot of new in the I-70 air and it’s almost poetic that a game scheduled in springtime will likely be played in low temperatures with cloudy skies and the potential for rain.