John Hackworth has challenged St. Louis City to do better against Houston Dynamo after a disappointing loss to LA Galaxy last time out in MLS.

St. Louis had won back-to-back games before losing 1-0 to the Galaxy last time out in a game where they did not register a single shot on target.

They cannot make the playoffs, sitting 12th in the Western Conference on 34 points with just two games left, and Hackworth is looking to learn from their mistakes in the last game to end their final home match of the season on a positive note.

"We didn't play as well as we're capable of [against LA Galaxy], but I think that can be a good thing for us going forward," he said.

"I don't want anybody to accept that it was anything other than a loss. We can look at ourselves knowing we're much better than that."

Meanwhile, Houston bounced back from a defeat to Seattle Sounders with a 2-1 victory over New England Revolution.

With their playoff place already secure, their aim is to finish as high up the table as they can, currently sitting in fifth, with only four points separating them and Los Angeles FC in second.

Ben Olsen was particularly pleased with his defense against the Revs and believes that will be the key for them in the postseason.

"Our defense is what we hang our hat on," Olsen said. "Sometimes we get some credit for some of the build-up, but really we're a defensive team, and we can defend with the ball, but we've got a great back four.

"It's a collective effort, everybody's doing their part, but we're going to keep working so they know when they're good or when they're not up to snuff."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert

Cedric Teuchert has scored in each of his first three home appearances for St. Louis City, the only player in club history to do so.

Only one player in the last 20 years has scored in each of his first four career MLS home games: Federico Bernardeschi with Toronto FC in 2022 (first five).

Houston Dynamo – Adalberto Carrasquilla

The Dynamo have won a club-record eight away matches this season. Houston's 26 road points (W8 D2 L6) are the most they have ever collected in a single regular season in club history.

Adalberto Carrasquilla secured the record-breaking win for them against Austin on September 22 and added two more assists to his tally in the win over New England last time out.

MATCH PREDICTION: HOUSTON DYNAMO WIN

The home side have not lost any of the five meetings between St. Louis City and Houston, with St. Louis recording wins in both of its home matches against the Dynamo, including a 2-1 win in the first round of this season's Concacaf Champions Cup in February.

That bodes well for St. Louis, who have won 21 of their first 40 home matches in all competitions (D8 L11), scoring 75 total goals. They have won four of their last six at home in all competitions (D1 L1) after winning one of their previous seven at home (D2 L4).

However, Houston's 2-1 win over New England on Wednesday took them to 51 points for the season, equaling their total from last year. A win over St. Louis City would set a new club points record for the Dynamo, surpassing the 53 they earned in the 2012 campaign.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 32.9%

Draw – 25.6%

Houston Dynamo – 41.5%

Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo labelled Denis Bouanga as "unstoppable" when the forward is at his best.

Bouanga came off the bench to score the winner as LAFC beat FC Cincinnati 2-1 over the weekend.

That victory saw LAFC, fresh from winning the US Open Cup, clinch their spot in the playoffs.

Bouanga, who has scored 18 goals and set up a further eight in MLS this season, was not impressed with having to settle for a super-sub role, but Cherundolo cares not.

"Denis always wants to play; he never wants to rest," Cherundolo said.

"He was quite upset with me for not starting. And that's okay. Everybody can hate me, that's fine.

"But I think freshness and also making sure he's getting enough rest makes him also better.

"Obviously, he's physically capable of playing every game, but when he loses his explosiveness, he is still extremely good and we're happy to have him.

"But with explosiveness and freshness, he's unstoppable."

Ahead of playing St. Louis City SC on Wednesday, the challenge that now faces LAFC is to go on and secure a home playoff seed.

"To have that sort of response, it's going to be huge going forward for us," defender Ryan Hollingshead said after the win over Cincinnati.

"The team's already confident. And then you throw that result on top of it, I think it's going to be exactly what we need to go get a really good seed in the West moving forward and then go make another run for a cup."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

LAFC - Kei Kamara

Kamara set up LAFC's opener against Cincinnati.

It was Kamara's 49th assist in MLS. He is now one away from becoming the fifth player in league history with 100 goals and 50 assists.

St. Louis City SC - Cedric Teuchert

Teuchert has recorded eight goal contributions in his first seven MLS matches (five goals, three assists), including three in Saturday's win over Sporting Kansas City.

He is the first player to record eight goal contributions in his first seven MLS matches since Alejandro Pozuelo (10) in 2019.

MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN

St. Louis, who are 12th in the Western Conference, are unbeaten in four straight away matches for the first time in club history. Indeed, they have lost only six of their last 15 on the road dating back to the beginning of March (W1 D8).

