For much of the 20th century, winning the US Open Cup required a team to beat someone from St Louis. The Gateway City was home to many of the nation’s best teams during some ramshackle eras of soccer in the United States, with six different clubs combining for 10 trophy lifts. The most recent came in 1988, when St Louis Busch Seniors beat San Francisco-based Greek-American AC in the last throes of a tournament history dominated by amateur and semi-pro teams.
MLS has won every Open Cup but one since starting play in 1996, and St Louis didn’t have an MLS club until 2023. From the beginning, club figures spoke of aims to restore the city to soccer prominence. Well, mission accomplished.
St Louis City are US Open Cup champions, outlasting the Columbus Crew 5-4 on penalties away from home to end the city’s 38-year wait for a major US soccer title and earn a place in the field for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup. Daniel Edelman scored the decisive penalty, with backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt making a save on Columbus’ first attempt, himself having entered the match in the second half. Fittingly given their home city’s rich soccer history, City’s first trophy is also the nation’s oldest.
Wednesday marked the 109th final in the history of the Open Cup, which was first held in 1913–14 and has run continuously save for a two-year hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, St Louis did so with MLS’s youngest manager – Yoann Damet, the 36-year-old Frenchman who was previously Wilfried Nancy’s top assistant in Columbus but was passed over for the top job after Nancy left. St Louis will be thankful that he was.
Often two of the nation’s most aesthetically pleasing teams, Columbus and St Louis opened the final by minimizing risk. For the opening half-hour, St Louis carried a 60% share of possession but failed to muster a single shot. The hosts were a bit more incisive whenever they found the ball, working to advance upfield and trying to fashion chances for Brais Méndez, but failed to threaten Roman Bürki’s net.
Referee Guido Gonzales Jr promptly blew his half-time whistle after the 45th minute. No need for stoppage time after that half, and few could argue. Both teams returned with intentions to sustain the caginess after the break.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
