On the Pitch
On the Pitch
On the Pitch
How They Got Here: CITY SC Hopes to Make More St. Louis History
St. Louis CITY SC faces the Colorado Rapids on the road in Open Cup Semifinal on Wednesday, Sept. 16
Representing a city steeped in soccer history, St. Louis CITY SC is two wins away from becoming the seventh club from St. Louis to win the U.S. Open Cup. Here’s how CITY SC has moved within striking distance of its first trophy in club history.
ROAD TRIP READY 😤
We’ll head back to Colorado in September for the @opencup Semifinals vs @ColoradoRapids. See you there, STL 🏔️
How Things Started
Following a sparkling 2023 debut campaign that featured a regular-season finish atop the Western Conference standings, St. Louis has been shut out of the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Respective 12th- and 13th- place Western Conference finishes have seemingly given way to a strong 2026 campaign that has CITY SC six points shy of the top spot in the conference thanks to a club-record 14-match unbeaten run across all competitions.
The club brought in new head coach Yoann Damet over the offseason, and all the 36-year-old French manager has done is construct a 13W-6L-7D record in his first stint as head coach since leading LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship back in 2022. While the Damet era in St. Louis started off with a three-loss, one-draw winless skid to open league play, the first-year CITY SC coach has righted the ship, steering St. Louis to a 13W-3L-6D record since then. Damet has also guided St. Louis to the Semifinals of the Open Cup for the first time, picking up wins against FC Tulsa and Chicago Fire FC before downing former champions Houston Dynamo FC on penalties in the Quarterfinals.
St. Louis Remains Perfect Against Lower-Division Opposition
Round of 32: St. Louis CITY SC 4 – 0 FC Tulsa
St. Louis extended its dominant form against lower-division sides in the Open Cup, defeating recent USL Championship runners-up FC Tulsa at Energizer Park. A strong St. Louis lineup and a second-half Tulsa ejection led to a lopsided scoreline in the Midwestern pair’s first meeting. Goals from Marcel Hartel, Jeong Sang-Bin, Mykhi Joyner and Tomás Ostrák, and even an assist from goalkeeper Roman Bürki, meant the contest was settled early. In three matchups against lower-division sides in the Open Cup, St. Louis has picked up three wins and outscored those opponents 11-1. The win sealed CITY SC’s spot in the Round of 16 for the second straight year.
CITY SC Extinguishes Fire with Late Comeback Win
Round of 16: Chicago Fire FC 1 – 2 St. Louis CITY SC
In a match largely controlled by hosts Chicago Fire FC, St. Louis made the most of its chances and found a way to construct a two-goal comeback in the final 20 minutes and advance to the Quarterfinals for the first time in club history. After a scoreless first half, the Fire cashed in on their lone shot on target, as Sweden international and Chicago captain Anton Salétros scored his first goal for the club.
CITY SC struck back twice in quick succession in the 71st and 78th minutes, as Tomas Totland tallied his first goal since 2024 and Eduard Löwen scored his second goal of the season after entering as a second-half substitute. St. Louis’ victory—its first on the road since its October 2025 win against Austin FC—snapped Chicago’s six-match unbeaten run. The result also meant a team from St. Louis was through to the Quarterfinals for the first time since former USL Championship side Saint Louis FC progressed to that stage in 2019.
Finding a Way to Win
Quarterfinals: St. Louis CITY SC 2 (4) – 2 (2) Houston Dynamo FC (AET & PKs)
CITY SC booked its ticket to the Open Cup Semifinals for the first time in club history, downing two-time champion Houston Dynamo FC on penalties—its first shootout win in club history—in front of a packed house at Energizer Park. A riveting back-and-forth contest opened with CITY SC and the Dynamo scoring quickly within a minute of each other, as St. Louis’ Marcel Hartel and Houston’s Mateusz Bogusz capitalized on sloppy defending and goalkeeping in the 10th and 11th minutes, respectively.
From there, goals on either side of halftime leveled the score once more, as 30-year-old Dynamo captain Artur scored his first goal of the season in the 42nd minute and Marcel Hartel posted his third brace for CITY SC with a converted penalty kick in the 51st minute. A grueling extra time period—marked by three yellow cards and a Lawrence Ennali sending-off for Houston—gave way to a penalty kick shootout. St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt—forced into action following a Roman Bürki injury in the 26th minute—made two key saves in the shootout against Guilherme and Héctor Herrera, lifting CITY SC to the Semifinals.
Big Names In, Big Names Out
St. Louis has been one of the hottest teams in MLS since returning from the FIFA World Cup break. Already riding a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions into the summer break, CITY SC picked up right where it left off, winning six of nine and settling for draws in the remaining three matches.
Of note, the club has bid farewell to its three all-time leading scorers this year—trading its first-ever Designated Player João Klauss to the LA Galaxy in January, accommodating Marcel Hartel’s request to return to his native Germany on a transfer to Hannover 96 in August, and more recently trading Eduard Löwen to the San Jose Earthquakes just before the transfer window closed a few weeks ago. Despite this, St. Louis has been able to retain its identity and flourish under Damet’s guidance, simultaneously leaning on the veteran leadership of players like captain Roman Bürki, while also allowing rising stars like Tomas Totland, Daniel Edelman, Chris Durkin and Simon Becher to find their footing.
St. Louis did restock its locker room to offset some of those departures. The club added two new Designated Players—signing 27-year-old former Denmark international attacking midfielder Carlo Holse from Samsunspor before acquiring 26-year-old Brazilian striker Rafael Navarro from the Colorado Rapids, though it’s worth noting the latter will be unable to play for St. Louis in the Open Cup this season as he is cup-tied to the Rapids. The club also welcomed U.S. Youth National Team talent Damion Downs on loan from Southampton FC.
What’s at Stake
St. Louis CITY SC is two wins away from its first trophy in club history. Despite its relative youth, the club is one of a handful of St. Louis-based clubs to excel in the Open Cup. The city is responsible for 10 Open Cup titles through six clubs over the course of nearly seven decades: Ben Millers (1920), Scullin Steel (1922), Stix, Baer and Fuller/St. Louis Central Breweries (1933, 1934, 1935), St. Louis Simpkins-Ford (1948, 1950), St. Louis Kutis SC (1957, 1986) and St. Louis Busch Seniors (1988). Only New York City can claim more Open Cup titles as a city. St. Louis CITY SC is the first St. Louis-based club to reach the Open Cup Semifinals since the title-winning St. Louis Busch Seniors in 1988.
