ST. LOUIS — St. Louis CITY SC announced who will be the head coach for the team next season as they try to return to the winning form of their inaugural season.
Olof Mellberg, the former captain of the Swedish National Team and longtime standout for Aston Villa, was chosen to be the team's head coach next season, pending the receipt of his P-1 visa. Mellberg started his managerial career in 2016 and has experience overseeing a large player development program.
Mellberg started his managerial career at IF Brommapojkarna just outside Stockholm. When he started, the 80-year-old club was in Sweden's third division, but in just two years, they had been promoted all the way to the top league. He won league titles in 2016 and 2017. The team finished 10th in the top division in 2023, the best result in the team's history.
The press release from CITY SC said part of Mellberg's success is player development. Brommapojkarna has the largest youth development academy in Europe, with more than 3,000 players. CITY is hoping Mellberg can bring some of those skills to help develop young players into the stars of the future.
“Olof has an incredible work ethic and reputation for being disciplined and detail-oriented” Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said in the press release. “His leadership qualities as a captain, both at the highest club level and with his national team, will be key to managing our group. Olof’s ability to develop young talent was seen at his Swedish club and we can’t wait to see it translate here in St. Louis.”
Mellberg will be the second full-time head coach in team history. Bradley Carnell led the team to a Western Conference regular season title in the team's first season, but he was fired after a first-round exit from the playoffs and a disappointing start to the 2024 season.
John Hackworth, who took over head coaching duties on an interim basis, remains as CITY SC's technical director.
CITY finished in 12th place in the 14-team Western Conference in 2024, and managed to win just one road game. They finished the season with an 8-13-13 record overall, 10 points out of the final playoff spot.