ST. LOUIS — The metro area’s Major League Soccer expansion franchise has announced the hiring of the first coaches for the team’s development program.
St. Louis City SC said Thursday that Andreas Schumacher has been named head coach of the team’s academy coaching staff. The academy teams, including under-16 and under-17 squads, will play in the MLS NEXT league this fall.
According to a release, Schumacher coached in the German Bundesliga for more than 10 years. In his role with City SC, he will work in with Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel to develop the academy’s U16 and U17 teams. Responsibilities include the overall planning and execution of the team’s training programs, and ensuring the academy’s goals and strategies align with the franchise’s vision of making soccer accessible to all.
“It’s an honor to be a part of St. Louis City SC, especially in the early stages where I’m able to work alongside Lutz to develop the academy structure and philosophy,” Schumacher said in a statement. “We’ve heard Lutz talk about how this is the most exciting project in the soccer world, and I have to agree. We get to lay the groundwork, and that starts with making sure we have the right coaches to help us best develop players both on and off the field.”
Schumacher won’t be able to travel to St. Louis immediately due to COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, he will work remotely with Pfannenstiel, who will serve as acting head coach for the time being.
Other coaches hired for the academy program include Luis Swisher, David Critchley and Elvir Kafedžić as academy assistant coaches, Tim Kelly as academy goalkeeper coach and Charles Renken as academy specialist coach.
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