However, LAFC are nevertheless backed by Opta's predictor. They have now hit 50 points in five of their six full MLS seasons, becoming one of two teams, along with the Philadelphia Union, to reach 50 points five times in the last six full seasons dating back to 2018 (excluding the shortened 2020 season).

The omens are good for LAFC, who are unbeaten against St. Louis, winning two of the three meetings (D1). In fact, LAFC have kept clean sheets in all three matches against St. Louis, making them the only opponent the latter have faced but never scored against.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

LAFC - 62.1%

St. Louis City - 17.8%

Draw - 20%

St. Louis City interim head coach John Hackworth says they will treat San Jose Earthquakes with respect as he is wary of their fighting spirit.

St. Louis sit 13th in the Western Conference, one place above Saturday's opponents, but are 10 points better off than San Jose on 28.

Their four-match unbeaten streak came to an end last weekend, as they failed to defend their early lead in a 3-1 defeat to Minnesota United.

Hackworth is still without an away win since stepping into the hot seat, and he expects a big challenge as he attempts to change that weekend.

"[San Jose] have a lot of consistency, and I've been really impressed by their spirit," Hackworth said.

"They don't look like a team that should be last in the west right now. They have a lot of fight left in them.

"They are not a team that we can take lightly, we need to give them our full respect, but focus on us because we believe we are a much better team than our record shows."

Meanwhile, San Jose returned to MLS after the Leagues Cup with a shock win over Real Salt Lake but are winless in three since.

They snatched a late 2-2 draw against Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, and interim head coach Ian Russell is targeting a strong finish to the season.

"We always come out and plan to try and push the game," Russell said. "As a coach, I want to be on the front foot and I want to attack, but you have to understand that being pressed is part of it.

"But you also have to hurt them as well. We always want to start fast. We've never had a gameplan where we're set up to absorb pressure, that's not part of it."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

San Jose Earthquakes – Cristian Espinoza

Cristian Espinoza delivered his 11th and 12th assists of the regular season on Wednesday against Seattle Sounders.

This is Espinoza's fourth regular season with more than 10 assists for San Jose (also 2019, 2022, 2023), with no other player in team history having more than two such seasons.

St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert

Cedric Teuchert's fourth-minute goal for St. Louis on Saturday was the club’s sixth goal in the opening five minutes of matches.

The only team with more goals in the first five minutes of matches since St. Louis City joined MLS in 2023 is the Vancouver Whitecaps (seven).

MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CITY WIN

St. Louis have won all three meetings with San Jose, outscoring them 7-1 over the three games. The Earthquakes are the only team St. Louis have faced more than once and won every match.

However, St. Louis are winless in 17 straight away matches in all competitions (D8 L9) dating back to the end of last season, though their last three on the road have all been drawn. They have never gone unbeaten in four straight away matches in all competitions before.

Meanwhile, San Jose came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at Seattle on Wednesday. It marked the first time the Earthquakes had earned a point from a losing position since a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids in May, after losing their previous 13 regular-season matches when going behind.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

San Jose Earthquakes – 34.3%

Draw – 25.8%

St. Louis City – 39.9%

St. Louis City interim head coach John Hackworth is confident his side can make a late push for the playoffs after going unbeaten since their return from the Leagues Cup.

St. Louis are building momentum at the right time, but remain six points adrift of this weekend’s opponents, Minnesota United, who sit on the right side of the playoff line.

Hackworth’s side were forced to share the spoils in their last MLS encounter against New England Revolution, but the 54-year-old preached positivity for the business end of the campaign.

“I personally believe that we're not out of time yet, you know, we still have control,” Hackworth said.

“We have to fix this little moment where we take our foot off the gas, where we don't play with the same initiative that we do to start the game. That's something we can fix. We have fixed it.

“We have gotten better. I'm going to say I'm blue in the face, but I believe in this group of guys. I still think we have a good chance.”

Minnesota, meanwhile, overcame the San Jose Earthquakes in their last match, keeping the gap between the teams below them to just a point with the luxury of a game in hand over most.

The Loons currently sit ninth in the Western Conference table and know a win is a must to keep their ambitions of remaining in that position alive.

Head coach Eric Ramsay acknowledged the enormity of the task awaiting his players but challenged his squad to deal with the raucous atmosphere inside CITYPARK.

“They have had a slight change in fortune over the last couple of games. They are fighting for their lives at the bottom in the same way that we are,” Ramsay said.

“They are a team I am sure that are looking at this game as being crucial for the remainder of their season and their fortunes.

