St. Louis City vs Sporting Kansas City
St. Louis City hold on in five-goal thriller
Jeong Sang-Bin and M. Hartel set the pace before a late penalty seals the win.
St. Louis City edged Sporting Kansas City 3-2 in a pulsating Major League Soccer encounter. Jeong Sang-Bin and M. Hartel gave the hosts a strong first-half lead, but Sporting fought back through Capita and D. Joveljić after the break. Ultimately, E. Löwen's penalty in the 86th minute ensured St. Louis City secured the victory. Fipster's prediction of a home win was spot on, though the actual scoreline proved even more dramatic than anticipated.
Analysis
As the MLS regular season rolls on, St. Louis City welcome Sporting Kansas City for a clash that promises goals and drama. Both sides have had their ups and downs, but the home advantage and recent form suggest a tight contest with St. Louis City edging it.
In this 2026 MLS regular season fixture, St. Louis City sit comfortably higher in the standings compared to Sporting Kansas City. While neither team is contesting for the title, this match is crucial for momentum. St. Louis City have shown resilience at home, whereas Sporting Kansas City have struggled on the road, conceding over three goals per away game on average.
St. Louis City have scored in four consecutive home games, with captain Marcel Hartel netting five goals in his last seven outings, making him a constant threat. Defensively, Fallou Fall's impressive tackling and interceptions provide a solid backbone. Sporting Kansas City's main attacking hope lies with Dejan Joveljić, who has seven goals this season, but their defensive frailties away from home could be their undoing. The predicted 2-1 scoreline aligns with the teams' recent performances and statistical trends, with a likely halftime lead for the hosts.
Prediction
Expect St. Louis City to take an early lead and maintain their advantage to secure a 2-1 victory. The halftime score is predicted at 1-0, reflecting their strong starts at home. The match should see moderate discipline with around four cards shown, as both teams battle hard but fairly. Confidence in this outcome stands at a robust 84%.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
St. Louis City's strong home scoring streak
St. Louis City has scored in 4 consecutive home games, leveraging home advantage effectively.
Sporting KC's defensive vulnerability
Sporting KC concedes an average of 3.1 goals away, indicating defensive weaknesses exploitable by St. Louis City.
Marcel Hartel's recent scoring form
Hartel's 5 goals in last 7 matches provide St. Louis City a reliable scoring outlet.
Fallou Fall's defensive dominance
Fall's high tackles and interceptions can disrupt Sporting KC's attack and initiate counterattacks.
No significant injuries reported
Both teams have no reported injuries, so full squads likely available, maintaining tactical stability.
Key Takeaways
All signs point to St. Louis City continuing their home success against a struggling Sporting Kansas City side. With key players in form and a solid defensive setup, the home win looks well within reach. Fans can anticipate an entertaining match with goals and competitive spirit.
- St. Louis City are ranked 12th with 16 points from 14 games (W4 D4 L6).
- Sporting Kansas City are 15th with 11 points from 14 games (W3 D2 L9).
- St. Louis City have a superior goal difference of +18 compared to Sporting Kansas City.
- St. Louis City have scored in four consecutive home matches.
- Sporting Kansas City concedes an average of 3.1 goals per away game.
- Marcel Hartel has scored 5 goals in his last 7 games for St. Louis City.
- Dejan Joveljić is Sporting Kansas City's top scorer with 7 goals this season.
- Fallou Fall boasts a high recent rating of 9.2 with strong defensive stats.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — St. Louis City
Away — Sporting Kansas City
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Jeong Sang-Bin
Hartel
Assist: Becher
Capita
Reid
Wallem
James
Jeong Sang-Bin
Blorian
Bassong
Joveljić
Assist: Manu García
Capita
Yellow Card
Capita
Löwen
Penalty
Totland
Löwen
Becher
Edelman
Yellow Card
Lundt
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | +21 | 34 |
| 6 |  FC Dallas | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | +7 | 26 |
| 7 |  St. Louis City | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 26 |
| 8 |  Seattle Sounders | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | -1 | 24 |
| 14 |  Austin | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -14 | 17 |
| 15 |  Sporting Kansas City | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | -28 | 14 |
Match Statistics
St. Louis City
3-4-3Starting XI
- 5L. MacNaughtonD
- 6C. WallemM
- 10E. LöwenM
- 11S. BecherF
- 14T. TotlandM
- 17M. HartelF
- 21D. PolvaraD
- 24D. EdelmanM
- 32T. BaumgartlD
- 39B. LundtG
- 77Jeong Sang-BinF
Substitutes
- 7T. OstrákM
- 20Rafael SantosD
- 22K. HiebertD
- 27F. FallD
- 28M. PerezM
- 59M. JoynerM
- 99J. OrozcoD
Sporting Kansas City
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2I. JamesD
- 4L. JohnsenM
- 5O. BlorianD
- 6Manu GarcíaM
- 7CapitaM
- 9D. JoveljićF
- 11C. HarrisM
- 15Jansen MillerD
- 22Z. BassongM
- 30S. ClevelandG
- 99J. ReidD
Substitutes
- 1J. PulskampG
- 8J. DavisM
- 14M. TschantretM
- 16J. BartlettD
- 17S. AfrifaF
- 18E. KarićD
- 20K. AgyabengM
- 23E. BartlowD
- 93M. SuleymanovF
St. Louis City
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcel Hartel(C) | F | 96 | 8.3 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1/1 |
| Jeong Sang-bin | F | 64 | 8.0 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1/3 |
| Dante Polvara | D | 96 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eduard Löwen | M | 88 | 7.2 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0/2 |
| Daniel Edelman | M | 96 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Timo Baumgartl | D | 96 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Simon Becher | F | 96 | 6.9 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 0/1 |
| Tomas Totland | M | 88 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 0/1 |
| Lukas MacNaughton | D | 96 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Conrad Wallem | M | 45 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Benjamin Lundt | G | 96 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Fallou Fall | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mykhi Joyner | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Hiebert | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tomáš Ostrák | M | 8 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rafael Santos | D | 51 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Miguel Perez | M | 32 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jaziel Orozco | D | 8 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Sporting Kansas City
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manu García | M | 96 | 7.5 | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 2/3 |
| Dejan Joveljić(C) | F | 96 | 7.3 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1/1 |
| Zorhan Bassong | M | 76 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/2 |
| Capita | M | 85 | 7.2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1/3 |
| Stefan Cleveland | G | 96 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lasse Berg Johnsen | M | 96 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Jayden Reid | D | 45 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Or Blorian | D | 75 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Calvin Harris | M | 96 | 6.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2/4 |
| Ian James | D | 45 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Jansen Miller | D | 96 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Macielo Tschantret | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shapi Suleymanov | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| John Pulskamp | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jacob Bartlett | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jacob Davis | M | 51 | 6.9 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1/1 |
| Emir Karić | D | 51 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Kwaku Agyabeng | M | 20 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stephen Afrifa | F | 11 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ethan Bartlow | D | 21 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |