St. Louis City SC are champions at last. The MLS club lifted the first trophy in its history on Wednesday night, winning the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in a five-round penalty shootout over the Columbus Crew at a sold-out ScottsMiracle-Gro Field after more than 130 scoreless minutes.
The hero was the last man anyone expected: 6-foot-6 backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who entered late in the second half after captain Roman Bürki was stretchered off with a head injury in the 69th minute — Anass Zaroury’s knee struck Bürki in the head as he made a save. Lundt produced the shootout’s only stop, denying Santiago Rodriguez in the opening round, and Daniel Edelman converted the clincher in round five.
Columbus will feel it got away. The Crew outshot St. Louis 19-5 and controlled long stretches, but managed only two shots on target against nine St. Louis blocks. “It’s a game you feel like you dominated the entire time, and then, in the end it’s up to chance,” said Crew captain Sean Zawadzki.
St. Louis did it shorthanded, too — without star striker Rafael Navarro, ineligible after playing earlier in the tournament for Colorado before his $12 million move. For the Crew, a fourth Open Cup final ended in heartbreak, and the focus snaps back to MLS: four points out of a playoff spot with four games left, starting Saturday against Toronto.
Photo: Columbus Dispatch
Source: The Columbus Dispatch, October 21, 2026
Redacción LAMomentum