“We have got to make sure we handle that situation well and that we understand the magnitude of the game for us and for them, because that will certainly play its part.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Marcel Hartel

Hartel has been involved in a goal in each of his first three MLS matches (one goal and three assists).

Since the start of 2023, four players have begun their MLS careers with goal contributions in their first three regular season matches, with three of them doing so for St. Louis (Hartel, Joao Klauss and Eduard Lowen).

Minnesota United – Robin Lod

Despite only playing the final half an hour in Finland’s Nations League defeat to England, Lod returns to the MLS with a record in his sights.

Lod has been involved in 54 regular season goals for Minnesota (28 goals and 26 assists), one away from equalling the club record of 55 held by Emanuel Reynoso (22 goals and 33 assists).

MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CITY WIN

St. Louis City have not lost any of their last six matches against MLS teams in all competitions (W3 D3). This is their longest unbeaten run in the division during the club’s history.

But Minnesota have won two of their last three regular season matches (L1) after winning just two of their previous 14 (D4 L8). Minnesota’s triumph against San Jose last time out also ended a seven-match winless run away from home (D2 L5).

And it has often been the away side who have emerged victorious in this fixture. Both their MLS meetings last term ended with an away win, with Minnesota out to upset Opta’s data-led simulations at CITYPARK this time around.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 46.4%

Draw – 26.5%

Minnesota United – 27%

St. Louis City interim head coach John Hackworth says his team have more to give, but need to find consistency, starting against New England Revolution.

St. Louis snapped a five-match winless streak in MLS last weekend, beating high-flying LA Galaxy 2-1 at home.

It was just their fifth win of the league season, and they remain second-from-bottom in the Western Conference, nine points off the playoff places.

However, Hackworth says he was waiting for a performance like the one they put in against the Galaxy, and hopes they can replicate it more often.

"We expect this [good performance]," he said. "We'd been talking about it.

"We believed we could do that, and then, the next step is to continue to do that. You have to have that belief in yourself - the players do, the staff do.

"That's what sport is. I was satisfied, but I don't think that is the end of it. We've got more."

Meanwhile, New England followed up a 5-0 thrashing of CF Montreal with a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake.

They sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the playoff places, but Caleb Porter believes his team can only improve as more of his players return to the fold.

"I'm glad that those guys [Giacomo Vrioni, Ian Harkes and Dylan Borrero] are going to be close to being able to play major minutes now," Porter said.

"They needed another game. We felt they were kind of 30 to 45 minutes fit, max. Now, we feel like they will be close to 60, hopefully, with a good week of training. That gives us a lot of optimism for the next game."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New England Revolution – Carles Gil

Carles Gil has recorded an assist in each of his last two MLS home appearances and has 38 total assists in home MLS matches (incl. playoffs) since joining the league in 2019, second only to Luciano Acosta's 40 in that time.

St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert

Germans Marcel Hartel and Cedric Teuchert scored St. Louis's goals in their 2-1 win over LA Galaxy on Sunday - it is the second time in MLS history that two German players scored for a single team in a match.

The first: Teuchert and Eduard Lowen for St. Louis the week before.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN

This is the first-ever meeting between New England and St. Louis in any competition.

After suffering their first three-match home losing streak in nearly a decade in April-May this year, New England have lost only two of their last nine matches in all competitions at Gillette Stadium (W4 D3), though three of the last four matches in Foxborough have ended in draws.

Meanwhile, St. Louis won the first three road matches in the club's history in February-March 2023. Since then, they have managed just three wins in 31 away matches in all competitions, including going winless in 16 straight away from home (D7 L9).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New England Revolution – 41.3%

Draw – 26.7%

St. Louis City – 32%

Marcel Hartel's second-half strike compounded Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of St. Louis City. 

Cedric Teuchert's early strike was cancelled out by Gabriel Pec's equaliser 50 seconds into the second half, only for Hartel, who signed from St. Pauli in July, to net his third goal on his sixth appearance for the club.

Having failed to win in their last five MLS fixtures, St. Louis took the lead with just nine minutes on the clock as Teuchert punished John McCarthy's poor clearance. 

In a fairly even contest, parity was restored shortly after the interval as Galaxy substitue Miguel Berry made an instant impact from the bench with his flick finding Pec who finished emphatically. 

But Hartel would have the final say, steering Jayden Reid's inviting cross home in the 68th minute, leaving Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney dissappointed in the result and his players, who were unable to adapt to the conditions. 

“I'm disappointed in the result for sure. More for me, it's being able to manage the conditions and still be able to perform on things that we need to perform on the day," Vanney said.

