It took over two hours of play and a penalty shootout for St. Louis City SC to win their first trophy in club history, defeating the Columbus Crew 5-3 on Wednesday in the Lamar Hunt U.S. For the first time in 11 years, an Open Cup final was decided via a penalty shootout, and it came after St.
Louis' starting keeper, Roman Burki, had to be taken to the hospital after being kneed in the head in the 78th minute of play. Benjamin Lundt came in for Burki, making his fourth appearance of the season and his second in relief of Burki in an Open Cup penalty shootout. He only saved the first penalty by Santi Rodriguez, but that would be more than enough for St.
Louis to get the job done. Their takers were clinical under pressure, as midfielder Daniel Edelman went down the middle to seal the win after playing all 120-plus minutes. "It's just the next guy up.
He had another save in the first half, and he's throwing his body on the line there. He's done it in Europe, and he's playing here now in MLS, and he's still doing what he did in Europe," Edelman said after the game to CBS Sports, praising his keepers following the match. "It's phenomenal for him and Ben.
He started it for us in the Open Cup and had a big penalty save against Houston, and he did it here again today." During the trophy lift, the team had Berki's jersey on display since he was at the hospital to be checked out. He was conscious and able to move while leaving the stadium, but it's never a good moment when a player has to be stretchered off, especially in a final, but his team managed to pull it off for him, adding to the Gateway to the West's rich history. Louis is no stranger to winning this competition, so it's only fitting that the first trophy in the history of the MLS club, which began play in 2023, is the U.S.
Between 1920 and 1988, the city of St. Louis won the Open Cup 10 times, with the Busch Seniors being the most recent to win in 1988 before St. Louis City SC ended the drought.
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