St. Louis City SC wins first trophy, claiming U.S. Open Cup on penalties

St. Louis City SC wins first trophy, claiming U.S. Open Cup on penalties

St. Louis City SC captured the first trophy in its history Wednesday, beating Columbus Crew 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final. The final was the first in 11 years to be decided by a shootout.

St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki was taken to hospital after being kneed in the head in the 78th minute. Backup Benjamin Lundt entered and saved Santi Rodríguez’s penalty, while Daniel Edelman converted the decisive kick after playing more than 120 minutes.

The win ended a drought for a city with a long history in the competition. St. Louis teams won the Open Cup 10 times from 1920 to 1988, with the Busch Seniors claiming the most recent title before the MLS club’s victory.

Real Madrid beats Leipzig as LASK rallies past Sporting

Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 4-1 on Wednesday for a third Champions League win in as many games. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring, followed by Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé; Tidiam Gomis pulled one back for Leipzig before Yan Diomande capped the win.

LASK came from behind to beat Sporting 3-2 for its first Champions League win of the season. After Luis Suárez scored a penalty for Sporting, Christoph Lang, Sasa Kalajdzic and Krystof Danek put LASK ahead; Suárez scored again late, but Sporting could not draw level.

Nashville can clinch Supporters’ Shield against Montreal

Nashville SC will clinch the MLS Supporters’ Shield with a win or draw against CF Montréal on Saturday, according to beIN SPORTS. Nashville has already secured its first Eastern Conference title and could set a league single-season points record by taking eight points from its final four matches.

The team is unbeaten in its last six league matches and has lost twice in its last 24. Nashville midfielder Hany Mukhtar scored in the club’s 1-1 draw with San Jose, his 16th league goal of the season; he has scored six times in his last five MLS appearances.

Ricardo Pepi nearing return ahead of USMNT’s Nations League ties

Ricardo Pepi is nearing recovery from a muscular injury suffered Sept. 20 and could be available for PSV as soon as Sunday, according to PSV manager Peter Bosz, Sports Illustrated reported. Pepi’s recovery timeline aligns with the U.S. men’s national team’s November camp, which begins Nov. 9 ahead of its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Haiti.

Pepi missed the team’s September-October camp and four friendlies. Sports Illustrated reported that teenage forwards Julian Hall and Justin Ellis scored five goals combined during his absence, while Patrick Agyemang and Haji Wright are also working back from injuries.

Kevin Martínez named U.S. under-15 boys coach

U.S. Soccer named Kevin Martínez head coach of the under-15 boys national team on Oct. 21. He succeeds Ross Brady, who has moved to lead the under-16 team, and will lead his first camp from Oct. 22-29 in Chula Vista, California.

Martínez has worked as an assistant with U.S. under-16, under-18 and under-20 teams since 2025. His previous roles include coaching at FC Dallas, the Charlotte FC Academy and MLS Next Pro’s Crown Legacy FC, according to U.S. Soccer.

Utah Royals host Seattle with playoff place at stake

Utah Royals FC will host Seattle Reign on Friday, Oct. 23, with a playoff berth at stake. Utah is sixth in the standings, and a win would clinch a place in the 2026 NWSL playoffs, the club said.

The Royals are coming off a 2-0 loss to Kansas City Current, while Seattle beat Chicago 3-1 on Sunday. Utah won the teams’ previous meeting 3-0 on April 26, in the largest away victory in club history.

San Diego Wave secures home playoff quarterfinal

San Diego Wave FC beat North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Oct. 17 to secure a home quarterfinal in the 2026 NWSL playoffs. The victory was San Diego’s fifth in a row and sixth in its last seven matches, the club reported.

Melanie Barcenas scored in the fourth minute, setting a league single-season record for goals by a teenager, and Trinity Byars added a goal in the 52nd. North Carolina scored in the 83rd, but San Diego held on to secure a quarterfinal at Snapdragon Stadium between Nov. 6 and 8.