10/21 - Final

Columbus Crew vs St. Louis City

Columbus are in the US Open Cup Final for the first time since 2010 courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Orlando City in the semifinals. Josef Martínez and Brais Méndez both got on the scoresheet in the back and forth affair. They will play against St. Louis City, who are in their first final in team history. St. Louis may lack big game experience, but they will come in with a lot of confidence after their staggering 3-0 victory over Colorado. While the score may flatter St. Louis a little bit, they were the superior team on a night where they had to play at altitude in a difficult environment. They are going to have to do the same in the final, which is going to be held in Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus will be the home team in this one, which is advantageous for them. At home, the Crew have collected 23 points, whereas they have only gotten 12 points from their travels. Since the US Open Cup semifinal, the Crew have recorded 5 wins and 1 loss. This run coincides with a tactical shift from Laurent Courtois: moving Taha Habroune to the 8 position. The young American has been put in a spot that naturally suits him. He is able to make runs from deep to add nuance to the attack while also adding more bite to the midfield. This has been crucial for a Columbus side that was too easy to play against for most of the season. Further, with having Méndez and Rodríguez ahead of him, Habroune isn't forced to try and create the game himself. Instead, he can get on the ball and feed his playmakers. These 2 attacking midfielders have been massive for Columbus in transforming their season. Since Issa Tall took over as the general manager for the Columbus Crew, they haven't really hit big on any of their new signings. Rodríguez and Méndez have balked that trend, and winning silverware here would be proof of concept for Columbus across all levels, from the players to interim manager Laurent Courtois to Issa Tall.

As for St. Louis, they also retooled their attack in the summer, bringing in a completely new front 3 of Alexandru Mățan, Rafael Navarro, and Carlo Holse. All 3 of them have been outstanding for St. Louis since they have arrived. Now, they will be without Rafael Navarro in this one, who is once again cap-tied, but have a capable backup in Simon Becher. No matter what, St. Louis will be very confident, having just pulled off the longest unbeaten streak across all competitions in MLS history, 21 games, before eventually falling this weekend to Minnesota. Their MO will be the same in trying to make it difficult to play against them. This all starts in their midfield with Daniel Edelman and Chris Durkin, both of whom are relentless defenders who will cover every blade of grass. There is a a lot on the line in this match: Columbus haven't won the US Open Cup since 2002 while St. Louis will compete for their first trophy in team history. Additionally, both teams have a chance to clinch a spot in next season's Concacaf Champions Cup. With the stakes being so high, expect the game to be played at a very fast pace with a lot of intensity.