From 80 teams in March to two finalists in October, the 2026 U.S. Open culminates Wednesday in Columbus.
Columbus Crew and St. Louis CITY SC face off at Scott Miracle-Gro Field (8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+), with both MLS sides looking to lift the tournament’s trophy and secure a spot in the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Columbus may have home field advantage in its favor, but St. Louis CITY SC has been one of the most in-form teams in MLS since the league resumed play in July.
With the 111th edition of the US Open ending on Wednesday, here’s a closer look at the two finalists and the match ahead:
Road to the final
The Crew posted four regulation wins, defeating two USL League sides and two MLS clubs en route to Wednesday’s Final.
In April, Columbus defeated the Richmond Kickers 3-0 at home before defeating One Knoxville SC 4-1 two weeks later.
Max Arftsen’s winning goal sent the Crew past NYCFC 1-0 in mid-May, sending them to the semifinals. Josef Martinez and Brais Mendez scored in a 2-1 semifinal win over Orlando City SC in September.
Overall, the Crew have won five of their last six games in all competitions, with three of those wins coming against teams currently above the red line in the Eastern Conference. Their only loss during that period came against Orlando City on October 10.
As for Louis CITY SC, they also started their US Open Cup campaign with a 4-0 win over USL Championship side FC Tulsa in the round of 32. Two weeks later, Yoann Damet’s side beat Chicago Fire 2–1 at home with second-half goals from Thomas Totland and Eduard Lowe.
Marcel Hartel and Ben Lundt were heroics in the quarterfinals, helping St.Louis CITY SC beat Houston Dynamo 4-2 in penalty kicks. Hartel scored twice in a 2-2 draw before Lundt saved two key penalty kicks in the shootout after replacing the injured Roman Burki in the first half.
A third MLS club went to the sword against St. Louis in this season’s Open Cup as Damet’s men cruised past the Colorado Rapids 3-0 in the semifinals. Sang-Bin Jeong opened the scoring in the first half before Simon Becher and Alexandru Matan added insurance goals to seal the final.
Looking for the first cup in its seven-year history, St. Louis CITY SC is second in the Western Conference with 51 points. Thanks to a league-record 21-game unbeaten streak, Missouri has already qualified for the playoffs, although that streak ended last Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Minnesota United.
Players to Watch
Columbus Crew – Patrick Schulte, Josef Martinez, Sean Zawadzki, Mo Farsi, Brais Mendez.
LOUIS CITY SC – Carlo Holse, Simon Becher, Sang-Bin Jeong, Roman Burki, Timo Baumgartl.
What They Say
Crew forward Josef Martinez is in for an Open Cup triumph after an inconsistent league season – “We have to admit that it’s an opportunity to activate a little bit of a fighting season; it’s an opportunity to win something. I’ve had a chance to win once; I’ve lost once in Miami, and this is my third. So it’s special to make it to the final. I can’t remember how many players have had the opportunity to play that.”
LOUIS CITY SC goalkeeper Roman Burki on the team’s comeback after the win in Chicago – “I think something happened. We worked hard. We started from the bottom. We weren’t happy with where we were at the beginning of the season and we worked hard and got rewarded.”