"That's what's important in this time of the season. That then also translates into results. I think you'll see across the league at this time of year, we see it all during the year. 

"We've got to be at the point in the season where we have to manage whatever the conditions are and still perform and execute upon the things that we need to execute to have the game look how we want it to look and see it out in the ways we need to.

"I felt like we didn't do that today. So it's disappointing. It happens in the course of the season. We have to bounce right back."

Data Debrief: Hero Hartel to the rescue

St. Louis' triumph saw them end a run of consecutive draws against the Galaxy, having shared the spoils in their last three encounters in the MLS. 

Hartel was the player to strike the decisive blow and now has three MLS goal involvements (one goal and two assists) since his move to St. Louis in July. 

Joseph Paintsil was a particular standout for the visitors, recording the most touches in the oppositions box (13) as well as playing 18 passes into the final third.

Marcel Hartel's second-half strike compounded Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of St. Louis City. 

Cedric Teuchert's early strike was cancelled out by Gabriel Pec'S equaliser 50 seconds into the second half, only for Hartel, who signed from St. Pauli in July, to strike his third goal on his sixth appearance for the club.

Having failed to win in their last five MLS fixtures, St. Louis took the lead with just nine minutes on the clock as Teuchert punished John McCarthy's poor clearance. 

In a fairly even contest, parity would be restored shortly after the interval as Galaxy substitue Miguel Berry made an instant impact from the bench with his flick finding Pec who finished emphatically. 

But Hartel would have the final say, steering Jayden Reid's inviting cross home in the 68th minute, leaving Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney dissappointed in the result and his players, who were unable to adapt to the conditions. 

“I'm disappointed in the result for sure. More for me, it's being able to manage the conditions and still be able to perform on things that we need to perform on the day," Vanney said.

"That's what's important in this time of the season. That then also translates into results. I think you'll see across the league at this time of year, we see it all during the year. 

"We've got to be at the point in the season where we have to manage whatever the conditions are and still perform and execute upon the things that we need to execute to have the game look how we want it to look and see it out in the ways we need to.

"I felt like we didn't do that today. So it's disappointing. It happens in the course of the season. We have to bounce right back."

Data Debrief: Hero Hartel to the rescue

St. Louis' triumph saw them end a run of consecutive draws against the Galaxy, having shared the spoils in their last three encounters in the MLS. 

Hartel was the player to strike the decisive blow and now has three MLS goal involvements (one goal and two assists) since his move to St. Louis in July. 

Joseph Paintsil was a particular standout for the visitors, recording the most touches in the oppositions box (13) as well as playing 18 passes into the final third.

Marco Reus is desperate to bring silverware to the LA Galaxy after making a flying start to his time in MLS, with St. Louis City the destination for his first road game on Sunday.

Reus registered a goal and an assist on debut last week as the Galaxy beat Atlanta United 2-0, maintaining their grip on top spot in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy are five points clear of local rivals Los Angeles FC at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's trip to St. Louis, who are 13th and 10 points adrift of the playoff picture.

Reus' arrival in Los Angeles has caused plenty of fanfare, but he is focused solely on the team's collective aims.

"It's not about me, it's about the team," he said. "We want to be champions. So we take it game by game.

"Besides the traffic, it's really amazing. The people are so friendly. The weather, it's really nice. When you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining, you start the day differently.

"So I'm really, really happy every morning I come into the dressing room. I'm just happy and excited."

St. Louis played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with the Portland Timbers last week, twice throwing away a two-goal lead to leave interim coach John Hackworth bewildered. 

"Really don't know what to say," Hackworth said. "It's hard to imagine coming to a place like this and scoring four goals, being up, and then just losing one-versus-one defensive battles.

"Sometimes, the number of goals you give up, or the number of goals you score, can hide a lot of the transition moments.

"An easy way to prevent some of these defensive miscues from happening is to just be better with the ball."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Eduard Lowen

Lowen scored his fourth goal of the MLS season last time out, converting from the penalty spot as St. Louis drew 4-4 with the Timbers.

Only Joao Klauss, with five goals, has outscored him for St. Louis this term.

LA Galaxy – Marco Reus

Reus is one of 20 players in MLS history to record a goal and an assist on his regular-season debut. 

He is also the fifth Galaxy player to do so, after Steven Gerrard, Andreas Herzog, Giovani dos Santos and Sasha Victorine. No other team have had more than two players achieve the feat.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

The Galaxy have won 10 of their last 13 regular-season matches, the first time they have done so in a single season since 2011. LA have not recorded 11 wins in a span of 14 matches within a single regular season in the post-shootout era (since 2000).

