- Saint Louis City SC are unbeaten in 5, with 4 wins and 1 draw in all competitions.
- Houston Dynamo are also unbeaten in 5, with 4 wins and 1 draw in all competitions.
Surging sides will look to make a statement in St Louis
Two of the most in-form teams in MLS 2026 face off at Energizer Park, USA on Sunday when 14th-placed Saint Louis City SC (26pts from 18 games) entertain 3rd-placed Houston Dynamo (35pts from 19 games).
Yoann Damet has given his side a possession-first style of play that doesn't lose any of CITY's trademark aggressive counter-press, which makes them a difficult team to play against in 2026. The hosts have been unbeaten in their last 3, beating LA Galaxy 1-3 away, Colorado Rapids 1-0 at home and drawing Real Salt Lake 1-1 at home, and they are 3-1-0 across their last 4 at CITYPARK.
Houston Dynamo are no pushovers either, and the Orange Crush are riding a 4-game winning streak that includes a 0-2 away win at Sporting Kansas City and a 0-2 victory away at New England Revolution. Ben Olsen has got his side to keep things pragmatic and organised, but with the ability to change shape and overload through the midfield areas when they are on the ball. The visitors will be well aware that Saint Louis City SC can play at a high tempo, so this could be a transition battle if Olsen's men are forced to sit deep.
Head-to-head record suggests this will be cagey
Houston Dynamo have a goal scorer in Guilherme Augusto, who has been the club's most reliable finisher this season with 12 MLS 2026 goals, while 4 of the last 9 team goals have come from him. Saint Louis City SC have their own spark in Marcel Hartel, who has 6 goals in 16 MLS 2026 games and 3 goals in his last 5 games.
The draw is priced at 283/100, which is quite a high price considering that this fixture has been deadlocked at 2 wins apiece and 1 draw across the last 5 head-to-head meetings. With the visitors in such good form, we fancy Houston to stay in the match and give the hosts a real challenge on Sunday.
Back the home team to edge a close game
A win for Saint Louis City SC is the likeliest outcome on the day as the home side will be the more comfortable at Energizer Park, but the slight edge the bookies have given to the 49/50 favourites doesn't do justice to the 139/50 available on Houston Dynamo.
City's home record is the best place to look for reasons to support the favourites as they've only conceded 10 goals in 9 games at Energizer Park in MLS 2026 (5-2-2), which suggests they could keep Houston at bay. However, the clash of CITY's high-press game against Houston's patient possession and circulation will determine whether this becomes a transition shootout or a chess match, so we're backing the host's home form and 2-1 win in the correct score market.
Houston Dynamo have been very strong on the road, however. They also beat LA Galaxy 1-0 at home in their most recent outing, so Houston Dynamo are rolling.
Saint Louis City SC have won 2 of their 3 home meetings with Houston Dynamo and that edge could swing things in their favour again. Olsen's side have enough quality to hold out for a draw at 283/100, but we'll take CITY to get the 3 points and keep the needle pointing towards the host's column in the US Open Cup, which is currently 6-4 to City.
