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‘Let’s see how far we can go in year one’ – St. Louis boss Damet thrilled with U.S. Open Cup win
‘Let’s see how far we can go in year one’ – St. Louis boss Damet thrilled with U.S. Open Cup win

St. Louis City SC boss Yoann Damet wants to see "how far we can go in year one" after already winning silverware this season.

St. Louis defeated the Columbus Crew on penalties to win the U.S. Open Cup midweek, securing their first-ever trophy and clinching a spot in next season's Champions Cup.

They have also impressed in MLS action, recently stringing together a 19-game unbeaten run to move up to second in the Western Conference.

Damet's side face Real Salt Lake this weekend, and he has pushed his team to achieve even more success in 2026.

"Listen, it means a lot for the club," said Damet.

"Obviously, it's the fourth year of existence of the club. You always want to fill the trophy cabinet. But it takes time; it’s not easy.

"Success is not built overnight. So we started the year thinking: let's implement a clear vision, a clear identity of how we want to do things, and let's see how far we can go in year one.

"I'm super happy that these guys are going to be remembered to be the first doing it for the club. It's amazing. I hope we will all look back in 20, 50 years, and be really proud of what we've accomplished together.

"We wanted to write the history for the club."

Real Salt Lake, meanwhile, are three points off the playoff places in the West with four games to go.

They defeated Sporting Kansas City 3-1 last time out and have now won two of their last four games (D1 L1) after losing each of their previous four.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Salt Lake – Noel Caliskan

Morgan Guilavogui scored two career MLS goals prior to his brace against Sporting Kansas City.

Noel Caliskan delivered the primary assist on each of Guilavogui's last three goals, as half of Caliskan's primary assists this season have been on Guilavogui goals.

St. Louis City – Rafael Navarro

Rafael Navarro has recorded multiple goal contributions in four of his eight MLS matches with St. Louis, including a goal and assist on Saturday.

Since the beginning of September, Navarro’s 11 goal contributions (eight goals, three assists) are the second most in MLS play (Antoine Griezmann – 12).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

St. Louis's 19-match regular-season unbeaten run came to an end with a 3–2 defeat at Minnesota United. The defeat was the first time St. Louis had ever lost an MLS match in which they led by multiple goals at half-time (W15 D3 prior to Saturday).

RSL scored twice in the first 15 minutes of their 3-1 win at Sporting KC, the club’s second time scoring two goals within the first 15 minutes of an MLS match this season (also v San Diego FC).

The first meeting between RSL and St. Louis was a 4–0 road win by the latter in March 2023, but Salt Lake are unbeaten in the six matches in the fixture since then (W3 D3).

The six-match regular-season unbeaten streak is tied for RSL's longest against any team (also v Sporting KC and Austin FC).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Real Salt Lake – 33.1%

Draw – 25.6%

St. Louis City – 41.3%

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