St. Louis CITY SC turned a 2-0 halftime lead into a nervy rivalry win last Thursday, then finished the job when Eduard Löwen converted an 86th-minute penalty to beat Sporting Kansas City. The goal gave CITY a result that had started to slip away after Sporting Kansas City tied the match in the 76th minute.
The win matters because CITY is suddenly back on the verge of a playoff spot for the first time since April 2025, and it has now gone unbeaten in its last six matches. For a club that has spent much of the season trying to turn promise into points, the late finish was the kind of result that changes the mood around an MLS schedule race far more than a routine three points would.
Marcel Hartel said after the game that the team kept going instead of settling for the tie, adding, “We go for the win.” Yoann Damet said he liked the mindset of the group and said the penalty only came because the players believed they could still take all three points. That belief showed up in the final minutes, when Simon Becher’s flick toward goal struck Ethan Bartlow’s outstretched arm and created the chance Löwen buried.
That late surge also sits in sharp contrast to what St. Louis did over the past two seasons, when it led Major League Soccer in dropped points from winning positions. This time, the response to Sporting Kansas City’s comeback was not retreat but another push, and that has been the difference in the recent run. Tomas Totland said the team had been fighting hard through the World Cup break and that everyone felt better when they came back.
The path forward is immediate. St. Louis CITY SC was scheduled to face the Los Angeles Galaxy tonight and the Colorado Rapids this weekend, with those results carrying real weight for a club trying to make the playoffs for the first time since early 2025. The next step is simple and unforgiving: keep turning late belief into points before the race tightens again.
