After clinching their second-consecutive postseason berth and notching a team-record ten-match unbeaten streak to close out regular season play in 2023, St Louis CITY2 kicks off year three of MLS NEXT Pro action against Colorado Rapids 2 on Sunday, March 17, at CITYPARK. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
Last year, CITY2 ended Colorado’s perfect 4-0-0 run to start the season when the two sides met in Denver, playing the hosts to a 0-0 stalemate before winning the ensuing penalty shootout to claim an extra point. In the return fixture later in the season at CITYPARK, it was the eventual MLS NEXT Pro regular season Western Conference champions who emerged victorious, as Rapids 2 edged CITY2 1-0 following a late goal. Across their four all-time showdowns with Colorado, CITY2 is 0-2-2 (4 points).
Two separate unbeaten streaks will be on the line for CITY2 against Colorado on Sunday. Dating back to a 1-1 draw against San Jose Earthquakes II on July 23, 2023, CITY2 is unbeaten over its last ten regular season matches, outscoring opponents 30 to nine over that span. The team is also unbeaten in MLS NEXT Pro season openers, taking home a point against Tacoma Defiance in 2023 and beating Rochester New York FC 2-0 in 2022 in the first-ever MLS NEXT Pro match.
This season, a handful of fresh faces will look to leave their mark on the team and help earn a third straight playoff appearance, headlined by eight new signings: Cam Cilley, Ryan Becher, Seth Antwi, Jayden Reid, Gabriel Mikina, Sam Gomez, Eric Kinzner and CITY SC 2024 SuperDraft selection Brendan McSorley.
Meanwhile, Colorado comes into the matchup hoping to recapture the success that led them to the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Finals last season. They finished atop the conference with 69 points in the regular season, led by MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot co-winner Rémi Cabral.
