St. Louis City SC will look to end its’ seven match winless streak when the club welcomes Union Omaha to Energizer Park for their Round of 32 tilt in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night. We’ll get into the match up, but first a brief explanation of what the U.S. Open Cup is.
“It’s in Our Blood, It’s In Our History”
I don’t think the St. Louligans will mind that I borrowed that line from one of their chants. This is the 110th version of the U.S. Open Cup. It is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer, featuring clubs from all professional levels of the American soccer pyramid. The 2025 iteration features 100 clubs between Major League Soccer, the USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two, National Premier Soccer League, United States Adult Soccer Association and US Club Soccer. For those looking to draw comparisons to European soccer, think about the FA Cup, Copa Del Rey, or DFB Pokal.
St. Louis has a rich history when it comes to this competition; boasting 10 winners dating as far back as 1920. Various clubs from the Gateway City have claimed the honor with victories coming in 1922, 1933, 1935, 1943, 1948, 1950, 1957, 1986 and most recently in 1988. As a result, the tournament holds extra significance for many St. Louisans. Which is why the MLS’ decision to have teams not participate last season led to organized boycotts of the Leagues Cup by most of the registered Supporter Groups for the duration of that competition in 2024. This season, there are 16 MLS clubs participating in the Open Cup, which is regarded by many as a step in the right direction but not the end goal as many fans are looking for league wide participation.
City Poised to Rebound in a Rematch?
Without a win since March, City will hope to end their slide as they face Omaha in a rematch of their 2023 contest, which St. Louis won 5-1. The hosts come into this tournament on the heels of a 4-1 drubbing in Seattle last weekend. St. Louis has scored 8 goals and taken just 10 points with a 2-4-5 record through eleven weeks of the MLS season. While the club should be bolstered with several injured players near a return to first team action, pressure continues to mount on manager Olof Mellberg. Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel touted “City 2.0” leading into the season but neither his nor Mellberg’s visions have come to fruition and fans have been left looking for hope as the club has struggled to win while playing less than entertaining soccer.
Union Omaha rides as mixed bag of results into this Cup tie. The visitors are just 1-1-2 in USL League One as they have prioritized a cup run after winning the USL League One Championship and Players Shield in 2024. They have played three matches in the tournament, posting wins over Flatirons FC, Des Moines Menace and San Antonio FC. Their most recent league match was a 0-0 draw away to Forward Madison last weekend.
Starting XI and Prediction
There are a few ways Mellberg could go with this starting XI. I expect a good amount of rotation with some of City’s minutes leaders getting a break. With a number of variables in play, including MLS roster mechanisms that allow for City 2 players to be used in cup competitions along with fitness issues for players recovering from injures my XI looks like this:
Goalkeeper: Christian Olivares
Centerbacks: Joakim Nilsson, Michael Wentzel, Josh Yaro
Wingbacks: Jay Reid, Mykhi Joyner
Center-midfielders: Alfredo Morales, Miguel Perez
Wingers: Célio Pompeu, Xande Silva
Striker: Simon Becher
I think this is the kind of game that we should look to get on the front foot with speed and aggressive attackers. I think a back line with the experience of Nilsson and speed of Yaro with Wentzel between them should be solid enough to get the job done. The bench will also be interesting in this one. I don’t think Reid would play a full 90 so I think City will have to plan for one sub there. I think Ostrák and Löwen are enough depth in the midfield. I would have loved to rest Teuchert and Hartel fully but I think those are the weapons Mellberg will lean on if we have to chase a goal late.
That said, I don’t think City is chasing this game. While the club has struggled to find the net, I think they get a few in this game. I’m predicting a 3-1 win over Union Omaha in this cup tie.
St. Louis City and Union Omaha get underway at 7 p.m. at Energizer Park on Wednesday night.
Taking his passion for soccer and St. Louis to the next level, Jeremy aims to provide analytical coverage of all this St. Louis City SC.
