Throughout much of the 20th century, lifting the US Open Cup often meant overcoming a side from St Louis. During several loosely organized periods in American soccer, the Gateway City produced many of the country’s strongest teams, with six clubs collecting a combined 10 titles. The latest of those triumphs came in 1988, when St Louis Busch Seniors defeated San Francisco’s Greek-American AC near the end of an era in which amateur and semi-professional sides dominated the competition. Since the league began operating in 1996, its teams have captured every Open Cup except one, while St Louis did not receive a club in the competition until 2023.
Club officials spoke from the outset about returning St Louis to a leading position in American soccer. That objective has now been achieved. St Louis City defeated the Columbus Crew 5-4 in an away penalty shootout to become US Open Cup champions, ending the city’s 38-year wait for a major national soccer trophy and securing qualification for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Daniel Edelman converted the winning kick after substitute goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who entered during the second half, stopped Columbus’ opening penalty.
Given the city’s deep connection to the sport, it was appropriate that City’s first silverware came in the country’s oldest soccer tournament. Wednesday’s contest was the 109th Open Cup final. The competition began in 1913–14 and has been staged continuously apart from a two-year suspension caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
St Louis achieved the feat under the league’s youngest head coach, 36-year-old Frenchman Yoann Damet. He previously served as Wilfried Nancy’s leading assistant in Columbus but was overlooked for the senior position when Nancy departed. St Louis can now be grateful that he was available.
Although Columbus and St Louis are often among the country’s most attractive teams to watch, both began the final with a cautious approach. St Louis controlled around 60% of possession during the first half-hour without registering a shot. Columbus looked slightly more purposeful when they gained the ball, moving forward and attempting to create opportunities for Brais Méndez, but Roman Bürki’s goal remained largely untroubled.
Referee Guido Gonzales Jr ended the opening period immediately after the 45th minute. Following such an uneventful half, there was little justification for additional time.
The cautious pattern continued after the restart. Columbus increasingly pushed the action toward the St Louis goal and recorded 11 touches inside the opposing penalty area before the visitors managed their first. Even so, Bürki prevented their only attempt on target from finding the net. St Louis, meanwhile, committed more fouls in an effort to disrupt the Crew’s momentum.
The match shifted in the 69th minute when Columbus again broke into the St Louis area. Santi Rodríguez was struck from behind by Carlo Holse, but the referee allowed play to continue. Méndez gathered the loose ball, moved left across the edge of the box and slipped a pass through to former Morocco international Anass Zaroury. Bürki bravely blocked Zaroury’s shot but was hit in the head by the wing-back’s knee and remained on the ground after the attack ended.
While the former Switzerland international received treatment, the video officials had time to examine Holse’s original challenge and eventually decided not to award a penalty. After being assessed for six minutes, Bürki was carried off on a stretcher to applause from around the stadium. A later television update indicated that he was doing well, although he was taken to hospital for further checks. Lundt replaced him. The goalkeeper had served mainly as a backup since arriving in the league in 2019, but he had already proved decisive in a shootout for St Louis by helping them defeat Houston in the quarter-finals.
Columbus then suffered another injury when promising midfielder Taha Habroune appeared to develop a leg-muscle problem. Eric Bailly came on, with captain Sean Zawadzki moving into midfield to adjust the formation. The fourth official announced 11 added minutes, reflecting the lengthy stoppage for Bürki’s treatment and perhaps compensating for the lack of additional time before the interval. Support from the Nordecke grew louder, but the game remained highly physical. St Louis appeared to create a promising opening inside the area during the 10th added minute, only for United States international Damion Downs to lose control with a heavy touch before he could shoot.
The referee ended regulation one minute later. Columbus had outshot St Louis 16-3, yet neither side had scored or secured the trophy after 90 minutes. A further half-hour of intense, physical play was required.
Neither team gave ground during the early stages of extra time. Strong tackles continued at both ends, while the resulting set pieces produced little reward.
Timo Baumgartl opened the shootout by converting his kick. Columbus’ Santi Rodriguez then aimed to Lundt’s left, but the goalkeeper denied him with a firm left hand. Both teams scored their following three penalties, although Lundt came close to stopping Andrés Herrera’s fourth-round attempt with his fingertips. Edelman then calmly converted the decisive kick to seal the trophy.
The domestic schedule offered little assistance to either finalist, as both had played away matches over the weekend, though St Louis benefited from one additional day of recovery. They also entered the final without striker Rafael Navarro. Despite being a leading candidate for the season’s Best XI, Navarro had represented the Colorado Rapids through the quarter-final stage and was therefore ineligible to play for St Louis during the remainder of the tournament.
Columbus had recently challenged for honors across several competitions under Nancy, but his departure at the end of 2025 forced the club to change direction. Instead of promoting Damet, his principal assistant, Columbus recruited Henrik Rydström from outside the league. The Swede, who described himself as a follower of “relationism”, struggled to adjust and quickly guided the Crew toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference. He was dismissed in May after only 17 games.
Columbus replaced him with Laurent Courtois, another coach influenced by Nancy. Damet, meanwhile, has emerged as a leading contender for coach of the year, has St Louis on course for a top-three finish in the Western Conference and can now call himself an Open Cup winner.
Columbus will inevitably consider how events might have unfolded had the club chosen continuity and retained Damet. Their missed opportunity has benefited St Louis, who will hope this title is merely the first of several trophies under the league’s youngest manager.
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