St Louis CITY2’s journey in the U.S. Open Cup ended on Wednesday night after the team fell 9-8 in penalty shootout against USL Championship side Louisville City FC.
The game got off to a bright start with both teams going back and forth as they looked for the first goal of the match. Lou City had most of the ball in the opening stages but besides a few half chances, Michael Creek’s goal was rarely threatened. CITY2 showed a few moments of brilliance on the counterattack but just could not find that final piece to capitalize on their opportunities.
The second half started with Lou City controlling the tempo and creating chances. CITY2 grew into the game and showed moments of promise as they battled to keep the match level. Lou City ramped up the pressure on CITY2’s defense but Creek showed up time and time again, pushing the game to extra time.
At the start of extra time CITY2 stepped up their intensity with a few substitutions giving STL CITY2 the edge as the searched for the opener. The team came close to snatching a goal after Aaron Heard slipped a ball in behind for Sergio Rivas whose shot was saved by the Louisville goalkeeper. Though Lou City threw all they had to grab a late goal, CITY2’s grit and drive saw them force the match to penalty shootout.
After ten rounds of nail-biting penalty kicks, CITY2 fell short 9-8, putting an end to their 2022 U.S. Open Cup journey.
UP NEXT
St Louis CITY2 are back in action at Hermann Stadium on Sunday, April 24 against MLS NEXT Pro team Minnesota United 2 as they look to continue their impressive start to their season.
STARTING LINEUP
Michael Creek, Ben Di Rosa, Josh Yaro, Kyle Hiebert, Akil Watts, Max Schneider, AJ Palazzolo Wan Kuzain, Vitor Dias, Célio Pompeu, Josh Dolling
To learn more about St Louis CITY2, please find all player bios and headshots in this link here. To stay up to date with St. Louis CITY SC, visit stlcitysc.com and follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
