St. Louis CITY SC (16-10-5, 53 points) welcomes cross-state rivals Sporting KC (10-13-8, 38 points) to CITYPARK for the second time this season on Saturday, September 30. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on MLS Season Pass and can be heard by our radio partners on KYKY Y98.1 FM (English) and KXOK 102.9 FM (Spanish).
St. Louis CITY SC came from behind to secure a 2-1 road win against Minnesota United FC in their last match. After a scoreless first half, Teemu Pukki slotted home a penalty to give the hosts the lead, but it was nullified by CITY SC striker João Klauss, who nodded home Jake Nerwinski’s cross in the 64th minute. CITY SC midfielder Njabulo Blom snatched all three points for the away side after powering a strike into the top corner of the net in the 73rd minute.
CITY SC recorded its fourth come-from-behind victory of the season, tying Minnesota United FC (2017) and LAFC (2018) for the most come-from-behind victories by an expansion team in MLS history (excluding the shootout era).
St. Louis extended its lead and moved closer to securing the top spot in the MLS Western Conference with only three matches remaining. CITY SC’s closest competitors LAFC and Seattle Sounders are tied on 45 points, eight points behind CITY SC.
The victory was St. Louis’ 16th of the season, which ties the 2018 LAFC squad for the most wins by an expansion team in their inaugural season (excluding the shootout era). CITY SC will look to further cement their place in the MLS expansion club record books, as they look to overtake LAFC in two categories: most wins (one more win needed) and most points (five more points needed).
CITY SC talisman Klauss continued his impressive form in front of goal, nodding home the equalizer against Minnesota, his third goal in the month of September. Klauss has scored three times in the last four matches, increasing his goal tally to eight this season. Klauss now has 12 goal contributions (eight goals, four assists) on the season.
St. Louis CITY SC midfielder Njabulo Blom had an impressive game against Minnesota on Saturday. The South African-native, who is known for his defensive contributions, was on hand to power home the game-winning goal for CITY SC. Blom, who led the game with three interceptions, also received Team of the Matchday honors for the first time this season. Blom’s strike was also voted as the AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday. With his assist on Blom’s goal, Aziel Jackson notched his fifth goal contribution (one goal, four assists) of the season.
CITY SC are 10-3-2 at CITYPARK in MLS and have scored 37 goals in those matches. St. Louis’ 10 home wins are one shy of Atlanta’s record of 11 home wins by an expansion team (excluding the shootout era).
The match on Saturday will mark the third time the two sides have met, with both teams winning their home fixtures earlier this season. CITY SC stormed to a 4-0 win on May 20 while Sporting KC won the most recent bout in an intense 2-1 affair at Children’s Mercy Park on September 2.
Sporting KC comes into the match looking to continue their playoff push. Kansas City currently sits in 10th place in the Western Conference standings with 38 points, one point below the playoff line. Sporting KC are 2-7-6 on the road this season, scoring 24 goals in that span.
Kansas City recorded a huge 2-1 win over Houston at home in their last match. Johnny Russell and William Agada were on the scoresheet for Sporting KC in that game. Alan Pulido leads Sporting KC in goals scored with 13.
