WHO: St. Louis FC, 6-4-4, 22 points, 3rd place Eastern Conference

WHAT: A regular season USL Championship Group E match, and also what may be the last Kings’ Cup match ever played

WHEN: Saturday, September 26, 2020, 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: West Community Stadium in Fenton, MO

WATCH: Stream on ESPN+, listen on 840 WHAS, TV on WBKI

WHO, AGAIN? This match won’t be played without a hint of sadness or at least melancholy, as St. Louis is folding after this season to make way for MLS.

That sucks. St. Louis was the first club Louisville City ever played a real match against. Their supporters directly and indirectly taught many of us how to really support a club. They were a key part in helping the USL reach new heights in the past six years. They don’t deserve to be swept into the waste bin so that richer owners can play soccer on their terms, regardless of how you feel about the system that allows and almost encourages that exact result. I really don’t like any of this, and I honestly feel terrible for the great people that have carried the flag for STLFC all these years and even before they’d kicked a ball.

All that said, this is still a competitive match, and one that both clubs really want to win. For St. Louis, they need points to climb into a playoff spot and make their final game of the season against Indy matter for something. Louisville City wants the points so they can host a second round playoff match against whoever comes out of the other side of the bracket. On top of all that, the Kings’ Cup hangs in the balance, as the clubs are 1-1-1 this season. St. Louis could claim it for the first time ever with a win tonight, while a draw or a loss means City keeps it, possibly forever.

Some hardware would be a nice parting gift to St. Louisans, and I’m sympathetic to their plight here. But I’m not that sympathetic.

We can probably expect City’s A lineup in this match, Lundt, Totsch, Souahy, Oscar, and McMahon across the back, Speedy, Bone & Paolo in the midfield, and Hoppenot, Matsoso and Cam up top. For St. Louis, it’ll probably be Kyle Morton, Phan Kavita, Tobi Adewole, Paris Gee, Richard Bryan, Wal Fall, Oscar Umar, Guy Abend, Russell Cicerone, Kyle Grieg, and Tyler Blackwood. Sam Fink and Todd Wharton got sent off in their midweek match at Indy XYZ, so they won’t be available.

This will be a tough match. It’s away against an angry squad fighting to play more matches than the ones presently on the schedule, and fighting for contracts next season. There’s a whole lot at stake here. City will really need to bear down and keep their cool to come away with a result.

It’s not what anyone wants, but it’s what it is. Vamos Morados.