Sporting KC II v St. Louis FC: Preview, Starting XI, and Prediction

Sporting Kansas City II vs St. Louis FC

When: Saturday, August 15th, 7:00 PM CT

Where: West Community Stadium, Fenton, Missouri

How to Watch: ESPN+ ($4.99/month or 49.99 annually)

Since Wednesday’s match was postponed, Sporting Kansas City II will be looking to grab some points against St. Louis FC for the second straight match.

The two sides played out to a 1-1 draw in their last meeting, with a last-gasp effort from a corner kick for STL to find the stoppage time equalizer on August 5. This was also SKC II’s most recent outing, which means that after playing five games in 19 days and using nearly the entire roster, SKC II will be coming off 10 days rest for the first time since play resumed.

While a draw wasn’t a terrible result, conceding the equalizer in the last action of the match was brutal. Sporting II will need to get those points back and terminate the three point gap that STL currently has over them.

Wilson Harris will be eager to return to the score sheet for the first time this month, looking to add to his team-leading two goals this season. SKC II will be without three players total, including starting goalkeeper Brooks Thompson and winger Enoch Mushagalusa for unspecified reasons.

St. Louis FC

While the big story around St. Louis lately has been the announcement of their MLS team’s name and crest, an underlying story throughout the USL has been the uncertain future of St. Louis FC, who reportedly have until the end of August to tell the USL if they will return in 2021.

While the future is up in the air, they still bring forward some players that can do damage in front of goal. The forward duo of former Swope Park Ranger Tyler Blackwood and Benedictine Raven Kyle Greig have combined for 30 goals in 91 appearances.

St. Louis is coming off a tough 2-0 defeat at home to an unbeaten FC Tulsa team last Saturday. In a total of 11 previous meetings with Sporting KC II, STL have won four times, lost twice, and drawn five along with being unbeaten at home.

Predicted Starting XI

For my predicted XI, I anticipate three changes will be made to Paulo Nagamura’s side. With Thompson and Mushagalusa out, I expect Remi Prieur to get his second start with SKC II (new signing Gavin Krenecki should be on the bench) while Jaret Townsend will likely get the start on the wing. Another option on the wing is Dominik Resetar, who has primarily played center forward since joining on loan from Dinamo Zagreb II earlier this year but has a single start out wide.

Final Prediction

Sporting KC II has played well since their return to play, and that leads me to believe that they can get a good result. Having said that, being taken out of their rhythm with so much rest can also have a negative impact.

For my final prediction, I think SKC II can grab all three points for the first time ever with a 3-1 win. Last time these two teams met, there were quite a few chances that both sides didn’t capitalize on.