St. Louis City SC's new manager Olof Mellberg is ready to bring his possession-based style of football to Major League Soccer, aiming to revitalize a team that suffered a significant downturn in 2024. The former Aston Villa and Juventus midfielder arrives with a clear vision and the determination to return the club to its former glory.
The contrast between St. Louis City's inaugural 2023 season and their 2024 campaign couldn't be more stark. After topping the Western Conference in their expansion year, the team plummeted to 12th place, finishing 16 points outside the playoff spots. This dramatic decline led to the mid-season dismissal of Bradley Carnell and raised questions about whether their impressive debut was merely a fluke.
"I'm an attack-minded coach that likes to be in control of games, which means organization defensively, and balance in transition," Mellberg told GOAL at MLS media day in Miami, emphasizing his tactical philosophy.
The team's struggles in 2024 were particularly evident in their defensive statistics. While goalkeeper Roman Burki, the former Borussia Dortmund stalwart and MLS goalkeeper of the year in 2023, maintained his individual performance levels, the team's goals conceded jumped from 45 to 63. The offensive output also declined, with the team scoring 12 fewer goals than in their inaugural season.
Burki, who has been with the club since its inception, believes the path forward is clear: "We need to trust the coach's plan, invest a lot of time and energy in training every day to try and get better."
Mellberg's appointment represents a deliberate shift in tactical approach. Unlike his predecessor Carnell, who emphasized an aggressive pressing style, Mellberg favors a more measured, possession-based game. His success in Swedish football, including two league titles with Brommapojkarna, suggests he has the credentials to implement his vision.
One of Mellberg's primary focuses will be improving the team's away form, which was particularly poor in 2024. With just one win, eight draws, and eight losses on the road, St. Louis accumulated only eleven points away from home - the lowest in MLS. "We need to do better away from home. Most teams are really, really strong at home but have poor away records. We are definitely one of them," Mellberg acknowledged.
The Swedish manager sees St. Louis's passionate fanbase as a crucial asset. The city's soccer culture is evident in the 22,000 fans who regularly fill Energizer Park with flares and tifos. "It's the identity of St. Louis: hard working, energy, intensity. Those are qualities we can see more of," Mellberg explained.
Despite the challenges ahead, Mellberg remains optimistic about the team's prospects. With key players like Burki, Cedric Teuchert, and Marcel Hartel in the squad, and the inherent unpredictability of MLS working in their favor, he believes improvement is possible. While acknowledging that returning to the top of the Western Conference might be a stretch given the strength of teams like LA Galaxy and LAFC, Mellberg has set a clear target: "For sure playoffs is the goal of the season, and we take it from there."
