St. Louis CITY SC’s bid to win the U.S. Open Cup continues Wednesday night when the club takes on the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City, Colorado. It’s been almost four months since CITY beat Houston in penalty kicks to punch a ticket to the semifinal. Now, a reimagined CITY team is just two wins from lifting the first trophy in club history.
CITY heads to Colorado in possession of the eighth-longest unbeaten streak in MLS history and the third longest single season unbeaten streak. The club hasn’t lost since May 3, including a pair of wins over the Rapids. (CITY won both matches 1–0, in large part thanks to Sangbin Jeong, who scored the only goal in Colorado and drew an early red card from Colorado defender Rob Holding in the most recent match.) The Rapids, in the meantime, have won six straight home matches by a combined score of 7–0.
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Both squads dramatically rebuilt their rosters over the summer. Sergio Córdova, Cedric Teuchert, Edu Löwen, and Marcel Hartel parted ways with CITY earlier this summer, replaced by such high-profile acquisitions as Carlo Holse and Rafael Navarro, along with lower-risk signings, such as Alex Mǎțan, Charles-Emile Brunet, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zach Zengue, and Damion Downs. (After recently swapping sides, Navarro won’t be eligible to play Wednesday.) Colorado, in the meantime, recently acquired striker Sayed Abu Farkhi and winger Morgan Whittaker, along with attacking midfielder Youssef Maziz.
The U.S. Open Cup has been a fruitful competition for CITY this season. The club’s opening win over FC Tulsa was a big opportunity for such players as Mykhi Joyner, who scored his only goal for the first team on a spectacular free kick in the 4–0 win. CITY then beat the Chicago Fire 2–1 in a match that some players have said was a turning point in the season. CITY then came from behind to force a 2–2 scoreline against the Dynamo before outlasting Houston in penalty kicks. CITY is now looking ahead to what could be a pivotal match in club history. The winner will play either the Columbus Crew or Orlando City, which play earlier in the evening. The winner of that match will host the final on October 21, with a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup on the line.
“It’s a big game for the club,” Damet said. “It’s a big game for the fans. Big game for the city. We’re really proud of our journey in the cup.”
The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Catch it on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, or at a supporter group watch party, with STL Santos meeting at John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub and the St. Louligans at 2nd Shift Brewing.
