COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nearly four decades later, St. Louis has rightfully reclaimed its status as a title-winning soccer city. Following 120 minutes of scoreless play largely controlled by the hosts, St. Louis CITY SC downed the Columbus Crew in a penalty kick shootout, 5-3, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt etched his name into St. Louis soccer lore, once again playing the role of Open Cup shootout hero after captain Roman Bürki was forced out due to injury in the 78th minute.
The result marks CITY SC’s first-ever trophy and represents the 11th U.S. Open Cup championship won by a club from St. Louis. From the 1920 title-winning Ben Millers to the dynastic Stix, Baer & Fuller of the 1930s—and more recently the spunky 1988 Busch Seniors—St. Louis CITY SC now stands alongside giants of the past in one of the true soccer capitals of America.
ST. LOUIS IS YOUR 2026 US OPEN CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆 https://t.co/h70p0BxdcY
— X - St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) October 22, 2026
Behind a wall of Crew supporters draped in black, the match kicked off with the hosts on the front foot. Inside the first half hour of the match, Columbus fired off four shots—all deflected by St. Louis defenders—while simultaneously holding the usually proficient St. Louis attack to zero shots.
The tempo and intensity picked up considerably with 10 minutes to go in the first half. The Crew continued to test the St. Louis backline, nearly finding the breakthrough in the 39th minute, as Panathinaikos loanee Anass Zaroury unleashed a dipping knuckleball that forced St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki into his first save. The ensuing Crew corner from Brais Méndez nearly resulted in an Olimpico, forcing Bürki to dive backwards and slap the ball away before Malte Amundsen’s subsequent shot from close range was blocked by St. Louis’ Lukas MacNaughton.
A minute after Columbus’ opportunity was stuffed, the Crew raced back down the pitch. Longtime Crew midfielder Mo Farsi ripped off another long-range shot from just beyond the penalty area, again forcing Bürki into an acrobatic save after the shot was deflected off the boot of a St. Louis defender. The former Switzerland international tapped the ball off the post before it was cleared behind the goal by a Columbus defender.
The hosts controlled most aspects of the first half and shut down a typically confident CITY SC side. The Crew fired off 11 shots to CITY SC’s one and notched 17 more touches in the opposition box, despite a slight possessional disadvantage.
The Crew kicked off the second half just as they ended the first, challenging the CITY SC defense through Méndez and Rodriguez. The duo linked up once more in the 69th minute, as Rodriguez was dispossessed in the St. Louis box, allowing Méndez to gather the ball and lay it off to Farsi, who ripped a close-range shot that was saved by a sliding Bürki.
As a result of his quick action in front of goal, Bürki—St. Louis’ captain and all-time appearances leader—suffered an injury that forced him to exit the game following a lengthy delay. The match took an emotional swing, as CITY SC’s leader was replaced by 31-year-old goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who has made five total appearances this season between both CITY SC and the club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate. Running out to replace Bürki, the traveling St. Louis supporters showered Lundt with applause, hoping their backup shot-stopper could replicate a bit of his Open Cup heroics like he did in the Quarterfinals against Houston Dynamo FC—also in relief of an injured Bürki.
Play resumed just under 10 minutes later, and St. Louis subsequently produced its first shot on target of the evening, forcing Nicholas Hagen into his first save of the night after Conrad Wallen’s shot took a deflection. Another opportunity for the visitors minutes later was stifled by a sliding Sean Zawadzki, as the frustrated captain then rose to his feet and implored his side to keep fighting.
The fourth official indicated a sizeable portion of stoppage time—11 minutes due to the injury delay—and the physicality of the scoreless contest continued to ramp up. After only a single yellow card was issued in the first 90 minutes, two were handed out in stoppage time, as Columbus and St. Louis combined for seven total fouls in stoppage time.
Regular time concluded with just four shots on target between the sides, and two extra time periods—and potentially a decisive penalty kick shootout—awaited all parties. The match devolved into a physical contest marked by tactical fouls, time-wasting and more antics as both sides inched frustratingly closer to a decisive shootout.
