What to know for St. Louis CITY SC's home opener

ST. LOUIS – If you’re planning to venture out to celebrate the inaugural St. Louis CITY SC home opener this weekend, make sure you plan ahead. St. Louis CITY SC’s home opener is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CITYPARK.

CITY SC made its official MLS debut last weekend with a 3-2 road victory against Austin FC. This weekend, CITY SC gets set for its second game in franchise history against Charlotte FC.

Tens of thousands are expected to gather in Downtown St. Louis on Saturday with the CITY SC opener, the Arch Madness college basketball tournament, and many watch parties for both events planned ahead.

To enjoy the soccer scene, make sure you keep the following considerations in mind.

Parking/Rides

Parking passes for designated lots within the St. Louis CITY SC District are sold out for the home opener, meaning you will need to park somewhere that requires a little bit of a walk or grab a ride to the stadium.

One of the most ideal spots for parking is Union Station, though it could fill up quickly with Arch Madness also planned nearby at the Enterprise Center. Other nearby options are parking lots at 409 South 15th Street, 360 South 18th Street and 1211 Spruce Street.

Ballpark Village will offer shuttles to and from CITYPARK on Saturday and other matches this season, though fees apply. CITY SC outlines a few other parking spots that might require a bit of a walk.

For those who want to avoid parking hassles, you can take the Metro to the Union Station exit or arrange a rideshare for dropoff at Locust Street, between 20th and 21st streets.

Block Party

St. Louis CITY SC will host its inaugural CITY Block Party over a span of two days. Fans can enjoy the first part of the block party Friday starting at 6 p.m. The next part is set from 4 p.m. to shortly before kickoff Saturday.

The CITY Block Party in Lou Fusz Plaza (located on the eastern side of CITYPARK) will include music, local food and beverage vendors, fan giveaways, games, and surprise entertainment and activities.

Attendees are required to claim a free admission ticket for Friday’s portion of the block party through SeatGeek.com or the Seat Geek or STL CITY SC apps. Capacity will be limited to around 5,000 fans. Saturday’s block party will be open to the public and not require a free admission ticket, though capacity could be limited once again.

For more information on the block party, click here.

Tickets/Getting Into Stadium

If you’re still eyeballing tickets to Saturday’s home opener last minute, you might want to act sooner than later. The cheapest “get-in” price via Ticketmaster.com before fees is $369. You can check other secondary-ticket websites, but your final cost will be hundreds if you haven’t obtained a ticket already.

If you have a ticket, make sure its recognized on the St. Louis CITY SC app for the best experience. The app works in tandem with SeatGeek for ticket information. Per CITY SC instructions, follow these steps to redeem your ticket.

In the CITY SC app, tap GO and then ACCESS TICKETS.
Log into your SeatGeek Account. Or, you can create a new one during this step.
Tap AUTHORIZE to grant access and link your accounts.

Starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, an hour and a half before the match, fans can enter from all four sides of CITYPARK. The south and east sides will be closest to the block party. Fans can only pay for goods and services at CITYPARK using a credit or debit card.

CITYPARK operates under a clear-bag policy, meaning fans are only allowed to enter with clear bags smaller than 14 inches by 14 inches by 6 inches. Some wallets or clutches might be subject to inspection. Guests with medical conditions and diaper bags will be granted a bag exemption on a case-by-case basis. CITY SC also notes many items that guests are prohibited from bringing into the stadium.

Watch Parties/Broadcast Details

If you can’t attend the home opener or celebration, you can also celebrate by attending a watch party. At least 18 bars are registered through St. Louis CITY SC’s watch party experience, tabbed as “CITY On Tap Presented By Michelob ULTRA.”

“CITY On Tap” bars are all registered with MLS Season Pass credentials and plan to carry broadcasts for every match this year. That includes many locations in the City of St. Louis and the following suburbs:

Arnold, Missouri
Florissant, Missouri
Kirkwood, Missouri
O’Fallon, Missouri
Valley Park, Missouri
Webster Groves, Missouri
Alton, Illinois
Columbia, Illinois
Edwardsville, Illinois
O’Fallon, Illinois

To find a “CITY On Tap” location near you, click here.

The home opener, and every other St. Louis CITY SC match this season, will be broadcast live through MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you can set up a MLS Season Pass account for free through the “T-Mobile Tuesdays” app. Otherwise, a MLS pass subscription to watch Saturday’s game will cost around $14.99 per month or $99 per season for subscriber.

Lastly, if you can’t attend the game or a watch party or stream it, the radio broadcast will be available on 98.1 FM.