Throughout the season, as fans post on their Instagram stories, you might be wondering: where are the STL City final scores? Following their first place finish in the MLS Western Conference in their inaugural season, they now sit in second to last place without a head coach, and there haven’t been many winning scores to post about. However, the St. Louis Cardinals have had the opposite season. Following a heavily disappointing 2023 season and a slow start in 2024, they have jump started their performance, making a push for the division and the playoffs.

Throughout City’s 25 games this season, they have secured four wins, 11 draws and 10 losses: for a total of 23 points. According to ESPN.com’s most recent power rankings, they are ranked 27th of 30 teams.

There are multiple ways that fans can look at this season, they can see it as who the team truly is and the first season was a fluke, or they can take a deeper dive into the stats and season and realize that next year, City can hopefully be back on top. First, City was missing multiple of their top goalscorers for a significant amount this season. João Klauss leads all City players with five goals, but he hasn’t played in six of City’s games due to a sprained MCL. Eduard Löwen and Célio Pompeu have played in 17 and 15 games respectively and are tied in second with Nökkvi Thorisson and Indiana Vassilev with three goals. Löwen has largely missed time to both a knee and hamstring injury, while Pompeu is out for the rest of the season with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle. With Klauss and Löwen both missing significant time, they have been without their two highest point scorers from last year, causing an underwhelming offensive attack that has the seventh lowest amount of goals scored: 32. 

However, there have still been bright spots for fans to look forward to. Roman Bürki was named to another all star team and has been a stud for them in goal. Along with that, interim manager John Hackworth looks to bring a new vibe into the locker room. Barring injuries next season, the team will be bringing back many of their key parts. Along with that, the team has money to spend. They rank dead last in payroll, with Lionel Messi earning an equivalent amount to the team.

As you travel further into downtown St. Louis, you reach Busch Stadium and a team that soared from the bottom of the division into second place and a wild card spot. While the lineup might have shocked any fan three years ago, no one can deny that it’s working right now. 

While many fans criticized the team because of their lack of big signings after last offseason, the signees have performed their roles adequately. Sonny Gray has been worth his contract year $75 million contract, leading qualified Cardinal pitchers in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn have also exceeded supporter’s expectations holding ERAs around 4. Ryan Helsley set a new franchise record with 31 straight saves, before it was broken in an extra inning game, in which he still got the win. 

The offense had many surprises. After top prospect Jordan Walker struggled early in the season he was sent down to AAA, and Masyn Winn stepped up. He has largely been in the leadoff spot, batting near .280 with an OBP nearing .330. However, the biggest surprise has been Alec Burleson, who leads the team in batting average and RBIs, all while earning the league minimum. 

This team has been looking into gaining another big arm or bat at the trade deadline, and don’t be surprised when they make a push towards the playoffs, as they are looking to get back many key players that were starters last year. 

While the seasons between these two teams have been opposites, one thing stays true: St. Louis fans are actively supporting the teams in the stands. City has sold out each of its 12 home games and the Cardinals are sixth in average attendance in the majors. Each team knows that the city of St. Louis will always be for them no matter what.