As 30 more minutes melted off the clock, the Crew faithful along with the massive collection of away supporters urged their respective side on. Scoreless after 120 minutes, this year’s Final was the first since 1997 in which neither team was able to score before a penalty kick shootout. The ensuing shootout would pit two backup goalkeepers against each other, as Columbus’ Hagen and St. Louis’ Lundt stepped up to the moment.
In the shootout, it was Lundt who delivered St. Louis a poetic finish despite the highest of stakes. Reprising his role as CITY SC’s shootout hero in the Open Cup, Lundt’s first and only save of tonight’s shootout—a diving stop against Rodríguez in the first round—proved decisive, as St. Louis went on to score all five of its penalty kicks. After 23-year-old Daniel Edelman converted the fifth and final penalty for St. Louis—placing it right in the middle of the net—he immediately raced to the opposite end of the pitch to greet the euphoric St. Louis supporters.
Though St. Louis’ celebrations will go throughout the night, week and month, the immediate reward is clear. In addition to winning its first-ever trophy in the club’s nascent four-year history, St. Louis CITY SC will be awarded a $600,000 prize from U.S. Soccer and has earned a berth into the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup—returning to the continent’s premier club competition for the first time since 2024.
Match: Columbus Crew vs. St. Louis CITY SC
Date: Oct. 21, 2026
Competition: 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Final
Venue: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field; Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 20,250
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: 58 degrees, clear and cool
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | FT | ET1 | ET2 | AET |
| CLB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Penalty Kick Shootout:
STL: Timo Baumgartl (Goal), Lukas MacNaughton (Goal), Chris Durkin (Goal), Damion Downs (Goal), Daniel Edelman (Goal)
CLB: Santiago Rodríguez (Saved), Malte Amundsen (Goal), Gonzalo Tapia (Goal), Andrés Herrera (Goal)
Lineups:
CLB: 1-Nicholas Hagen, 7-Dylan Chambost (17-Sékou Bangoura, 84), 8-Santiago Rodríguez, 10-Brais Méndez, 16-Taha Habroune (3-Eric Bailly, 90+1) 18-Malte Amundsen, 21-Anass Zaroury (2-Andrés Herrera, 113), 23-Mohamed Farsi (11-Brooks Lennon, 84), 25-Sean Zawadzki (capt.), 31-Steven Moreira, 77-Josef Martínez (33-Gonzalo Tapia, 68)
Substitutes not used: 24-Evan Bush, 50-Tarun Karumanchi
Head coach (interim): Laurent Courtois
STL: 1-Roman Bürki (capt.) (39-Ben Lundt, 78), 5-Lukas MacNaughton, 6-Conrad Wallem, 8-Chris Durkin, 11-Simon Becher (7-Tomáš Ostrák, 105), 14-Tomas Totland, 19-Carlo Holse, 21-Dante Polvara, 24-Daniel Edelman, 32-Timo Baumgartl, 77-Jeong Sangbin (42-Damion Downs, 78)
Substitutes not used: 20-Rafael Santos, 27-Fallou Fall, 59-Mykhi Joyner, 99-Jaziel Orozco
Head coach: Yoann Damet
Stats Summary: CLB / STL
Shots: 16 / 5
Shots on Goal: 3 / 3
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 23 / 22
Offsides: 0 / 3
| Misconduct Summary | |
| CLB – Santiago Rodríguez (Caution) | 82nd minute |
| STL – Carlo Holse (Caution) | 90+10 |
| STL – Daniel Edelman (Caution) | 90+12 |
| STL – Tomas Totland (Caution | 104 |
| CLB - Eric Bailly (Caution) | 119 |
Officials:
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
Assistant 1: Meghan Mullen
Assistant 2: Jeremy Hanson
Fourth Official: Elijio Arreguin
VAR 1: Amando Villarreal
AVAR: Jose Da Silva