ST. LOUIS — St. Louis City SC has found the first player for their inaugural season in 2023.
The club announced on Tuesday it had signed Bosnian National Team left-back Selmir Pidro to an MLS professional contract pending his ITC, a medical check and work authorization.
Pidro is signed through 2025, but the financial terms of the transfer from his current club, FK Sarajevo were not disclosed.
Pidro, a native of Bugojni, Bosnia and Herzegovina, will finish out the season with FK Sarajevo before joining St. Louis City in July of 2022. He will be with the team for their debut season in the MLS in 2023.
“Pidro is a very hard-working player that not only fits well with our style of play but is a young player with significant experience,” St. Louis City SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said in a statement. “He’s been on our radar for a while now and we’re confident that he can have immediate impact in the league. He has a high ceiling and we’re excited to help him grow as a player and as an individual.”
The 23-year-old defender was a regular member for youth selections on the Bosnian National Team, and in March of 2021 he played in his first game for the country's senior team in a friendly against Costa Rica.
"Quite honestly, he embodies the kind of player we are trying to attract here in St. Louis,” St. Louis City SC President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Louis Carolyn Kindle Betz said in a statement. “We are very pleased to have secured a rising talent who will fit in perfectly with our community.”
The arrival of Pidro as the team's first player follows the announcement of Bradley Carnell as City's first head coach on Jan. 5.