St Louis City are US Open Cup champions, ending a 38-year wait for a major US soccer title with a penalty shootout victory over Columbus Crew after a goalless draw. The win earned the club a place in the field for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Daniel Edelman scored the decisive penalty to seal the historic win at the Crew's home stadium. Backup goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who entered the match in the second half after Columbus starter Roman Bürki was injured, made a key save on the home side's first spot-kick.

The final of the tournament, which has run continuously since 1913-14 apart from a two-year pandemic hiatus, was a tense, goalless affair. St Louis City held most of the possession in the first half but failed to register a single shot. After the break, Columbus took several touches in the St Louis box while their opponents managed only one.

Key incidents and injuries

A major incident occurred when Columbus goalkeeper Roman Bürki suffered a head injury following a collision with a shot from Anass Zaroury. He was stretchered off and taken to hospital for evaluation. The CBS Sports broadcast later reported that Bürki was "OK" shortly after his departure.

The Video Assistant Referee reviewed a potential penalty for a tackle on Carlo Holse but cleared the incident, with no spot-kick awarded. The match eventually stretched to a lengthy amount of stoppage time, including rollover minutes from the first half and the delay for Bürki's injury.

Managerial milestones

St Louis City were led by Yoann Damet, who became the youngest manager to win the US Open Cup. Damet, a frontrunner for coach of the year honours, had previously served as top assistant to Wilfried Nancy at Columbus Crew. His team achieved the victory without striker Rafael Navarro, who was tied to the Colorado Rapids and a front-runner for the MLS Best XI.

Columbus Crew, meanwhile, have undergone a stylistic reset after Nancy's departure. His replacement, Henrik Rydström, was dismissed after a number of matches. The current manager, Laurent Courtois, is considered a disciple of Nancy's methods.

St Louis City's next competitive match will be in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, a direct result of their cup triumph.

Read the full report at theguardian.com