St. Louis City SC Claims Historic First U.S. Open Cup Victory in Penalty Shootout Thriller

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. Open Cup final. 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. Roman was a hero. 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.

The city of St. 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. Open Cup. 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. Edelman summed up what it meant to everyone.

“It’s the first trophy for me and for a lot of guys in this city because you look up there and you see that [the support from away fans] and they completely deserve to have some silverware and for us as a team, what we’ve been through this year, it’s phenomenal for us to have this night and have this trophy,” he said.

Speaking to members of that ’88 team, there were times that they didn’t think that St. Louis would see another U.S. Open Cup title, but under Yoann Damet, this team has come together in a big way, and being able to overcome injuries to secure the Open Cup title with their backup keeper is another way that they’ve showcased their resilience. Heading into the weekend, St. Louis had a 21-game unbeaten run snapped, and there was no issue being able to regain focus in this critical moment.

Columbus dominated the chances for much of the game, taking 16 shots, but only three tested the St. Louis keepers as their defense bent but didn’t break. This is preparation at its finest, but this team also isn’t done. Damet wants to make sure to enjoy this trophy, but doing the double is the next goal as they’ve risen to second in the Western Conference. This is a team that will want to win the MLS Cup and secure the league title, and Damet made sure to acknowledge that.

“You always want to fill the trophy cabinet, and it takes time. Success is not built overnight, so we started the team thinking, let’s implement a clear vision and a clear identity of how we want to do things, and see how far we can go in year one,” Damet told CBS Sports. “This is still phase one of what we’re gonna be, so I’m very happy with what we’ve been able to do. Our consistency in the league and winning a trophy is an amazing testament to the work of the guys. At the same time, it means so much for the city and for the community, and I’m so happy.”

If this is only phase one with a 36-year-old coach at the helm who is also being backed by the front office, MLS may be hearing more from this club before long.

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