St. Louis City SC win U.S. Open Cup on penalties — SkimNews
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- St. Louis City SC won their first trophy in club history, beating Columbus Crew 5-3 on penalties in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup final — the first Open Cup final decided by a shootout in 11 years.
- Roman Burki was kneed in the head in the 78th minute and taken to the hospital, and the club displayed his jersey during the trophy lift while he remained under observation.
- Benjamin Lundt, who replaced Burki, saved Santi Rodriguez's opening penalty — the only save St. Louis needed as all five of their takers converted, with Daniel Edelman sealing it by going down the middle.
- St. Louis ended a 36-year Open Cup drought dating to the Busch Seniors' 1988 title; the city had won the competition 10 times between 1920 and 1988.
- Columbus outshot St. Louis 16 to fewer but put only 3 on target, with the St. Louis defense bending but not breaking across 120-plus minutes.
- Yoann Damet called the trophy "phase one" of the club's project; St. Louis sits 2nd in the Western Conference and is targeting the MLS Cup for a possible league-title double.
Why it matters: This trophy ends a 36-year Open Cup drought for St. Louis and gives the 2-year-old MLS expansion club its first silverware. A 78th-minute head injury to starter Roman Burki nearly derailed the run, but backup Benjamin Lundt's opening-penalty save sealed it. Now 2nd in the Western Conference, St. Louis targets the MLS Cup for a possible 'double' under 36-year-old coach Yoann Damet.
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