St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting Kansas City – Breaking down the rivalry

The rivalry between St. Louis City SC and Sporting Kansas City is one of the newest in the MLS, but you shouldn’t let its relative age confuse the fact that it’s quickly become one of the most intense in soccer. The rivalry can be attributed to close proximity of the two cities. St. Louis and Kansas City are connected by I-70, are the two biggest metropolitan cities in the state of Missouri, and are only about a three-and-a-half hour drive apart. So, a long-running rivalry between the cities alone serves as a platform for this clash of teams.

However, there’s much more to this rivalry than just the distance between the two cities, which is what we’ll explore in this article. We’ll take a closer look at the roots of this conflict, the connection between the two cities, the on and off-field clashes over the years, and what the future has in store for supporters.

The roots of rivalry

While this rivalry is still relatively young in comparison to what we see from soccer teams in Europe and South America, we need to remember that the MLS is a new league in relative terms, and many of the rivalries are still in their infancy. However, the animosity between these two cities stretches back further, thanks to the baseball connection, as shown by the so-called I-70 Series, which involves both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals.

In soccer, however, this rivalry laid dormant for many years with Sporting Kansas City being the only major soccer team in the area, although their solitary existence wouldn’t last forever. In 2023, St. Louis City SC joined the MLS as an expansion team, giving fans plenty of reasons to be excited while also reigniting this regional rivalry between these two industrious cities.

Despite being a new expansion side, St. Louis has long claimed to be the birthplace of soccer America, giving the city a strong level of soccer heritage, much to the annoyance of their neighbors. In contrast to this, and likely as a jab eastwards, Sporting Kansas City has recently started referring to itself as the “Soccer Capital of America,” which has even reached the legal realm with trademark lawsuits being filed against a St. Louis City SC fan-produced podcast named “The Soccer Capitol Podcast.”

The Early On-Field Signs of a True Rivalry

Having only appeared in the 2023 season following St Louis City SC’s entry into the MLS, there isn’t as much lore as other soccer match-ups, but there have still been several key clashes in just a couple of years. In the rivalry’s inaugural season, the results were split, with St Louis City SC coming out victors in a 4-0 win before Sporting Kansas City managed to regain some pride with a 2-1 win later in the year.

Despite being fairly well-matched during the regular season, Sporting Kansas City came out on top during the playoff round after beating St. Louis City SC 4-1 and 2-1 in a best-of-three series, showing that even when they appear to be struggling, they are still capable of turning the tables, in this case, by beating a top side with their midwestern rivals, ending the regular season as the number one seeded team in the division.

The drama continued during the 2024 season with a thrilling 3-3 draw in Kansas City being one of the most memorable and thrilling in the brief history of the rivalry, although a 3-1 victory for the home side in St. Louis later in the season certainly gave the Mound City side bragging rights.

Few would have guessed that such a young club would be able to establish itself as a genuine rival in such a short period, but for fans wanting to stay ahead of the curve, checking out Ask Gamblers online can be helpful, especially for fans based abroad and not in among the action.

The Rise of Fan Culture and Stadium Atmosphere

While St. Louis City SC might be a relatively new team, the strong love for soccer in the city means that the local supporters, known as St. Louligans, didn’t waste any time in embracing their team and fully getting behind the players.

However, on the other side of Missouri, Sportling Kansas City fans have a unique culture of their very own, creating a strong atmosphere in the Cauldron, which is a key part of the Children’s Mercy Park experience.

This strong local interest in soccer has resulted in the rise of fan culture in both Kansas City and St. Louis, and while some of the banter is inter4esting; the “You’re not in Kansas anymore” tifo displayed by the St. Louis supporters is certainly eye-catching and is perfect from those wanting to provoke a reaction from the Sporting Kansas City fans.

Due to the teams being located relatively nearby, by MLS standards at least, both teams also enjoy large contingents of away fans making the trip to the neighboring stadiums, which is a rare occurrence in American soccer.

Along with the rise of fan culture in and around the stadium on matchdays, the supporters have also taken to the online realm to share their voices and discuss the latest news. From interviews on social media to clipped-up podcasts on YouTube, fans now have more ways than ever to engage with their club and poke fun at their rivals. Similarly, both teams have taken part in creative stunts aimed at provoking a reaction, such as the St. Louis billboards welcoming Sporting Kansas City fans with sly digs.

Final Thoughts

While this rivalry is still relatively young, the early signs are that this could be one of the most promising rivalries in the entire MLS. With plenty of historical tension between the inhabitants of both cities, as well as the geographical proximity, there is no reason to believe that this won’t soon become a major fixture in the MLS calendar each season.