- Colorado Rapids are in inconsistent form with two wins and three defeats from their last five games.
- Saint Louis City SC are in hot form with four wins and one draw from their last five, including a three-game winning streak.
- Saint Louis City SC have won their last two home games, scoring six goals in total.
Rapids and City face off at Energizer Park
Colorado Rapids will try to give Saint Louis City SC, who sit in 18th, four places ahead of them, a hard time on Sunday when the two Eastern Conference underdogs meet at Energizer Park. The Rapids are coming off a 2-1 defeat at home to FC Dallas while St. Louis City are on a three-match winning run coming into this contest.
St. Louis City's head coach Yoann Damet has his team playing a fairly possession-based game, but they do press high when they lose the ball and have the quality to push forwards in a vertical manner when they win it back. On the road, Colorado Rapids are less defensively solid than they are at home, averaging 1.67 goals per game conceded. St. Louis can get behind them, but they've also conceded goals, so it's not going to be a question of one team dominating.
Matt Wells has his Rapids side playing in a similar possession-based style as St. Louis, but their pressing style is of a slightly higher intensity and they'll have to make sure their structure is solid in transition because St. Louis are a team that can hit them quickly on the counter.
St. Louis have the form to take it
Colorado Rapids have a slightly better record in this head-to-head, but St. Louis City won the last match 1-0 away from home in MLS 2026, so the Rapids are by no means a good wager to avoid defeat this weekend. Colorado are listed at 11/4, the same price as the draw, while St. Louis are listed at 83/100 and are my main selection here.
St. Louis have four wins, one draw and two defeats from seven home outings in MLS 2026, but they have kept things tight with just nine goals conceded in that period. Their two wins came against Austin FC (3-0) and Sporting Kansas City (3-2), which shows they can make their home turf a tough spot for opponents.
Raphinha Navarro vs Marcel Hartel
Rafael Navarro has been the best player in Colorado Rapids' side this season with six MLS 2026 goals in 15 games, while Marcel Hartel has provided a similar goal threat for St. Louis City with four goals in 13. Navarro has two of Colorado's five goals in their last five, while Hartel has three of St. Louis City's 10 goals in the same period, so a goal from either man would not be a surprise.
St. Louis City SC should win this game, but Colorado Rapids' price is just good enough to add a little spice to the matchup, which has a chance of getting scrappy at some stage. However, both of these teams are built upon a possession-based, pressing style, and the winner here could be whichever side keeps their shape the best in transition and supplies the better final ball. An alternative angle to take is Over 2.5 goals at 29/50, which is pretty tempting considering Both Teams To Score is 1/2.
