New team, new stadium, and it’s fair to say that both St. Louis City SC and CITYPARK have got off to a great start. Now we bring focus to the latter as part of our Residence series, exploring the stadium from the ground up.
Situated in the city’s Downtown West neighbourhood, CITYPARK is a purpose built soccer stadium that boasts a capacity of 22,500, and its presence has breathed new life into the city. It sits within a resurgent corridor that will ultimately connect the Gateway Arch and Forest Park, two of the city’s most iconic civic spaces. At the time of writing, the stadium has played host to two of St. Louis City’s opening four MLS games, and the new franchise have yet to experience anything but the sweet taste of victory, riding high at the top of the Western Conference with the only perfect record in the whole league.
Positioned less than 250 feet from Union Station, the stadium is accessible from all four sides. Its impressive canopy construction provides a strong element of the stadium's visual identity, while also heightening the sound and energy from the fans within on a game day. The atmosphere and noise is boosted by the fact the depth of the stadium bowl has been increased to 40 feet (12m) below street level.
The stadium opened on November 16 with a friendly match between St. Louis City 2 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga. Leverkusen won 3–0.
The first ever home MLS game for St. Louis City SC (captured as part of our Framed series) was played March 4th, 2023, hosting opposing team Charlotte FC. The first MLS goal scored at Citypark came in the same game, in the 25th minute from Charlotte FC forward Enzo Copetti. The game would end as a 3-1 victory to St. Louis City SC.
Inside, no seat is further than 120 feet from the pitch (the closest of any stadium in Major League Soccer), providing some superb views of the action, no matter where you’re sitting. That being said, the closest seats are a mere 15 feet from the touchline, putting you right in the action, if you’re lucky enough to snag a ticket there.
The stadium contains a supporters' section with space for more than 3,000 standing spectators, three capo stands, a 257-foot (78 m) long integrated tifo rigging system, a drum riser for drum corps during matches, and a dedicated supporters bar.
Photography by SoccerBible.
