MLS6 hours ago1 minute read

St. Louis City SC Wins First Trophy in Penalty Shootout Over Columbus

St. Louis City SC captured their first trophy on Wednesday, beating Columbus Crew in a penalty shootout to claim the U.S. Open Cup.

The EagleEyeOdds deskWritten from the match data, checked against our model before it goes out

Backup Goalkeeper Steps Up

St. Louis City SC earned the first major trophy in club history on Wednesday night. The team defeated the Columbus Crew in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw across 120 minutes to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The victory also secured St. Louis a spot in the 2027 CONCACF Champions Cup. Columbus was chasing its second Open Cup title, but St. Louis took the prize after a scoreless match.

Starting goalkeeper Roman Bürki had to leave the game in the 78th minute. Bürki took a knee to the head while making a save and left the pitch on a cart, waving to the crowd. Backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt came on in relief for just his fourth appearance of the season.

Perfection in the Shootout

Lundt delivered right away. This was the first U.S. Open Cup final to reach penalty kicks since 2015, when Sporting Kansas City beat the Philadelphia Union.

Timo Baumgartl gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead on the opening attempt. Lundt then dove to his left to get a hand on Santiago Rodriguez's shot, pushing the ball onto the post.

St. Louis remained flawless from the spot, going 5 for 5. Lukas MacNaughton, Chris Durkin and Damion Downs all found the back of the net. Daniel Edelman ended the contest with a shot down the middle as Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen went the wrong way.

What it means for the next game

Both teams return to league action this weekend after 120 minutes of cup action.

Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC (MLS, Sat, 24 Oct): Columbus Crew win 58%, draw 22%, Toronto FC win 20%; expected goals 2.01 to 1.09. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.

Real Salt Lake vs St. Louis CITY SC (MLS, Sun, 25 Oct): Real Salt Lake win 37%, draw 25%, St. Louis CITY SC win 38%; expected goals 1.52 to 1.55. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.