- Saint Louis City SC have won four and drawn one of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Sporting Kansas City have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five in all competitions.
- Saint Louis City SC have won three of their six MLS 2026 home matches (D1, L2) while Sporting Kansas City have won twice and lost five of their seven away games (0.71 goals per game on the road).
Soccer chess in Missouri
Saint Louis City SC are 22nd in MLS 2026 with 16 points from 14 matches, only ahead of Sporting Kansas City, who have collected just 11 points from their first 14 games of the season.
But Saint Louis are on a great run of form with consecutive wins, beating Austin FC 3-0 at home last time out in the MLS 2026 after taking Houston Dynamo to a penalty shootout in the US Open Cup 2026.
Sporting KC also edged Austin 2-1 away from home, but then lost at home, so momentum is clearly with Saint Louis City SC for this Missouri derby.
Kansas City can be very dangerous
Raphaël Wicky's men have a bit more zip to them in possession and their trigger to press higher up the field makes them a more dangerous opponent than the possession-first 4-3-3 of Yoann Damet.
But there is a definite feeling that SKC are the inferior side to Saint Louis in terms of the talent on offer and the structure of the teams.
The Wizards of the West have more players that can hurt their opponents, but Damet's side are the more settled unit and will get the ball down and play in a more measured way.
Home side to edge it
So while Saint Louis City should come out on top, the derby feel of the fixture and the recent head-to-head record - where the hosts have won one, lost one and drawn three of their previous five meetings in all competitions - suggests this should be a competitive game.
At 1.48, Saint Louis City SC are very short odds for the win, while SKC are priced up at 6.34. Backing Over 2.5 goals at 1.35 looks a much cleaner alternative for this game at Energizer Park, USA, as both teams have attacking players and have been leaky at the back.
Marcel Hartel is the main spark for Damet's team with three goals in 12 MLS 2026 appearances, but he is starting to take more of a role in the final third and should cause SKC problems on Friday.
But Dejan Joveljic is still the danger man for the visitors with six goals in 14 MLS 2026 games and he remains their best route to goal.
