The top two teams in the Western Conference get together as St. Louis City SC host LAFC at the CITYPARK in a late-season showdown.
Having won their first five matches of the season, a record for an expansion team, St. Louis has been on top of the West every day of the season and can stretch their lead to eight points over the Black and Gold with a win.
The defending MLS Cup champions stopped a four-match winless run with a 4-2 victory in the latest chapter of El Trafico against the Los Angeles Galaxy and they look to close the cap on St. Louis with a game in hand.
LAFC have never lost to an expansion team, posting a perfect 7-0-0 record.
Team news
St. Louis City SC
Swedish midfielder Rasmus Alm is expected to be sidelined until mid-October with a groin injury but Sam Adeniran, St. Louis' second-leading scorer, is back in the side after serving a one-match ban.
The Black and Gold will be without Diego Rosales as the 17-year-old defender has a lower extremity injury and Diego Palacios will also miss out through suspension due to yellow card accumulation.
Predicted lineups
St. Louis City SC: Burki; Nerwinski, Parker, Nilsson, Markanich; Lowen, Blom, Pompeu, Stroud; Klauss, Adeniran
LAFC: Crepeau; Hollingshead, Long, Chiellini, Palacios; Acosta, Sanchez, Tillman; Olivera, Bouanga, Vela
Ones to watch
Roman Burki (St. Louis City SC)
While St. Louis have an explosive offense with many different weapons in attack, Burki has also been one of the club's standout performers.
Signed from German giants Borussia Dortmund, he's the odds-on favorite to win MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, leading the league with 108 saves.
Denis Bouanga (LAFC)
In the conversation for MLS MVP, Bouanga is tied with reigning MVP Hany Mukhtar and Giorgios Giakoumakis for the league lead in goals with 14.
He snapped a five-match goalless drought in LAFC's win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, scoring twice and he will need to be at his best against the best team in the Western Conference.
Previous meetings
The only other prior matchup between the two sides came two months ago as LAFC scored three goals in the final 18 minutes en route to a 3-0 victory.
A cheeky backheel by Jose Cifuentes found Carlos Vela and after streaking down the right, he fires an unstoppable 30-yard shot into the back of the net.
Ten minutes later, the lead was doubled as Stipe Buik scored on the counterattack from a feed by Bouanga and Cifuentes added a third in the 92nd minute.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on Apple TV + with their number one announcing team on the call. Jake Zivin is the play-by-play announcer while Taylor Twellman will serve as the analyst.
Kickoff is set for 8:30pm Eastern time.