'Meet Me in Saint Louis'

National Team returns to America’s first soccer capital

St. Louis has a rich soccer legacy, dating back to the late 19th century. The passion for the sport has made the city a fertile ground for developing American soccer talent and a desirable location for hosting the U.S. Men’s National Team. It will be the 13th time the men’s side has played at the Gateway to the West.

The foundation of St. Louis’s soccer culture was laid in the early 20th century with the formation of the St. Louis Soccer League (SLSL). The SLSL, founded in 1907, was the only fully professional soccer league in the United States at that time. The league’s success helped elevate the level of play in the city and produced players who would go on to represent the United States on the international stage.

St. Louis’s impact on the USMNT was profoundly evident during the 1950 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. team, which pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by defeating England 1-0, featured five players from St. Louis. Many of these players came from the city’s historically Italian neighborhood, “The Hill”.

St. Louis’s soccer legacy extends beyond producing players; the city has also hosted significant USMNT matches. St. Louis’s first official U.S. match was in 1957 at the Public School Grounds — a 3-2 defeat to Canada.

In 1984 and 1985, Busch Memorial Stadium was the site of two USMNT matches, starting with a 4-0 victory over Netherlands Antilles, which then setup a CONCACAF Championship match between the USMNT and Trinidad and Tobago, with the U.S. emerging victorious 2-1.

Fenton Soccer Park played host to three matches during 1990 World Cup Qualifying, including the 1-0 over Costa Rica with Tab Ramos netting the winner.

More recently, the USMNT kicked off their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a resounding 6-1 win against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the new Busch Stadium in 2015. The match drew a crowd of 43,433, highlighting the city’s support for the national team.

The arrival of St. Louis City SC in Major League Soccer in 2023 marked another milestone in the city’s soccer history. The team's home stadium, now Energizer Park (formerly CITYPARK), hosted its first men's international matches during the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where the U.S. beat Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-0. Most recently, Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic scored in a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan in St. Louis on Sep 9, 2023.