Pre-match Preview: St. Louis CITY SC opens 2026 season against Charlotte FC

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Matrix Midwest) - St. Louis CITY SC will kick off 2026 against Charlotte FC at Energizer Park this Saturday.

The last time St. Louis and Charlotte faced off was in 2023, when CITY captured its first-ever home win.

Four CITY players will be out for the home opener. Fallou Fall, Thomas Ostrak and Tyson Pearce are all out with lower-body injuries. Eduard Löwen is out for non-injury-related reasons.

Despite not making the playoffs for a second straight year in 2025, CITY SC scored 20 goals in its final 10 matches.

Over 20 players contributed to at least one goal in the 2025 regular season, the most in MLS last year.

Among them, Marcel Hartel finished the season with 15 goal contributions, earning eight in seven matches.

Following an offseason of moves, CITY SC will be without several notable players, including its all-time leading goal scorer, João Klauss, who scored in the club’s last meeting with Charlotte.

The Crown finished 4th in the Eastern Conference in 2025, scoring 55 goals and posting a 13-3-1 home record and a 6-1-10 road record.

Forwards Wilfried Zaha and Idan Toklomati, and midfielder Pep Biel each contributed in double-digit goal tallies for Charlotte FC during the 2025 regular season. And they are all returning for 2026.

St. Louis is 3-0 in season openers and will look to continue that streak this Saturday.

Kick off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Energizer Park.

For more on St. Louis CITY SC, click here.

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