It would be no surprise to see the points shared in this one, though. All three meetings between St. Louis and the Galaxy have ended level, all with different scorelines (1-1, 2-2, 3-3).

St. Louis have only won one of the last six matches in which they have held the lead in regular-season play dating back to the beginning of June (four draws, one defeat).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 35.8%

LA Galaxy – 38.1%

Draw – 26.1%

St. Louis City interim head coach John Hackworth says their recent struggles have been a "test of character" as they look to bounce back against Sporting Kansas City.

St. Louis have lost their last three games by an aggregate score of 10-2, leaving them 13th in the Western Conference, eight points off a playoffs place.

With only one win in their last 13 MLS matches, Hackworth is keen to snap their current losing streak and says he saw positives in their 2-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders in midweek.

"The players made a huge step [against Seattle], played much better than we did previously," Hackworth said.

"[We] gave ourselves a chance to be in that game, had some unfortunate things again happen to us, but it wasn't for lack of trying to play with a lot of heart and soul, being collective, having each other's backs, so those are positives we can build on for sure.

"We have had all season to deal with a lot of hardships, it's a test of our character."

Meanwhile, Kansas City sit one place and one point ahead of their opponents but lost their most recent match 2-1 against Vancouver Whitecaps after back-to-back wins.

Head coach Peter Vermes expressed his disappointment with the defeat in Vancouver and is eyeing a quick improvement on Saturday.

"We're slow with the ball in situations that catch us out with fast transitions, and we need to be better there," Vermes said.

"We need as much energy and as many players as we possibly can for this weekend, so hopefully, we'll be there."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting Kansas City – William Agada

William Agada scored on Wednesday, bringing his total up to four goals in his last four matches in all competitions.

Prior to his recent form, Agada had notched just two goals in his previous 17 matches.

St. Louis City – Nokkvi Thorisson

Nokkvi Thorisson attempted two shots in the loss to the Sounders on Wednesday, tying him with Eduard Lowen for the most by any St. Louis player in the match.

It was the fifth consecutive match in which Thorisson had either the most or joint-most shots for the team.

MATCH PREDICTION: SPORTING KANSAS CITY WIN

Sporting are unbeaten in three straight meetings with St. Louis (winning two, drawing one), including winning both matches in the 2023 playoffs after St. Louis won two of the first three meetings between the sides.

Kansas City are also on a three-match home winning streak in all competitions, the most recent of which was a 2-1 extra-time victory over FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup. This is the 'longest home winning streak since winning four straight in May-June 2023.

Meanwhile, St. Louis lost 2-0 at Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, their third straight defeat, all by at least two goals. City are looking to avoid becoming the first team to lose four straight MLS matches, all by multiple goals, since Inter Miami did so in March 2022.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sporting Kansas City – 50.1%

Draw – 25.2%

St. Louis City – 24.7%

Brian Schmetzer's message was simple to Seattle Sounders ahead of St. Louis City's visit in MLS, with the home side's coach demanding more of the same.

The Sounders are on a five-game winning run across all competitions, having edged out Austin FC with a 1-0 road triumph last time out.

That run of form has helped Seattle up to seventh in the Western Conference standings, four points clear of 10th-placed Austin and the playoff-chasing pack.

Head coach Schmetzer just wants his side to keep delivering as they aim for a post-season challenge.

"We've got a good squad. They believe that they can win," Schmetzer said.

"The coaches have done a great job of getting the players to all understand what we want, and the players have been delivered.

"Guys are making plays…we had bad luck and were shooting ourselves in the foot earlier in the year."

Jordan Morris scored the only goal of the game in that Austin triumph, and hopes to add to his tally when struggling St. Louis – who are 13th in the West – visit Lumen Field.

"For goalscorers, when you're playing with confidence, it obviously helps," Morris said.

"You can go through times where it feels like you're never going to score again, and then sometimes you're scoring every game and quick chances.

"A lot of it's up to the group that's playing well and gave me really good balls. So obviously, I'm happy with the form."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Jordan Morris

Morris scored the aforementioned lone goal in Seattle's win at Austin on Saturday, his ninth of the season.

Seattle's star is one goal away from becoming the ninth player in MLS history, and the first for the Sounders, to record five double-digit scoring seasons with a single team.

St. Louis City – Nokkvi Thorisson

St. Louis have become somewhat set-piece specialists this season, scoring their 12th such goal this season – including penalties – on Saturday.

Nokkvi Thorisson curled in a fine free-kick to extend that tally, with only four MLS teams managing more set-piece goals this campaign.

