CITY vs Sporting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Cole Sutton

@CSuttonCITY

CITY traveled across state lines this weekend for the first of two matchups against their biggest rival, Sporting Kansas. The away derby match drew plenty of traveling supporters making the trip up I-70 to support the Boys in Red, but those who made it to the Furniture Mart were left feeling frustrated as St. Louis failed to find the back of the net for the third straight game. With a handful of dangerous chances missed and a real lack of urgency offensively, supporters are starting to question where expectations should be for the third-year club. St. Louis hasn't scored in normal play for almost a month, dating back to the 3-0 victory at LA Galaxy.

A 2-0 defeat against a club that had just fired their manager of nearly 20 years, only had one point through six games, and was still searching for their first win is just unacceptable. Even with the amount of injuries piling up for the Allcaps. As someone who made the trip to Kansas, the crowd did its job, bringing plenty of noise and making their voices heard, but they just weren't left with much to cheer about as CITY has hit a real slump, highlighted by poor finishing and a lack of clinical finishing in the final third.

We recap the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Saturday's 2-0 loss against Sporting Kansas:

The Good

Conrad Wallem

Conrad Wallem's impact was evident throughout both halves Saturday night, being involved in quite a bit of the club's offensive build-up. CITY's number 6 was responsible for plenty of dangerous looks, both putting shots on net and creating lots of chances, attempting to get his teammates involved. Outside of the missed chance in the 16th minute that hit the post, Wallem also set up teammates in great positions early and often, like the pass into Watts shortly after the post. He also had an incredible run along the left and cut inside before playing a beautiful low-driven ball to Watts, who couldn't hit it cleanly in the penalty area around the 68th minute.

The 24-year-old Norwegian was the target of a lot of over-the-top long balls that CITY were playing to try and stretch out Sporting's backline early on. I felt there were also multiple instances where Klauss or Hartel could have fed Wallem on the break to possibly make something happen, but held onto the ball a touch too long and either had it taken away or would stop and hold up play. It was a very positive showing for me and just further solidifies that the former Slavia Prague player should be a lock in our starting lineup, barring any injuries.

Wallem was the highest-rated player on the pitch for St. Louis, according to FotMob's rankings at 7.8, and I think it was very well deserved. His defense could use some improvement, but the connections with Celio, Klauss, and Hartel gave plenty of promising looks that just weren't slotted away. If only he had buried that early chance that rang off the woodwork, this match would have looked a lot different.

Celio Pompeu

Celio Pompeu earning his first start of 2025 was also very well deserved after the performance we saw from him last weekend off the bench against Austin. The Brazilian brings a certain energy and creativity that CITY have been so desperately lacking through seven games this season. If fitness wasn't an issue, Pompeu should have been out there for the full 90 minutes. In only 65 minutes, he had an 88% accurate passing percentage, two chances created, 18 touches, going 3-for-3 on successful dribbles, and winning 5-of-6 duels defensively according to FotMob.

It was a breath of fresh air to see the former CITY2 man taking defenders on 1v1 and beating them off the dribble, something that St. Louis desperately needed with the lack of offense so far. I would love to see Celio continue to build his fitness up and be included in the starting XI regularly, especially if he looks like he did Saturday night. After a gruesome injury last season that sidelined him for months, not only seeing him on the pitch but seeing him impact the match positively is an incredible sight for CITY supporters.

Honorable Mention: Traveling Support

Just wanted to give a shoutout to all of the traveling CITY fans who braved the storm and packed the stands in KC. The energy was palpable, and the noise was brought early and often. Even inside the press box at CMP, I was able to hear the drums and chants coming from that corner covered in red. Despite the on-field product being a letdown, it's always a great opportunity to show off our fanbase and showcase the passion for the club during a road I-70 derby (especially when the stadium is half empty).

The Bad

Josh Yaro

I don't want to harp too much on specific players negatively, but if I had to choose two players to spotlight, it would be the defenders we had along the right-hand side. I felt that being in-person, I saw Yaro either let his man behind him on a break or just simply get beat off the dribble multiple times. While he did well passing the ball, Yaro struggled defensively according to the FotMob numbers. Zero tackles won, zero interceptions, and 1-for-4 on defensive duels. Despite a rough showing Saturday, Yaro is an incredible presence in the CITY locker room which became even more evident when he was the only player available to the media postgame.

I like to see him getting some minutes, and I believe the Ghanaian international playing well and being in positive spirits can have a lot more effect in the locker room than supporters may believe.

Akil Watts

Watts was tied with Yaro for the lowest-rated CITY player (5.8) according to FotMob. It has never been more glaring how much Tomas Totland brings to the table and balances the CITY attack than after the last couple of matches without him. Watts only completed 58% of his passing (15/26), created zero chances, missed a big chance on the feed from Wallem, zero tackles, two interceptions, and went 0-for-5 on defensive duels.

I didn't hate the former CITY2 player in the midfield paired with Durkin while Löwen is out, but it was tough to watch him out wide Saturday night. Not just himself specifically though, the entire right-hand side of St. Louis' lineup needed to be more involved and create a little bit more offensively. In a game that was so heavily dominated by Wallem, Celio, and Klauss building up through the left, it would have been nice to shake things up a bit and balance out the attack from both sides of the pitch.

The Ugly

Missed Chances

This one was glaringly obvious. No goals for the third straight game, multiple big chances missed both in the first and second halves, no urgency once going down a goal in the 72nd minute. CITY finished with 11 total shots (4 SOG), an xG of 1.10, and FOUR big chances missed. Wallem and Watts shortly after one another in the 16th & 17th minute, Hartel in the 54th, Watts again around the 68-minute mark after a beautiful ball by Wallem, and even Becher's stoppage time chance that went straight to the keeper.

A game that St. Louis absolutely should (and could) have won if they just finished the chances that they created, which there were plenty of. That's where the frustration comes in for me, the number of chances St. Louis had that were clear goalscoring opportunities, and just a touch of quality would've put you on the scoresheet. If you're on the other end of a backline like CITY's has been recently, you can understand you faced a solid defensive unit that shuts down chances and doesn't allow attackers much space, but Sporting hadn't won a game this season and gave up 12 goals in the process!

This could have been the match where the Boys in Red come out firing, put two or three past Sporting, and make a statement win on the road in Kansas for the first time. Instead, we're left not only frustrated, but truly dumbfounded on where this team is headed and if these problems are becoming long-term issues.

I've seen a lot of people on social media question Olof and his tactics/decision making, but even Yaro in the postgame presser spoke on the players taking accountability. These are the transfers who were scoring at will at the end of last season, some players even still around from the inaugural season earning a number one seed in the West. I'm not sure what the fix is, but I know something has got to change within this CITY club if we want to contend for a playoff spot this season.

Up Next:

St. Louis will return home to Energizer Park for two straight home matches against the 2023 champion Columbus Crew on 4/13, followed by Vancouver next week on the 19th.