St. Louis CITY SC Stadium Opening Was A Dream Come True

I used to dream of moments like this, in a city that would pack the house for a Sunday night CYC final, it it only feels natural that fans would brave a cold November night to watch St. Louis CITY SC break the seal on the brand new CITYPARK in downtown St. Louis. Bundesliga mainstays, Bayer Leverkusen were in town to signify a new era of St. Louis soccer, the MLS era, and both sides did not disappoint.

It’s important at this point to remember just how starved STL has been for top flight soccer. Since the dawn of MLS — RIP to the NASL’s St. Louis Stars — the city has often served as a bargaining chip for franchises looking to better their situation. Coming extremely close when Real Salt Lake almost moved to St. Louis in 2009, a move that ushered in the formation of the, ever ambitious, AC St. Louis.

ACSTL had the goal of becoming St. Louis’ next top flight soccer team and had successfully brought professional soccer back to St. Louis for the first time since 1976. While not long for this world, ACSTL made it possible for St. Louis FC to take its’ place. STLFC joined the brand new USL with the goal of being a more sustainable team in a more sustainable league. STLFC was loved by a hardcore contingent of STL soccer fans and proved how great of an environment the city could be for the world’s most popular sport… even if Soccer Park was never the easiest venue to attract a sell out. However, with the advent of CKB’s ownership group securing funding for a new MLS franchise in St. Louis, it meant…