MATCH PREDICTION – SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Home side Seattle are the dominant favourites heading into this clash, considering recent form and their head-to-head record in the fixture.

The Sounders have won all three of their matches against St. Louis, including a 2-1 road win on May 25.

Seattle are also the only opponent the visitors have faced more than once without ever earning a point.

The hosts have won five straight matches in all competitions, too, for the first time since closing the 2019 season with six straight victories culminating in an MLS Cup Final win against Toronto FC.

St. Louis, meanwhile, have suffered defeat in three of their last four matches, conceding four goals in all three losses in that time, and may be concerned about that run continuing here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders win – 56.5%

Draw – 22.5%

St. Louis City win – 21%

St. Louis City interim head coach John Hackworth is aiming to learn from mistakes made in their last meeting with the Vancouver Whitecaps now they are back on home soil.

St. Louis have won just one of their last 11 matches in MLS – 2-0 at home in Hackworth's first game in charge, with their 4-3 defeat to Vancouver prior to that, leading to Bradley Carnell's departure.

They currently sit 12th in the Western Conference on 22 points, eight behind the playoffs, and Hackworth is focusing on making sure the team do not lose their concentration in the closing stages.

"If we can finish stronger than we start, that's the focus," said Hackworth. "At home, we want to put a complete performance together.

"It's easy for me to say that if we'd finished stronger [last time out against Vancouver], we could've got something.

"So, that's our goal for our performance. Specifically, be better in the last 20 minutes, and we have a chance to be successful."

Meanwhile, Vancouver are now unbeaten in three matches, a run that started in the reverse fixture.

Sitting sixth in the table, head coach Vanni Sartini is looking to go into the upcoming break with the team in an even stronger position.

"St. Louis will be really important," he said. "We have three games before the break for the Leagues Cup and getting a positive record in these three games, five or more points, is important.

"Starting in St. Louis would be great. For sure, they'll want to avenge the fact that we beat them.

"They have a new coach, so it'll be hard, but from what I've seen from our team in the last couple of weeks, we have what it takes to win."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – John Klein

John Klein scored his first MLS goal in St. Louis City's defeat in Colorado on Sunday, becoming the 15th different goalscorer for the club this season, tied for the most different scorers in MLS this year (Sporting Kansas City).

Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White

Brian White has scored five goals in three matches against St. Louis City, his most against any MLS opponent in regular-season play.

The only players to score more goals against a single opponent since St. Louis joined MLS last season are Facundo Torres (six) against the Chicago Fire and Teemu Pukki (six) vs LA Galaxy.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

The home side has won all three meetings between these sides, with Vancouver winning the last two meetings at BC Place after St. Louis won the first match at home in May 2023. The winning side has scored at least three times in all the games.

St. Louis won their last home match, 2-0, over San Jose Earthquakes on July 3, the club's fourth home win of the regular season. St. Louis' only back-to-back home wins this year came against Austin and Chicago in April-May.

Meanwhile, the Whitecaps are unbeaten in three straight regular-season matches (won two, drawn one), a run that began with a 4-3 win over St. Louis on June 29. This equals Vancouver's longest unbeaten run in league play this season (three straight in April-May).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 36.9%

Draw – 26.3%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 36.8%

Chris Armas is aiming to continue Colorado Rapids’ impressive home form ahead of their fixture with St. Louis City this weekend.

The Rapids returned to winning ways following their defeat away to LAFC, as Djordje Mihailovic’s 94th minute penalty ensured Colorado maintained their three-game winning run on home soil.

Armas’ side sit fourth in the Western Conference table, three points ahead of Vancouver Whitecaps but looking to chase down the top three in the division.

The Rapids head coach is keen to make Dick’s Sporting Goods Park a fortress this season, praising the fans for their contribution to their recent home results.

“When I was a player, I played in Colorado against the Rapids and I didn’t like it,” Armas said.

“The fans are tough and I love that I got to team up with them now and put out an attacking team for them who goes after it and make them proud.

“We do try to have a mentality, and we have it home and away. At home, with our fans, with altitude and the energy of the building, our pitch, the comfort of our own home.

“You can see that teams will come here and try to slow the game down a bit. It can be frustrating at moments but what I love most, is the energy of the crowd.”

For St. Louis, Interim head coach John Hackworth marked his first game in charge with a much-needed victory over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.

It’s Hackworth’s second spell in interim charge following the sacking of Bradley Carnell after a run of nine MLS games without a win.

Their triumph sees them remain in 12th place in the Western Conference, a point behind FC Dallas.

Hackworth acknowledged the importance of the victory last time out, but insisted the win was just a step in the right direction and nothing more.

