St. Louis CITY part ways with sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel | OneFootball

By MLSsoccer staff

St. Louis CITY SC have parted ways with sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, the club announced Monday.

President/general manager Diego Gigliani and technical director John Hackworth will work with the team’s sporting staff on ongoing roster management and construction – including player contract negotiations – while the club searches for a permanent replacement.

"These decisions are never easy and with the legacy Lutz built during his time here, he will always be part of the extended CITY family," said Gigliani. "From the very beginning, Lutz has shown real passion and commitment for this project and the foundation he established was integral to the club’s historic first season.

"As we enter the next phase of the club’s long-term plan to lift up the region and help both the team and St. Louis achieve its potential, the next five years will be extremely important, and we believe a change in sporting leadership will help in the club’s pursuit of its goals. Unfortunately, we’ve struggled to create sporting stability and haven’t been able to meet the expectations of our owners or our fans, despite increasing our investment in the squad consistently."

New path

Pfannenstiel was hired in August 2020 as St. Louis's inaugural sporting director. The German executive helped lay the foundation for CITY SC becoming the first MLS expansion team to win their regular-season conference title in 2023.

However, St. Louis didn't make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in 2024 and look set to miss out again in 2025. They are 14th in the Western Conference with seven games remaining, 14 points below the line (21 points; 5W-16L-6D).

"Lutz was one of our most important hires in the early days of the club and deserves so much of the credit for our early success," said CEO and owner Carolyn Kindle. "But more than that, he believed in the ownership group’s vision of being about more than just soccer and embraced the St. Louis community. This club and this city can’t thank Lutz and Amalia enough for all they have done for CITY SC."

Moving forward

St. Louis, currently led by interim coach David Critchley, are seeking their third full-time head coach after parting ways with Olof Mellberg in late May. Mellberg was appointed ahead of the 2025 campaign, but lasted just 15 league matches.

During their historic expansion season, St. Louis were managed by now-Philadelphia Union coach Bradley Carnell. Under Carnell's leadership, the Union lead the Supporters' Shield table.

This year, St. Louis' two Designated Players are midfielder Marcel Hartel and forward João Klauss. Star goalkeeper Roman Bürki is out of contract after the 2025 campaign.