Open Cup
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On the Pitch
St. Louis CITY SC Shuts Out Colorado Rapids to Secure Berth in U.S. Open Cup Final
St. Louis CITY SC Will Travel to Columbus to Face the Crew in the 2026 Open Cup Final on October 21; Extends Unbeaten Run to 17 Straight Matches
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – St. Louis CITY SC secured its place in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final with a strong 3-0 shutout win over the Colorado Rapids at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in the second of two Semifinals on Wednesday, proving the quality of a team now unbeaten in 17 consecutive matches across all competitions.
With the victory, St. Louis will have the chance to capture the first trophy for the four-year-old club and extend the city’s rich history of seven U.S. Open Cup titles when it travels to face head coach Yoann Damet’s former club Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Oct. 21. The Crew outlasted Orlando City SC 2-1 to seal home field advantage for the Final in the first knockout match of the day.
Colorado, under first-year head coach Matt Wells, exits the club's 22nd Open Cup after reaching the Semifinals for the first time since 2010.
Wednesday’s match just north of the Mile High City pit two of the hottest clubs in MLS against each other, though the second Semifinal started slowly as both teams felt the stakes of the moment, two wins away from a trophy. Only seven touches total were taken in the opposition’s box in the first half, though each side had a chance to test the other’s goalkeeper.
In the 10th minute, St. Louis midfielder Alexandru Matan chipped a clever shot on goal after getting in behind Colorado’s backline, forcing Adam Beaudry to make his first of save of the night. On the other end, St. Louis captain and goalkeeper Roman Bürki calmly handled Colorado’s first shot on target in the 27th minute from forward Georgi Minoungou to kickstart an end-to-end possession for the visitors.
St. Louis broke the scoreless deadlock in the 32nd minute following a costly giveaway from Colorado’s 20-year-old goalkeeper making the start with Zack Steffen out due to injury and Nicolas Hansen serving a one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation. In an attempt at a long clearance, Beaudry took a heavy touch on a pass back from defender Reggie Cannon and St. Louis was ready to pounce at the top of the 18-yard box. Forward and Korea Republic international Jeoung Sang-Bin re-collected the ball after Beaudry’s desperate dive tripped him up and sent him to the turf, then expertly rolled the ball into an empty net.
Going into the second half, the match between the Western Conference clubs intensified as Colorado looked to mount a comeback in front of a home crowd of nearly 7,500. However, St. Louis would have something to say as the visitors scored two more goals seven minutes apart.
The first came from forward Simon Becher for the first Open Cup goal of his career, set up beautifully from a quality first-time cross from defender Conrad Wallem. The goal was the eighth of the season for the 27-year-old former Saint Louis University standout.
Then, St. Louis caught Colorado napping with a quick free kick that defender Tim Baumgartl drilled toward goal. Defender Tomas Totland flicked on Baumgartl’s kick over the top for Matan, and the Romanian finished with a clinical strike to score his first Open Cup goal.
In command with a healthy three-goal advantage, St. Louis absorbed some physicality from a frustrated Colorado side, and the match concluded with over 36 total fouls, 18 per squad. In the end, St. Louis CITY were the victors behind a collective performance on the road to move the group just one win shy of the first piece of hardware in club history.
-U.S. OPEN CUP MATCH REPORT-
Match: Colorado Rapids vs. St. Louis CITY SC
Competition: 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Semifinal
Venue: DICK’S Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colo.
Substitutes not used: 61-Bryan Dowd, 12-Joshua Atencio
Head Coach: Matt Wells
Head Coach: Yoann Damet
Stats Summary: COL / STL
Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant 1: Walt Heatherly
VAR 1: Lukasz Szpala
AVAR: Brian Marshall