“It’s been a tough week, there is no doubt about that,” Hackworth said.

“The players, the staff, the club, when you make a change to the head coach it’s never easy.

“So, in a short amount of time I think you saw the resilience of this group. A group that has been successful in the past. It hasn’t happened for us this year, but I am really proud of them in this moment to come together in a tough moment.

“For us, while it’s very satisfying, it is not a game that we are going to go crazy about and celebrate and say we have turned out season around because we haven’t.

“It’s just the first step of trying to get us back in the right direction.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

Djordje Mihailovic has been in fine form for the Rapids, with his stoppage time penalty against Sporting Kansas City the 10th goal the American has scored this season – his best tally in a single season.

Mihailovic has 18 goal contributions this season (10 goals, eight assists), only managing to record more in 2021 during his time with CF Montreal (20).

St. Louis City – Indiana Vassilev

Indiana Vassilev assisted both of St. Louis City SC’s goals on Wednesday against San Jose, becoming the first player to record multiple assists in a match for the team this season. 

Vassilev’s nine MLS assists for St. Louis City have set up goals for seven different players.

MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN

Having won three home matches for the first time since September – October 2022, Colorado are heavily backed by Opta’s data-led simulations to continue their winning run on home turf.

 The Rapids last had a longer winning streak at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park during a six-match run from August 2019 to March 2020.

But based on previous results, it looks set to be a tightly contested affair. Each team has recorded a win in their last three meetings, with a fast start expected. Three of the five goals scored in the last two meetings were netted in the game’s opening 11 minutes.

However, St. Louis will be buoyed following their recent victory over San Jose on Wednesday. City are still looking for their first away win of the season in all competitions (D5 L5), but will be hopeful of bursting the Rapids’ bubble.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Colorado Rapids – 49.4%

Draw – 25.5%

St. Louis City – 25.1%

A defiant Vanni Sartini believes Vancouver Whitecaps are on the right track, but called for more confidence and courage when St. Louis City visit in MLS.

The Whitecaps endured a disappointing two-game road stretch, culminating in their 2-0 defeat to Portland Timbers last time out.

That loss saw Vancouver drop to ninth in the Western Conference standings, only clinging onto the final playoff spot by way of a superior goal difference over Seattle Sounders.

Sartini acknowledged the frustrations of the last two showings, though suggests the Whitecaps can get back on course at BC Place.

"The concerns are always there, even if you win," Sartini said at pre-match media availability.

"It sounds very easy to say, but we just need to be a little better. That means a lot of things, however. Our performance hasn't gone down dramatically.

"The efficiency of our performances has gone down dramatically, though. We need to be better at finishing our chances, and being mentally stronger.

"The last couple of games before the break, we had two strong mental performances [in Kansas and Colorado]. Even though we weren't playing amazingly, we weren't making mistakes.

"The last two games away, we created more chances than in the games before, but we have been too easy to beat, we get a little flat when we hit the first trouble of those matches.

"We need to be more confident, courageous and more like: 'let's focus on the task'. If we are doing this, then the margin to make a lot of points is shorter."

Bradley Carnell's visitors are winless in their last eight domestic outings following a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United in their most recent fixture.

St. Louis are just three places behind the Whitecaps, though, with this the chance to strike a blow to their hosts' playoff hopes.

Carnell must arrest a poor spell in front of goal, however, as St. Louis have scored the second-fewest goals in the West this season (24).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld has followed up his 11-goal 2023 with nine goals already this season.

With one more goal, Gauld will become the third Whitecaps player with multiple 10-goal seasons (Camilo Sanvezzo, Brian White) and the first to do so in consecutive campaigns.

St. Louis City – Indiana Vassilev

Indiana Vassilev scored his fifth regular-season goal for St. Louis on Saturday, becoming the sixth different player to hit the mark for the club in league play.

Only three teams have more players with five or more regular-season goals than St. Louis since they joined the league in 2023 (Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United, FC Cincinnati – seven each).

MATCH PREDICTION – VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

The Whitecaps are the likely favourites for a narrow victory in this one, owing to St. Louis' woeful away form.

Carnell's side have managed only three wins in 26 games on the road in all competitions (drawn eight, lost 15) since winning their first three away matches in club history between February and March 2023.

Yet, it will be by no means straightforward for Vancouver.

They have lost consecutive matches following the defeat to Portland on Saturday, but Vancouver have not suffered three straight defeats within a single regular season since August-September 2022.

There is little to split these two teams in terms of the head-to-head record, with each side recording a home win against the other in two meetings between Vancouver and St. Louis City last season.

