St. Louis CITY SC will host Austin FC on Saturday at Energizer Park in a 1:45 p.m. CT kickoff, closing out its final MLS match before the league pauses for the FIFA World Cup break. The match will be available on Apple TV and FOX, and it arrives with St. Louis trying to carry a busy week into one more league result at home.
St. Louis comes in after beating Houston Dynamo 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw in regular time in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, a win that sent the club into its first-ever U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Colorado Rapids in September. Marcel Hartel scored a brace against Houston, while Ben Lundt made two saves in the shootout to help St. Louis advance. That came after the club earned a point on the road against D.C. United last Saturday at Audi Field, when Chris Durkin briefly put St. Louis ahead early in the second half before a last-minute D.C. United strike erased the lead.
The recent run has given St. Louis a little more momentum. The club has won three of its last six matches across all competitions and has taken seven of nine available points in its last three regular-season fixtures. At home, it has won two of its last three regular-season games, though its 2025 regular season totals still show only four home wins overall. Its last home victory came against LAFC, a reminder that Energizer Park has not always produced the kind of edge St. Louis has needed.
Saturday also brings a familiar opponent. It will be the eighth matchup between St. Louis CITY SC and Austin FC since the 2023 season, with St. Louis leading the series 4-2-1. Austin, though, won the latest meeting earlier this month at Q2 Stadium, beating St. Louis 2-0 on goals from Christan Ramirez and Myrto Uzuni. That result is the most recent proof that the matchup has been tight, even when the standings or venue suggest otherwise.
There is also a broader storyline underneath the game. St. Louis is about to step away from league play for the World Cup break, so Saturday is not just another date on the schedule. It is the last chance to bank points, settle into the pause with some confidence and keep a stronger stretch at home from fading into the background. For a team that has already lived through a midweek cup surge and a narrow league draw, this is the kind of fixture that can frame the next few weeks as either momentum or missed opportunity.
