Returning from the mid-season break following the Leagues Cup, Sporting KC knew they'd need to rally off some unlikely wins to keep their hopes alive to make the playoffs. If there was any game to circle on the calendar where a win could change this season, it was going to be their matchup with the Western Conference-leading Saint Louis SC.

Despite a 7-11-8 record heading into the game, Sporting fans have known this team has plenty of talent on the pitch and their record is more a reflection of losing many close games they could have won. For anyone who didn't believe so, they showed it in the potentially season-changing win. Playing against a neighboring city, Children's Mercy Park hosted a polarizing atmosphere with a split number of visiting and home fans in support, causing a unique and exciting energy throughout the entire game. This match also featured the return of Sporting's star goalkeeper Tim Melia. Early on, however, it looked grim that his presence would be enough to limit the best scoring club in the league; an attack averaging nearly 2 goals per contest. Samuel Adeniran delivered an absolute strike at 21 minutes in a sequence that Saint Louis turned defense into offense in a flash, putting KC in a hole early that seemed to be difficult to claw out of.

As we've seen all season though, Alan Pulido wasn't going to go down that easy. A quick 10 minutes later, he scored on the equalizer that swung the momentum back toward all of KC's home fans in attendance. If that wasn't enough, on the setup of a crafty handle and find by Jacob Davis, Pulido once again was in the right spot at the perfect time, now just before the half to take the lead. After the break, it appeared immediately that a duel of Pulido vs. Adeniran was under way when another equalizer was thought to have scored, but a fortunate offside call kept KC in the lead. Needing to close out the win, Sporting still found multiple opportunities to extend their lead and Melia's return led the defense to a much needed excellent performance. In the end, Sporting KC finished with a convincing 2-1 victory that showed they truly can play up with the best.