David Critchley expresses pride in St. Louis City’s passion despite their poor form, highlighting their commitment and physical performance ahead of their match against the Houston Dynamo. St. Louis aims to leverage home advantage, while Houston seeks to break their winless streak. Key players to watch include Joao Klauss for St. Louis and Antonio Carlos for Houston. Opta predicts a St. Louis City win with a 41.5% probability.
St. Louis City's interim coach, David Critchley, has lauded his team's unwavering passion and commitment as they gear up to face the Houston Dynamo. Despite a challenging run of form, Critchley remains optimistic about his squad's potential and the effort they consistently display on the field.
St. Louis City finds themselves in a tough spot, having secured only one victory in their last five matches, while suffering four defeats. The most recent setback occurred against a revamped Vancouver Whitecaps side, highlighted by Thomas Muller's dramatic 104th-minute penalty. The late goal marked Muller's debut for Vancouver and sealed a painful 3-2 loss for St. Louis at BC Place.
Prior to that, St. Louis endured another heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Chicago Fire. Brian Gutierrez's 87th-minute winner left St. Louis empty-handed, adding to the frustration of a team struggling to convert effort into tangible results. These late-game collapses underscore the need for St. Louis to maintain focus and composure throughout the entire match.
Despite the unfavorable results, Critchley maintains a strong sense of pride in his players' dedication. He firmly believes that their performances have often warranted more favorable outcomes. "We came into this game today at 14th in the league," Critchley stated during the post-match press conference, highlighting the team's current position in the Western Conference standings.
"To watch these guys perform like they did, it’s massive amounts of being proud and being happy," he continued, emphasizing his admiration for the team's on-field efforts. Critchley believes that the team has consistently put themselves in winning positions, only to be undone by late-game lapses or moments of brilliance from their opponents. "You know, we go ahead and get ourselves in a great position away from home against a very, very tough opponent. We did enough to win the football game."
Critchley also pointed to the team's impressive physical output this season, indicating that the underlying data supports his assessment of their commitment. "You know, we’re looking at some of the data right now, just the physical data, and I think it’s one of the top three for our best-ever recorded data in a game," Critchley revealed, suggesting that the team's physical conditioning and work rate are among the best they've ever recorded.
"So that just shows the commitment, the passion, the effort, everything that these guys have put into it," he added, underscoring the correlation between the team's physical performance and their overall dedication. Critchley believes that the players' unwavering commitment deserves to be rewarded with better results.
"They deserved so much more than a loss and I’m super proud of them," Critchley concluded, reiterating his strong support for the team and his belief in their potential.
Currently positioned 14th in the Western Conference with 21 points from 27 matches, St. Louis City is preparing to host the Houston Dynamo at Energizer Park. The upcoming match presents an opportunity for St. Louis to turn their fortunes around and capitalize on their home advantage. Facing fellow underachievers Houston, St. Louis will be aiming to secure a much-needed victory and climb up the conference standings.
Houston currently sits 12th in the West with 29 points from 27 matches. They are coming off a 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes in their last outing, which extended their MLS winless streak to six matches. Cristian Arango and Ian Harkes scored for San Jose, while Antonio Carlos' 72nd-minute goal proved insufficient to spark a comeback for the Dynamo. Houston will be eager to break their winless streak and secure a positive result on the road.
Working for it pic.twitter.com/hvxVBlz1Ui
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) August 27, 2025
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Joao Klauss
Joao Klauss found the net in St. Louis’ 3-2 loss to Vancouver, bringing his MLS goal tally to nine for the season. Eduard Lowen also scored against the Whitecaps.
Klauss (24) and Lowen (15) are the top two goalscorers in St. Louis’ MLS history, but Saturday’s match marked only the third time both players have scored in the same game.
Houston Dynamo – Antonio Carlos
Carlos scored his first goal of the season in the Dynamo’s defeat to San Jose last Saturday.
He is the fifth different defender to score for Houston in 2025, with only San Jose and Philadelphia (six each) having more different defenders score this season.
MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS WIN
St. Louis City enters Sunday’s match as favorites, with expectations high for them to capitalize on their home advantage. They have a perfect record against the Dynamo at home, winning all three encounters, including both regular-season meetings at Energizer Park with a 3-0 scoreline.
Conversely, Houston arrives in dismal form, with their winless streak extending to nine matches across all competitions (D3 L6) following their 2-1 loss to the Earthquakes.
The Dynamo have only managed two wins in their last 14 matches, although one of those victories came against St. Louis City (1-0 on June 28), providing a glimmer of hope for their upcoming clash.
Up Next: Hosting Houston at @Energizer_Park #AllForCITY x @Energizer pic.twitter.com/41baclHuO6
— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) August 27, 2025
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City – 41.5%
Draw – 26.7%
Houston Dynamo – 31.8%