A marathon night of soccer at sold-out ScottsMiracle-Gro Field ended with St. Louis City SC topping the Crew to win the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship in a shootout.
Daniel Edelman's goal in the fifth round brought ended a five-round shootout 5-4 in favor of St. Louis, which got the only save in the first round by 6-foot-6 goalkeeper Ben Lundt against Santiago Rodriguez. Lundt entered the game late in the second half to replace starting keeper Roman Burki, who was injured while making a save in the 69th minute.
The game went to penalty kicks tied 0-0 after 102 minutes of regulation followed by two halves of extra time. The Crew dominated possession and finished
with a 19-5 edge in shots, while each team put two on target.
St. Louis City, which won the first title of any kids, lost Burki while he made a save near the left post against the Crew's Anass Zaroury in the 69th minute. Zaroury's knee struck Burki in the head, causing the St. Louis City captain and top keeper to be taken off on a stretcher.
St. Louis also played without star striker Rafael Navarro, who wasn't eligible after first playing in the tournament for the Colorado Rapids. The U.S. Open Cup prevents players from playing for more than one club in the same tournament, and St. Louis acquired Navarro for a massive $12 million transfer fee.
The score remained 0-0 through the first half, which the Crew largely controlled before it ended without a single minute of added time. They outshot St. Louis 11-1 but put just one on target due to numerous SLCSC blocks. Bürki made the save on it, denying Zaroury in the 39th minute before the two had their collision in the second half.
This was the fourth time the Crew reached a U.S. Open Cup Final and second time they've hosted one after defeating the L.A. Galaxy 1-0 on Oct. 24, 2002 at what's now called Historic Crew Stadium.
Since moving into ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in 2021, this was the fifth final the Crew hosted after going 3-0-1 in the first four: 2021 Campeones Cup (2-0 win over Cruz Azul), 2023 MLS Cup Final (2-1 win over LAFC), 2024 Leagues Cup Final (3-1 win over LAFC) and 2024 Campeones Cup (1-1 draw, 5-4 shootout loss to Club America).
A large contingent of St. Louis fans made the trip to Columbus and they took up most of the seating section in the east end zone. Crew fans packed into the Nordeke section at the West end, giving the evening a spirited feel with singing and chants at each end.
DispatchBlue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: St. Louis City SC tops Crew in penalty kicks to win U.S. Open Cup
