It took two hours of play and a penalty shootout St. Louis City SC to win their first trophy in club historybeating the Columbus Crew 5-3 on Wednesday in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final. For the first time in 11 years, he decided to send the Open Cup final through a penalty, and it happened after the goalkeeper of St. Louis, Roman Burki, was taken to the hospital after he knelt at the head of the 78th minute of the game.
Benjamin Lundt came on for Burke, making his fourth appearance of the season and his second in relief of Burke in a penalty shootout opener. He only saved Santi Rodriguez’s first penalty, but more will be enough to get the job done for St. Louis. Their goal scorers were clinical, as midfielder Daniel Edelman came down the middle to seal the win after playing all 120-plus minutes.
“He’s just the guy next door. Roman was a hero. He had one second but in the first half, and he threw his body on the line there. He did it in Europe, and he’s here now playing in MLS, and he’s still doing what he did in Europe,” Edelman said after the game on CBS Sports, praising his fellow goalkeepers. “Phenomenal for him and Ben. He started for us in the Open Cup and had a great penalty save against Houston, and he did it here again today.”
To lift the trophy, the team had Berkius’ jersey on display because he had to be hospitalized. He is aware and can move while leaving the stadium, but it is never a good time when a player stretches, especially in the final, but his team managed to pull him off, adding to the rich history of the West Gate.
The city of St. Louis is no stranger to winning this competition, so it is only fitting that the first trophy in the history of the MLS club, which began playing in 2023, is the US Open Cup. Between 1920 and 1988, the city of St. Louis won the Open Cup 10 times; at Busch Seniors to be more recent to win in 1988 before St. Louis ended SC’s drought. Edelman had a complex idea of what everyone wanted for him.
“It’s the first trophy for me and a lot of guys in this city, because you look there and you see that [the support from away fans] and we absolutely deserve to have something silver and for us as a team, what we have been through this year, it is a phenomenon for us to have this night and to have this trophy”.
Speaking to the members of that ’88 team, there were times when they didn’t think Saint Louis would see another US Open Cup title, but under Yoann Damet, this team came together in a big way, and being able to overcome injuries with their Open Cup title on the back of the keeper in another way showed their resilience. Heading into the weekend, St. Louis’ 21-game unbeaten run was snapped, and there was no way out of the spotlight in this crisis to recover.
Columbus dominated the chance for much of the game, taking 16 shots, but only three St. Louis guards managed to bend but not break their defense. This preparation is for the best part, but this team is also not done. Damet wants to enjoy this trophy, but the double goal is the next as they rose in the Western Conference. This is a team that wants to win the MLS Cup and defend the league title, and Damet certainly recognizes that.
“You always want to fill the trophy case, and it takes time. Success is not built overnight, so the team started thinking, creating a clear vision and a clear identity of how we want to do things, and see how far we can go in one year,” Damet told CBS Sports. “This season is still one of the things that is very important, to be as important as we could do. Our consistency in the league and the trophy is an amazing testament to the work of the guys. At the same time, it means so much to the city and the community, and I am so happy.”
If this is just phase one with the 36-year-old coach at the helm also supported by the front office, MLS may hear from this club before long.