St. Louis CITY SC Releases Head Coach Olof Mellberg

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MLS St. Louis City SC

St. Louis CITY SC Releases Head Coach Olof Mellberg

May 27, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
St. Louis City SC News Release


ST. LOUIS - St. Louis CITY SC today announced the release of the club's head coach, Olof Mellberg. Current CITY2 head coach, David Critchley will assume first team manager responsibilities while the club searches for a new head coach.

Under Mellberg, who was hired last November, the club has struggled to score goals and currently sits 14th in the Western Conference after 15 matches, with a record of 2 wins, 8 losses and 5 draws and an average points per game of .73.

"The decision to part ways with Olof goes beyond just results. We've analyzed the team's performance across a number of factors, including the need to execute against a style of play that led to the team's initial success and has been part of our DNA for four years. As a club, we have certain standards we need to meet and believe a coaching change was necessary to improve our overall performance and return to a winning culture," said CITY SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel. "Our fans deserve a better performing team, and we intend to give them one," continued Pfannenstiel.

"We understood it would take time for Olof to become acclimated to Major League Soccer and certainly acknowledge injuries made his job difficult, but we simply could not continue down this path," added St. Louis CITY SC President and GM Diego Gigliani. "We are disappointed that we were not able to find success under Olof," continued Gigliani. "He moved over here from Sweden and worked tirelessly on behalf of the club during his tenure. We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors."

One of CITY SC's first sporting hires back in 2021, Critchley played an instrumental role in the success of the academy program, coaching both the U-16 and U-17 teams before being named the head coach of St Louis CITY2, the club's MLS NEXT Pro development team, last November. Critchley brings with him a strong reputation for his tactical acumen, player development, staff and player communications skills and consistent competitive excellence.

Critchley led CITY2 to a 6-4-1 record so far this year, with 20 goals scored and a points per game of 1.82. Already a familiar face to the team, Critchley has worked closely with some of the players who started their careers with CITY2. His experience coaching at the academy and CITY2 levels demonstrates his passion for the style of play CITY fans have come to expect and uniquely positions him to quickly step in to make an impact with the first team.

In addition to Critchley assuming the caretaker managerial role, one of his assistants from CITY2, Baggio Hušidić, will join the first team coaching staff. The club's technical director, John Hackworth, will fill in for Critchley as the CITY2 head coach.

St. Louis CITY SC returns to the pitch against the San Jose Earthquakes at Energizer Park on Saturday, May 31 at 1:30 PM Central Time.

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