Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – St. Louis City won the first trophy in the club’s history on Wednesday, defeating Major League Soccer rivals Columbus Crew on penalties to lift the US Open Cup. Daniel Edelman stroked in the decisive spot-kick to secure a 5-3 shoot-out win for St. Louis after the two teams finished locked at 0-0 after extra time in Columbus. Substitute goalkeeper Ben Lundt was another hero for St. Louis, saving Columbus’s opening penalty from Santiago Rodriguez in the shoot-out.
It was a case of history repeating itself for St. Louis’s Edelman, who scored the winning penalty in a shoot-out to eliminate Columbus during the 2024 MLS postseason. “Thankfully I’ve been there before and it’s all about the process when you step up,” Edelman said afterwards. “You just have to believe, have a good mindset and focus on how you strike the ball, which is exactly what I did.”
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Edelman marked his winning penalty by sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate with St. Louis supporters at Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. The US Open Cup – the oldest annual team tournament in the United States, which was first played in 1913-1914 – marks the first silverware won by St. Louis, who joined MLS as an expansion team in 2019.
“It’s the first trophy for me and a lot of guys and for the city,” Edelman said. “For us as a team it’s phenomenal to have this night and have this trophy.”
© 2024 AFP
