Football Season Guide

St Louis City were never likely to repeat the heroics of their inaugural MLS campaign which saw them finish top of the Western Conference. The dreaded “second season syndrome” struck and City found themselves around the bottom end of the table for much of the year. Popular coach Bradley Carnell was rather unceremoniously sacked in July, which came as quite a shock despite the team’s poor form and standing, considering what he had achieved the previous season. The club promoted from within as John Hackworth took charge for the remainder of the campaign as interim-manager. After initial struggles, he guided City to a strong finish. It wasn’t enough to make the play-offs or for Hackworth to get the job on a permanent basis. The club have instead have hired former Swedish international Olof Mellberg as their new head coach for 2025 and he will inherit a stronger squad than what Carnell had to start with last year. Much of that owes to a very fruitful summer transfer window just after Hackworth took over. The likes of Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel and Simon Becher all hit the ground running after arriving, becoming among the club’s top contributors in terms of goals and assists, despite only playing half the season. The success of those summer recruits has meant that there hasn’t been the need for much business so far in the winter, with defender Timo Baumgartl and midfielder Conrad Wallem the only two acquisitions. The squad also hasn’t lost any particularly significant names. Much of City’s potential success will again rely on key players like striker Joao Klauss and playmaker Edu Löwen. Both were missing for significant periods of last season due to injuries and personal issues in Löwen’s case. The injury bug also took out players who were in form like Tomáš Ostrák and Célio Pompeu. Both could feel like new signings coming into the 2025 campaign. If St Louis can pick up where they left off at the end of last year, they could be back in business.