Soccer
St. Louis CITY SC have parted ways with head coach Olof Mellberg, the club announced Tuesday evening. David Critchley, head coach of MLS NEXT Pro affiliate St Louis CITY2, will assume first-team manager responsibilities while the club seeks a new head coach.
The decision comes 15 league matches into Mellberg’s tenure, with St. Louis sitting 14th in the Western Conference with 11 points (2W-8L-5D record). Their 11 goals scored are the third-fewest in MLS, while their defensive form has wavered after starting the year with four straight shutouts.
Mellberg was hired last November, arriving after leading top-flight side IF Brommapojkarna in his native Sweden. During his playing career, Mellberg was a highly accomplished defender for club and country.
“The decision to part ways with Olof goes beyond just results,” said sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel. “We’ve analyzed the team’s performance across a number of factors, including the need to execute against a style of play that led to the team’s initial success and has been part of our DNA for four years.
“As a club, we have certain standards we need to meet and believe a coaching change was necessary to improve our overall performance and return to a winning culture. Our fans deserve a better performing team and we intend to give them one.”
In just their third MLS season, St. Louis are now seeking their third full-time head coach. They parted ways with inaugural manager Bradley Carnell (now with the Philadelphia Union) last July and elevated John Hackworth to interim coach, before ultimately hiring Mellberg during the offseason.
St. Louis enjoyed a historic expansion season in 2023, topping the Western Conference with 56 points. They finished 10 points below the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line in 2024 and are currently eight points below the Wild Card places as the campaign’s midway point approaches.
“We understood it would take time for Olof to become acclimated to Major League Soccer and certainly acknowledge injuries made his job difficult, but we simply could not continue down this path,” said club president and GM Diego Gigliani.
“We are disappointed that we were not able to find success under Olof. He moved over here from Sweden and worked tirelessly on behalf of the club during his tenure. We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”
St. Louis’ roster has a strong German influence, highlighted by former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki, midfielder Marcel Hartel and striker João Klauss. Midfielders Eduard Löwen and Cedric Teuchert are other Bundesliga alums.
CITY SC’s first game post-Mellberg arrives Saturday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes during Matchday 17 (2:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Read MoreBuffy Catt