When: Saturday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: CITYPARK, St. Louis, Missouri
How to Watch: MLS Season Pass

Last Result:
SKC: 3-1 Loss at LAFC (U.S. Open Cup Final)
SLC: 2-1 Win at San Jose Earthquakes

Preview:

After a demoralizing 3-1 loss midweek to LAFC in the U.S. Open Cup final, Sporting Kansas City head east on I-70 to take on St. Louis City SC in a rivalry match between one team eliminated from the playoffs, and another holding on to hope by the thinnest of margins.

Though the stakes are much lower than last season’s playoff encounter, both squads will be searching for a good performance leading to a victory to end the season on a high note and a leg up in the rivalry. For SKC it is a chance to all but eliminate their rivals from the playoffs.

Both SLC and SKC sit at 31 points in the Western Conference table, but SKC holds the top-three tiebreaking leads:

Wins: SKC 8; SLC 6
Goal differential: SKC -9; SLC -14
Goals scored: SKC 49; SLC 43

That being said, St. Louis has one more game remaining than SKC does.

Neither club lived up to the expectations set for the season.

After the way Sporting ended 2023, there was an expectation for a bounce-back 2024 with the hope of another playoff run. Meanwhile, St. Louis was one of the hottest teams in the league in their inaugural season and had intentions to keep the momentum going and not fall into the second-season-slump many expansion sides have experienced in the past.

But even with all that, this rivalry matchup on Saturday still means a lot and is possibly the last chance for Sporting and St. Louis City fans to say “at least we beat them and eliminated them from the playoffs”, ahead of what may be a long, long offseason full of change.

“For me, this next game against Kansas has nothing to do with the season. This is a personal thing. We have to win. This is a game that for everyone here, should be a very important game. I can explain it like how it was in Dortmund with Schalke. If you win that game, it’s like you won the championship. Like you won the league. You just need to win that game,” St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki said. “I don’t think about how it would look like if we would win, because we won last week. I don’t care. I just want to win and beat Kansas.”

Every time SKC and SLC meet, the rivalry feels more and more alive. Which makes even these low-stakes games exciting.

No one wants to make excuses in a match like this, but situationally, SKC are coming off an extra-time cup final loss midweek, while St. Louis are coming off a 2-1 win over the only team lower then them on the table with a full week of rest. It was also their first road victory of the season.

This will be the third matchup between the two clubs this season, the prior two have been at Children’s Mercy Park and ended in 3-3 and 1-1 draws, respectively.

Sporting holds a 3-2-2 lead in the overall series, including playoffs.

Neither side has boasted gaudy stats this season, but SKC are led by Willy Agada with 9 goals this season and City are led by Joao Klauss with 5.

Fans not invested in the rivalry may see it as a matchup of the mediocre, but those with vested interest will be looking to see who gets the last laugh in 2024.