The hosts scored three goals in each game, while Brian White scored in both outings for the Whitecaps.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps win – 51.1%

Draw – 24.8%

St. Louis City win – 24%

St. Louis City must use this week's home clash with Atlanta United to turn things around after seven games without a victory, says defender Anthony Markanich.

St. Louis were thrashed 3-0 by the Colorado Rapids in midweek to extend their miserable run of form, with their last victory coming against the Chicago Fire back on May 12.

They have slipped to 12th in the Western Conference standings after topping the pile in their first campaign in MLS in 2023, and Markanich says they need to harness the support they receive at CITYPARK.

"I think every home game should be a win," Markanich said. "These next two games are very important."

Reflecting on their midweek defeat, head coach Bradley Carnell said: "At the moment, we can have certain things not going our way. We're not looking for excuses or for help, we have to help ourselves out of this situation. 

"I'm confident in my group that we can do that. It's not been what we were looking for and we know we can do better."

Atlanta, meanwhile, have won back-to-back matches to rise to ninth in the Eastern Conference, looking revitalised under interim head coach Rob Valentino.

Thiago Almada scored their winner against D.C. United last time out, leading Valentino to heap praise upon the 2022 World Cup winner.

"He ends up showing his quality, that's what he's there for," Valentino said of Almada.

"He works hard in training to do that, whether he's got pressure on him or not. As a staff we try to take the pressure off everyone in the group and let them go out and enjoy their football."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Joao Klauss

Klauss' five goals in MLS this year are more than any other St. Louis player, while only Celio Pompeu and Eduard Lowen (three apiece) have bettered his two assists among his team-mates.

Atlanta United – Thiago Almada 

Almada scored the only goal of the match from outside the box in Atlanta's win over D.C. United on Wednesday, his 12th career MLS goal from outside the area, four more than any other player since he joined the league in 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW 

This will be the first ever meeting between St. Louis and Atlanta. The hosts are winless in four straight games on their own turf for the first time in club history.

Atlanta, meanwhile, have recorded back-to-back road wins for the first time in almost three years, since victories over the Columbus Crew and D.C. back in August 2021.

The Five Stripes had drawn four of their previous five away matches across all competitions, though, and another draw could be on the cards here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 37%

Atlanta United – 36.6%

Draw – 26.4%

St. Louis City will be desperate to snap a record six-game winless run in MLS when they host Colorado Rapids at CityPark Stadium on Thursday.

The Missouri-based side have just three wins from their 17 league matches this term, falling down to 11th in the Western Conference standings.

Bradley Carnell's men have not triumphed in MLS action since a 3-1 win over Chicago Fire in the middle of May, and were defeated 2-0 by FC Dallas last time out.

St. Louis coach Carnell referenced injury struggles, however, as his side continue to battle through a troubling period.

"Obviously, it doesn’t take a genius to look at the roster and see where we are. We're not the first team to struggle with this.

"Now we get challenged and now get to prove what we are as a group, team, organisation and unit – sticking together.

"We have a plethora of young players who are performing [for our academy] and we will keep some of those guys with us through the week."

The Rapids have enjoyed a better season, sitting sixth in the West table after returning to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Austin FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

That ended a four-game winless streak for Colorado, who secured a much-needed victory after a rocketed finish from Cole Bassett before Rafael Navarro netted his 10th goal of the season.

The next challenge for the Rapids is to secure back-to-back victories for the first time since April, though they have lost three straight on the road.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Jared Stroud

Jared Stroud was involved in a goal in both matches (one goal, one assist) against the Rapids last season.

The St. Louis man has eight assists to his name in MLS this season, too, and will hope to deliver once more when Colorado come to town.

Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic

Djordje Mihailovic has scored in each of the Rapids' last three away matches.

He is the first Rapids player to score in three straight away from home in a single regular season since Shkelzen Gashi scored in five straight on the road from June-October 2016.

MATCH PREDICTION – ST. LOUIS CITY WIN

St. Louis are the heavy favourites for victory in this encounter, considering their record against the Rapids.

Carnell's side collected four points from their two matches against Colorado last season, including a 2-0 win at home last July.

Colorado have lost their last three road matches, conceding 10 goals in those games, and that run of form comes as no surprise.

Indeed, the Rapids have lost 15 of their last 21 away from home in all competitions (W3 D3), dating back to last May.

Yet a home win is by no means a foregone conclusion.

St. Louis are winless in six straight matches (D2 L4) for the first time in club history. They have just three wins so far, tied for the fewest in MLS this season, though all three have come at home.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City win – 48.8%

Colorado Rapids win – 25.5%

Draw – 25.7%