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St. Louis CITY's new identity fuels historic turnaround
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- St. Louis CITY's new identity fuels historic turnaround
St. Louis CITY's new identity fuels historic turnaround
By Charles Boehm
St. Louis CITY SC are the hottest team in Major League Soccer.
The Midwesterners ride a 12-game unbeaten streak across all competitions into their Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire clash with FC Dallas (7 pm ET | Apple TV ), a surge that has carried them from the Western Conference basement up to sixth place, right in the heart of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs race in year one under head coach Yoann Damet.
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They've produced some of the league's most progressive, possession-centric soccer in the process, weaving quick combinations and sweeping switches of play to stretch opposing defenses. MLS on Apple TV analyst Bradley Wright-Phillips called them "one of the best teams to watch, on the eye" during an interview with Damet last week.
That's been achieved despite much of the squad being built around a more frenetic game model implemented by Lutz Pfannenstiel, the club's former sporting director who led CITY into MLS as an expansion side in 2023. Newer, unheralded names like Simon Becher , Dante Polvara and Daniel Edelman have become pivotal contributors, producing some of the best form of their careers.
"I'm very pleased with where we're at in terms of our identity," Damet told MLSsoccer.com earlier this month, "and the way we defend and the way we attack, and the way we're creating chances. I think it fits perfectly the group we've got, and their qualities.
"I think the players enjoy the way we play," he added. "That's the environment we're trying to create."
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Instilling belief
'The Ravioli Boyz,' as some fans have dubbed them in a nod to the fried pasta dish, a cherished local staple, have also flashed grit and guts.
They've dug out results like last week's 2-1 win over in-form Houston Dynamo FC , dislodging the Texans from first place in the West, and mounted two dramatic comebacks in a US Open Cup run which continues next month with a semifinal clash vs. the Colorado Rapids .
"We spoke about belief, making them believe that they can play this way," explained Damet, whose game model reflects his stints working with Wilfried Nancy at CF Montréal and Columbus Crew , and a year spent under Greg Vanney with the LA Galaxy and their second team.
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"When you arrive in front of the players and you tell them, 'OK, we're going to work and play a little different,' there is always a period of acclimation and also a period of questioning. Can we do it? Are we confident enough to do it? And that's where it's been very fun for me to see the players embrace it."
Prominent departures
You might struggle to detect all this progress from the mood among some of their most fervent supporters, though.
The current vibes around the CITY fanbase are contentious and conflicted, because even as the positive results stacked up, the club were parting ways with two of their most productive, popular players.
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First was Designated Player Marcel Hartel , their leading scorer this season, who expressed a need for his young family to return to his native Germany for personal reasons. STL transferred him to 2.Bundesliga side Hannover 96 earlier this month at a cut-rate price (reportedly $1 million), which prioritized, in current sporting director Corey Wray's words, the "human" side over business considerations.
Then Eduard Löwen , STL's all-time leader in assists and a beloved figure since their inaugural season, moved on to the San Jose Earthquakes in a trade made official this week. The German playmaker had bonded deeply with the community, particularly as his wife Ilona grappled with brain cancer, a fight that claimed her life earlier this year.
Yet he and the club couldn't agree on a new contract as his current deal entered its final months. So they worked with Löwen to find him a new home, further testing the fans' faith – and with mere days left in the summer transfer window, impatience is simmering as they await word of reinforcements for those prominent departures.
"Every time you post I get angry," wrote one CITY supporter in reply to one of the club's social-media channels. "Which shouldn't be the case because we haven't lost since May."
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The headline of a column by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Lynn Worthy called the recent moves a "unique way to entertain and provoke fans" during this unbeaten run.
On some level, the club's decision-makers can probably relate to the public's skepticism, because the opening to the season tested their own belief. STL's current hot streak caught fire in the wake of a painful start: just one win in their first 10 games, a period marked by some brutally unlucky breaks.
"The process, the underlying metrics, the things we're looking at just watching the game, and the chances we're creating, were all super positive," explained Wray, Pfannenstiel's successor, to MLSsoccer.com last week. "Then it's about, how much appetite for losing do we have as a group? Do we blow it up? These are all, like, human challenges that you have to really believe in the project."
Proof of progress
As STL tried to find their feet, Wray would receive what he wryly calls "a crappy award" from his counterparts at opposing clubs.
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"People are coming up to us [saying], 'Wow, you guys are going to be good. Sorry we beat you, but that was the hardest game we've played,'" he recalled. "It doesn't get you so far, but it makes us feel like, OK, our peers can see.
"Thankfully, it turned when it did."
A quiet contributor to successful projects in his previous stops at Toronto FC , Columbus and Montréal, Wray crossed paths with Damet in his Crew chapter and came away impressed by the Frenchman, who at 36 is the youngest manager in MLS. The two have crafted a solid working relationship that's helped STL become competitive more quickly than they initially expected.
They've already added one Designated Player this summer in Danish winger Carlo Holse , and would like to sign another one to lead the attack in the No. 9 role. Yet Wray's bigger focus is constructing something that can survive the test of time.
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"This club had a tremendous launch, but very much is in its infancy when it comes to the process, when it comes to everything we do day to day," said Wray. "I think we provide that in terms of identity. There's been a big shift in how the team plays on the field, aligned with some of my thoughts, and obviously aligned with how Yoann sees the game.
"Now we're doing a lot of stuff also behind the scenes to improve the effectiveness of our recruitment, to build a high-performing culture, to really align with how this ownership sees organizations being run."
Postseason dreaming
While STL have not been among MLS's biggest spenders since joining the league three years ago, Wray says he's gotten full backing to push the club forward.
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"I don't see any limitation to what we can do, or what we're looking to do from this ownership group. It's never been a discussion with me. It's all been about finding the right people, the right fit to elevate this project," he said. "We want to be competitive. When you win, you're relevant, and winning does cost a little bit of money.
"So there's definitely been a renewed sense of ambition when it comes to that side since our arrival and planning and presentations."
St. Louis is one of soccer's ancestral cradles in North America, and CITY's leaders are profoundly conscious of the sport's deep roots in the region. It's what fuels the loud crowds who pack into Energizer Park week after week – and it raises expectations, as the outcry about Hartel and Löwen revealed. Damet and Wray want to bring them joy, ideally in the form of an Open Cup trophy and a deep postseason run.
They believe it's essential to do so in a manner that can be reproduced year after year.
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"There is a very strong fan base and very strong community that has a strong soccer heritage, and I think having that makes things exciting," said Damet, "We've got a very unique setup where the stadium is packed every time, they're pushing the team – at the same time they are demanding, which is good.
"It comes as a privilege to be able to do that, and to create something sustainable here in the city," he added. "It comes with also some pressure that I enjoy and embrace, and I think the players and the staff do as well."
Match Trailer | St. Louis CITY bring unbeaten streak vs. FC Dallas
