ST. LOUIS, Mo. – In the club’s short history, there have already been some memorable moments for Saint Louis FC at its home, Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

There was the 2-1 overtime victory against the PDL’s Des Moines Menace in 2015, when Jermie Lynch earned the side its first win in the tournament with a 97th-minute goal. Or later that year, when goalkeeper Mark Pais was the hero in a 3-1 penalty shootout victory against now-MLS side Minnesota United FC.

But with the club hosting MLS opposition in the tournament for the first time on Wednesday night, and the four-time champion Chicago Fire at that, both of those victories would pale in comparison to an upset for the host in front of its passionate fans.

“It’s a chance and a big opportunity,” STLFC Head Coach Preki told USSoccer.com’s Jonah Fontela. “We should use it to showcase ourselves and express ourselves as a team and as players. It’s a tough opponent and one who’s ahead of us in terms of talent, money and organization. OK, we admit this. But at the same time, it’s soccer and it’s 90 minutes and well, we’ll have fun and get right into them.”

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With that mindset going in, and the likes of former Fire player Tony Walls among his squad, Preki could have the sort of side that can spring a surprise. After getting past the defending PDL champion Michigan Bucks in the last round, though, the former U.S. international knows a much-improved Fire side is a whole different challenge, even on home turf.

With that said, the sort of fight that a side like Saint Louis can produce will play in its favor. A former MLS and USL Coach of the Year, Preki is aiming for his side to have the right mindset as it approaches the Fire.

“I want my teams to be brave,” he said. “Organized and ready, sure. But bravery is the key. You have to believe in what you can do. I want to press as much as we can and to attack. This is what soccer is all about.”

It remains to be seen if the likes of MLS leading scorer Nemanja Nikolic or former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger will be on the field for the Fire on Wednesday night. Regardless, as Preki puts it himself, the magic of the Open Cup is “anything is possible.”

“It’s a one-game thing,” he added. “If you catch a team on the right day or a team catches you on the right day, anything can go wrong. Or right! It all depends on those 90 minutes, or those 120 minutes. Whatever. Someone will win. Someone will lose.”