St. Louis CITY SC’s wait to celebrate the club’s first trophy came to an end on Wednesday night.
Yoann Damet’s side lifted the 2026 US Open trophy after defeating the Columbus Crew 5-3 in penalty kicks as the two MLS clubs failed to win in regulation or extra time.
Roman Burkey and Ben Lundt combined for four saves, with Lundt coming off the bench and making the lone save in a shootout with Santiago Rodriguez.
Burke had the better of two starting goalkeepers in the first half, denying Anass Zaroury and Mo Farsi single shots on target in the first 45 minutes.
Damet was forced to change goalkeepers in the 78th minute after Burke was stretchered off with an apparent head injury following a collision with Zaruri minutes earlier.
St. Louis CITY SC began to gain steam towards the end of the second half, Conrad Wallem’s close-range effort was denied by Nicholas Hagen after 79 minutes.
Carlos Holse and Simon Becher were also denied by Hagen in extra time, ensuring the match went goalless to penalty kicks.
Lundt made an immediate impact in the shootout, jumping to his right to deny Rodriguez in the first round.
Damet’s men went a perfect 5-for-5 from the spot to seal a historic victory in Ohio thanks to Daniel Edelman’s effort.
St. Louis CITY SC not only managed to celebrate the victory of the Open Cup Final, but also qualified for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Both teams continue MLS play this weekend, with Columbus hosting Toronto FC on Saturday and St. Louis CITY SC visiting Real Salt Lake a day later.