St. Louis City Wins Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Penalty Shootout

St. Louis City SC won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night after a 120-minute scoreless tie against the Columbus Crew ended in a penalty shootout.

The Penalty Shootout

Timo Baumgartl scored the first penalty kick for St. Louis. Backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt then dove to his left and stopped Santiago Rodriguez's shot, which deflected off the post. St. Louis scored all five of its penalty attempts. Daniel Edelman shot down the middle for the final kick while Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen moved the wrong way. Lukas MacNaughton, Chris Durkin, and Damion Downs also scored their kicks.

Substitution and Injury

Lundt entered the match in the 78th minute. He replaced starting goalkeeper Roman Bürki, who took a knee to the head while making a save and left the field on a cart while waving to the crowd. This was Lundt's fourth appearance of the season.

Trophy and Qualification

This victory marks the first major trophy in the history of St. Louis City SC. The win also earns the club a spot in the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Columbus was trying to win its second U.S. Open Cup title.

Context

The U.S. Open Cup is open to both professional and amateur clubs in the country, though Major League Soccer teams have won the tournament for more than two decades. According to ESPN, this was the first tournament final to reach a penalty shootout since 2015.