*St. Louis CITY SC is now 90 minutes away from the U.S. Open Cup Final.*
And somehow, that isn’t even the only ridiculous thing happening with this team. CITY fell behind Minnesota United in the fifth minute Saturday night. A few months ago, that might have felt like the end of the night.
This time? Nobody panicked.
CITY responded with four goals, controlled the match and walked out of Energizer Park with a *4-2 win*, extending the club’s unbeaten run to *16 matches across all competitions and 15 straight in MLS*.
And Rafael Navarro apparently believes scoring twice per game is just part of the job description now. After his brace at Portland, Navarro scored *two more against Minnesota*, giving him back-to-back braces and *14 MLS goals this season* between Colorado and St. Louis.
Carlo Holse delivered his best CITY performance yet, scoring a beautiful first-time finish and setting up Navarro with the ball over the top.
Daniel Edelman scored. Conrad Wallem added another assist. And CITY’s summer signings suddenly look less like pieces for the future and more like players capable of changing what this team can accomplish *right now*.
Bright and Kev break down the Minnesota win, Damet’s lineup rotation, Fall finally getting meaningful minutes, the Polvara midfield experiment and the biggest difference between this CITY team and the one we watched earlier this year:
GOING DOWN 1-0 DOESN’T FEEL FATAL ANYMORE.
CITY enters the week on *41 points and 5th in the Western Conference*, firmly back in the playoff race after a start that had us wondering whether the season was already dead. And now comes something even bigger.
U.S. OPEN CUP SEMIFINAL
*Colorado Rapids vs. St. Louis CITY SC*
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 8:30 PM CT
📍 DICK’S Sporting Goods Park
📺 Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network
Win, and CITY advances to the *October 21 U.S. Open Cup Final* against Columbus or Orlando. The winner of that Eastern semifinal will host the Final.
There’s real history attached to this one.
St. Louis clubs have won *10 U.S. Open Cups*, but none since the St. Louis Busch Seniors in *1988*. CITY is the first St. Louis club to reach the semifinal since that team won the trophy 38 years ago. Win the whole tournament and CITY earns:
🏆 The first trophy in club history
🌎 A spot in the *2027 Concacaf Champions Cup*
💰 Prize money
📜 Its name on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy
There’s just one small problem. *Rafael Navarro cannot play.*CITY’s hottest striker is *cup-tied to Colorado* because he already represented the Rapids in this year’s Open Cup before being traded to St. Louis.
So, the lineup changes again. Does Simon Becher go straight back to the No. 9? Do Holse and Mățan start behind him? How early does Damet use Damion Downs? Do you rotate at all with Toronto waiting Saturday? And if this game reaches penalties...
SHOULD CITY ACTUALLY SAVE A SUBSTITUTION SO BEN LUNDT CAN REPLACE ROMAN BÜRKI FOR THE SHOOTOUT? BRIGHT THINKS THEY SHOULD.
Colorado presents one massive warning sign:
*SIX STRAIGHT HOME WINS. SIX STRAIGHT HOME CLEAN SHEETS.*
But CITY has already beaten the Rapids *twice this season*, both by 1-0 scores, including once in Colorado. Something has to give.
Bright: *CITY 2-1*
Kev: *CITY 2-0*
One win away from a Final. Two wins away from the first trophy in club history.
🎙️ *CITY SC Posse Ep29: CITY Is 90 Minutes From a Final: 16 Unbeaten & Navarro Can't Play*
