2026 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Ben Lundt comes off bench to help St. Louis CITY eliminate Houston in PKs

After an early injury to St. Louis CITY SC starting goalkeeper Roman Bürki, the day was saved by backup keeper Ben Lundt as CITY advanced over the Houston Dynamo 4-2 in a penalty shootout. After 120 minutes of heated back-and-forth play ended all square 2-2.

In a game that often felt like a bout between heavyweight fighters, in no small part because of a combined ten yellow cards including two assessed to the benches, Lundt would come away the hero and help send his club to its first Semifinal appearance in the club’s short history.

“I’m more proud of being the guy to step in when there’s an opportunity,” Lundt said. “I don’t really try to judge myself on one performance. It doesn’t really matter how it could have went today bad game, good game doesn’t really matter. I am proud that I show up every single day in training.”

St. Louis came out swinging, battering the Houston defense and keeping the pressure on early. CITY would hit paydirt with a pinball play in the 9th minute. An audacious cross field pass by Chris Durkin bounced off Houston defender Felipe Andrade, CITY defender Tomas Totland, and Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond before it landed at the feet of Marcel Hartel.

Hartel slammed it home to give CITY an early 1-0 lead.

The lead would not last as Houston struck back with the help of a little luck. After receiving a back pass from Durkin, CITY keeper Roman Bürki attempted to play the ball out. As he was handling the ball in the box Bürki slipped and fell leaving the ball unattended. Houston Dynamo player Mateusz Bogusz was there to collect the loose change and deposit it back into the net to bring the scoreline even and score his second goal of the tournament.

Things began to snowball from there for CITY. After having to retreat and defend an intercepted pass out of the back Bürki signaled to the bench that he needed help. It would be the end of the night for Bürki and Lundt was called into action. While unfortunate, it seemed that the injury to Bürki did not come as a complete surprise.

“We knew he had something lingering for the past day or two. He knows his body, he’s a good pro. He’s been doing it for years now. He thought, we thought he could go through the game. He felt like a little something a little bit in the warmup and he wanted to try,” St. Louis CITY coach Yoann Damet said. “We’ll see, we’ll evaluate him and see where he’s at.”

With their starting keeper and captain out of the match, CITY began to waver as Houston gained momentum. The Dynamo began to push more aggressively on the beleaguered hometown team; it came to a head in the 42nd minute.

A short corner kick found its way to Houston midfielder Artur via Jack McGlynn. Artur struck it from well outside the box. The ball traveled through some traffic and beat a diving Lundt to the far corner giving Houston the lead.

“It’s been over a year since I played my last game for CITY and that is a long time,” said Lundt. “So, it was tough for me to come in. First shot was a goal. I don’t think I looked great on it. But that’s my job to play the game and see what the game gives me.”

St. Louis wouldn’t let the lead last for long in the second half. At the 49th minute Conrad Wallem delivered a pass to Sergio Cordova who was pulled down in the box by Houston’s Agustin Resch.

After the requisite wailing and gnashing of teeth that comes with any foul in the box Marcel Hartel stepped up to take the kick. He drove home the game tying goal and secured himself a brace for the evening.

BIG BEN!!!! 🧤 pic.twitter.com/zzkgYF54Ce

— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) May 20, 2026

The final minutes of regulation would see quality chances for both sides. CITY’s Simon Becher had a point-blank shot saved by goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. While Guilherme nearly won it for Houston with a free kick that banged off the woodwork. In the end, 90 minutes was not enough to decide the game.

Extra time got off to a cracking start with Lundt making a leaping save with his right arm outstretched over his body in the 103rd minute. The game almost did not make it to the penalty shootout without some heroics from St. Louis’ Dante Polvara.

In the 105th minute Houston had a lone player on a breakaway. Lundt attempted to come out and make a play but was dribbled around. It was one Houston player and a seemingly wide-open CITY net.

The end of the game was in sight until Polvara came flying in to make a sliding save.

“It speaks to the mindset of the guy. I think I said that earlier in the season. In those moments it’s more unconscious than conscious,” Damet said. “When you keep going and you don’t stop. You are speaking about one split second of still believing. Running, sprinting, and making the tackle. It goes a lot with something unconscious and the belief the guys have and how much they care about the team.”

Polvara’s split second of still believing made it so that Lundt could repay that faith in the net. The game would be decided from the spot and Lundt would have to stand tall.

Lundt’s first save would be on the first shot he faced. Leaping to his left Lundt stopped a shot by Houston’s Guilherme. The second shot was a replay of the first. Lundt saved Héctor Herrara’s attempt with a diving save to the keeper’s left. All the CITY SC shooters converted on their opportunities.

Just like that, St. Louis had won and Lundt had written himself into the history books as the first keeper in the club’s short history to win a penalty shootout.

“Feels great, we’ve been talking in the locker room with the coaching staff about a lot of new firsts. Beating LAFC for the first time. Going to Colorado and getting a result. So many firsts, the club is young. But again, to be part of this and in general being part of this group is great,” Lundt said.

This is the first time in the Modern Era that a St. Louis team has advanced to the Semifinals of the US Open Cup. The last local team to make it into the Quarterfinals was Saint Louis FC of the United Soccer League when they upset FC Cincinnati in 2019. The last Mound City club to reach the Semifinals was Busch SC who would go on to win the US Open Cup in 1988.

In a coming full circle moment that Cincinnati team was coached by none other than current CITY coach Yoann Damet. Before the commencement of the match with Houston, CITY honored Sam Fink the man who struck down Damet’s Cincinnati team with a towering stoppage time header. The moment served as a way to remember past Open Cup glory and honor a player who was synonymous with Saint Louis FC.

“When I was a pro I always dreamed of putting on a CITY shirt and stepping foot on that field. Falling short of that dream was something that I really struggled with for a while after retiring,” said Fink, who was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round during that Cup run. “To pull on a CITY shirt with my name on it and walk onto that field in a completely different capacity felt like a beautiful closure to a missed dream that once hurt quite deep. Extreme gratitude is the only work I can come up with to explain tonight. Gratitude to the club for including me, gratitude to the supporters for keeping memories like my Open Cup goal alive, and gratitude for every person and teammate along my journey that is just as deserving as me to be honored tonight.”

In September, St. Louis CITY SC will play the winner of the San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids match. If San Jose wins, CITY will host the match, but if the Rapids win, St. Louis will have to travel to Colorado.

Where Sam Fink and St. Louis FC fell short in the Quarterfinals, they can now pass the torch on to the next generation. That generation will carry it into uncharted territory for modern St. Louis teams. St. Louis is onto the semifinals.