ST. LOUIS – Weeks after a major coaching change and roster shakeup, St. Louis CITY SC turns its attention to Leagues Cup action. The club is also working to navigate through challenges presented by an apparent fan boycott.

CITY won its first Leagues Cup matchup last Saturday, 2-1, against FC Dallas at home. Their next Leagues Cup matchup is this upcoming Saturday, Aug. 4, against FC Juárez from the Liga MX, also on home grounds.

While the Leagues Cup matchups give CITY SC an opportunity to build chemistry outside the regular season, fans have expressed frustrations with the competition and its effects on participation in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the country’s oldest ongoing national soccer competition and has historical connections to St. Louis. CITY SC released a statement earlier this month showing “desire and commitment to participate” in the future.

CITY was not one of the teams selected to participate in this year’s Open Cup. Despite the interest, the team could not qualify under new conditions set forth from the United States Soccer Federation . U.S. Soccer moved forth with a plan this year that prevented teams that competed and didn’t win the CONCACAF Champions Cup, including St. Louis CITY SC, from taking part in the Open Cup.

Various soccer fans in St. Louis and beyond have voiced displeasure at Major League Soccer over the new rules for eligibility and a narrow eight-team Open Cup tournament field. Frustrations have mounted to the point of some fans deciding to boycott Leagues Cups matchups, or at least various aspects of the matchday experience.

The St. Louligans, a fan club that regularly packs north end of the stadium, first expressed concerns back in March with CITY SC not participating in the Open Cup, stating, “Leadership is not attending and advising to boycott in support of the Open Cup. We will not be participating in game day activities as a result during the Leagues Cup.” The St. Louligans called it an “atrocious decision” to not include CITY SC in the Open Cup field and directed blame to Major League Soccer.

Fast forward to Saturday, several months after the St. Louligans remarks, FOX 2’s Daniel Esteve found the north end to be emptier than usual .

Furthermore, according to Matt Rocchio, 101.1 ESPN producer, multiple people commented on the lack of chants and absence of drums in Saturday’s game. He said via social platform X , “The boycott is LOUD for those who want to hear it.”

Perhaps the most telling sign of the boycott, CITY’s reported attendance for the game was 17,584, a far cry from the stadium’s usual sellout crowd of 22,000-plus.

The boycott may appear as a distraction to some, but interim head coach John Hackworth said he didn’t want the team to treat last Saturday’s matchup differently than any others on schedule.

“One-hundred percent focused on going full throttle and using all our resources and maximizing any moment we can,” said Hackworth last Thursday. “I don’t think we’re at a point in the season where we can take our foot off the gas, but certainly go back to the way I started this, this is a really good chance for us as a club to chase our first trophy and to bring all of these new pieces in. Why would we do anything less than put our best foot forward.”

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Defender Chris Durkin offered a similar sentiment to FOX 2’s Kevin Ryans .

“The club stance, we still want to be part of the Open Cup,” said Durkin. “Me personally, I love the Open Cup. It’s where I made my professional debut with D.C. United. That cup has a special place in my heart. I know there will still be a lot of people in the stands and they’ll still be supporting us. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about all of the supporters that have come. It’s up to everybody’s decision.”

According to Pro Soccer Wire , a soccer coverage network from USA Today, fan supporter groups from 11 different professional soccer teams, including CITY SC, have announced intentions to boycott Leagues Cup matchups over its effects on the Open Cup.

Ahead of their first Leagues Cup matchup, CITY SC informed media members that it has met with MLS officials and supporter groups to discuss the future of their involvement in the Open Cup and their position.

A joint statement released from CITY supporter groups on Friday, including the St. Louligans among others, reaffirmed their appreciation for CITY’s willingness to have an open dialogue about the MLS’s position on the Open Cup.

The statement showed support for CITY SC and its players, but expressed the boycott was to send a message to the MLS. It reads:

“Monday night the collective of Supporters’ Groups were invited to a meeting with Diego Gigliani, President of CITY SC and Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Sporting Product & Competition for Major League Soccer to continue a dialogue surrounding our stance on the U.S. Open Cup. We were able to have a candid and constructive conversation about MLS’ decision to withdraw from the USOC and target a conversation toward 2025, reinforcing the importance of supporting America’s oldest soccer tournament. The meeting showed encouraging progress towards our goal of recognizing and supporting a tournament as historic as U.S. Open Cup. We look forward to continuing the conversation in the following days and weeks with CITY, the league, and U.S. Soccer Federation.”

CITY SC has one more home guaranteed matchup on schedule in Leagues Cup action this weekend. The fan turnout or experience for that game remains to be determined.

The Leagues Cup is a World Cup-style tournament that features all 47 teams from across Major League Soccer and LIGA MX. Among those teams, 32 will qualify for a single-game elimination bracket challenge that begins Aug. 7. The Leagues Cup Final is set for Aug. 25.

Meanwhile, CITY SC is scheduled to return to MLS regular season action on Saturday, Aug. 24 against the Portland Timbers.

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