St. Louis CITY SC made club history by reaching its first-ever U.S. Open Cup semifinal after defeating the Houston Dynamo in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw at Energizer Park. Marcel Hartel scored twice, including a second-half penalty to level the match, before CITY SC won 4-2 in penalties. Eduard Löwen, Hartel, Timo Baumgartl, and Chris Durkin all converted their spot kicks, while goalkeeper Ben Lundt delivered two huge saves — including the game-winning stop against Héctor Herrera. St. Louis now returns to MLS action Saturday against Austin FC.
