St. Louis CITY SC will be battling history during the team’s U.S. Open Cup match against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday. CITY is looking to advance to the knockout cup competition’s quarterfinals for the first time ever—on the heels of back-to-back MLS match losses. Both St. Louis and Chicago boast extensive US Open Cup legacies dating back more than a century. And while the city of St. Louis boasts more Cup champions than Chicago, with 10 titles compared to Chicago’s nine—the Windy City’s MLS side has been one of the competition’s giants during the modern era. This year, the Fire will celebrate the club’s 20th anniversary of its fourth USOC title.
1. CITY lost the first meeting in 2023. During CITY’s inaugural season—and the pair’s first-ever meeting—the Fire knocked St. Louis out of the tournament in the Round of 32. Homegrown midfielder Miggy Perez scored CITY’s only goal in stoppage time of that game in a late comeback that ultimately came up short. Perez will be looking to follow a solid performance in this season’s US Open Cup win over FC Tulsa.
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2. CITY has never won in Chicago. CITY followed the 2023 US Open Cup loss with another loss as they played Chicago in back-to-back matches. St. Louis finally beat Chicago at Energizer Park in 2024—a win that marked then-manager Bradley Carnell’s last before a nine-match losing streak led to his firing. Last season, caretaker manager David Critchley led CITY SC back into Chicago, but the team came up short after Brian Gutierrez’s 88th minute goal.
3. CITY manager Yoann Damet is dreaming of a trophy. This season’s truncated tournament means that CITY is just four wins from lifting the trophy. “We’re going to put everything into it: preparation, focus, and our energy,” said Damet. Midfielder Chris Durkin echoed the sentiment: “The team wants to make history… I believe that we have the team to do that.”
4. A chance to bounce back. Wednesday’s short turnaround offers Damet’s squad an opportunity to bounce back from Saturday’s sour result against San Jose. The match will provide an opportunity for such players as Mykhi Joyner, Miggy Perez, and Edu Löwen to make an impact—and for the team to move forward. “We’re looking to create momentum in any possible way right now,” Durkin said. “The team is hungry, and we can go one of two ways right now: We put our head down, feel sorry that we’ve had a couple of results not go our way, or we’re motivated by what we’re putting on the field and just getting it over the finish line.”
5. Quarterfinals take place the week before the World Cup break. If CITY can beat the Fire, the team would advance to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals then take place after the summer transfer window. A potential spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup would be quite the boon for CITY sporting director Corey Wray. Until then, Damet will have to rely on his center back trio to lock down one of MLS’s most dangerous strike partnerships in Chicago’s Philip Zinckernagel and Hugo Cuypers, who have combined for 12 goals this season.
The match will be broadcast on Paramount+ starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday and will be featured on the Golazo! Network, the channel’s wraparound show highlighting all six of Wednesday’s matches.
