CITYPARK, ST. LOUIS – Before the best in the west St. Louis City SC can continue their dream inaugural season, they’ll have a different challenge ahead of them this Tuesday – the U.S. Open Cup. The biggest tournament in the States, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup features over 100 USSF squads of all professional tiers vying for a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. As the third round begins, the MLS enters the fray – with the new sensation St. Louis City SC taking on Union Omaha of USL League One.
In their ninth match of the MLS season, CITY SC settled for their first draw in franchise history against Colorado on Saturday, with Michael Barrios netting a backbreaker in extra time for the Rapids to finish 1-1. Even with the draw, St. Louis remains first in the Western Conference, a dream debut in their inaugural season. The draw, however, stung like a loss, especially to goalkeeper Roman Bürki, who made a league-high 12 saves in the match. “We had no chance in the first half,” Bürki said after the game. “It looked like they were number one in the league, and we are somewhere else and the complete opposite. And I mean, that’s not what we are standing for.”
With STL City’s prominent striker João Klauss’ injury status up in the air, their Open Cup debut against Union Omaha will be no small feat. Union Omaha, winning the League One championship in 2021, have been a Cup darling in its past appearances (Cupset, as they call it), getting as far as the Quarterfinals last year after defeating both the Chicago Fire and Minnesota United. Goalkeeping sensation Rashid Nuhu – a Golden Glove winner and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022 – is integral to the team’s incredible success after backstopping the team in a 2-0 win over El Paso Locomotive in the second round of the Open Cup.
If Klauss’ play is limited, the door could open for attacking midfielder Tomás Ostrák, who has come off the bench the past few games. After the disappointing draw on Saturday, it was clear the backline needs more support if St. Louis City wants to continue its winning ways. “I thought we were giving them too much time and space. I don’t think we’re compact enough,” said head coach Bradley Carnell after the match. “I don’t think we identified the triggers well enough in the first half, even though we turned over one or two, three dangerous balls and could have got profit out of those… Learn to suffer, right? In the first half, we had to learn to suffer as a group.”
With two of the top goalkeepers in their respective leagues squaring off, a Cupset facing an MLS debutant in round 3 of the Open Cup should certainly be a thriller. St. Louis City SC will host Union Omaha at CITYPARK on Tuesday, kickoff at 7:00pm.