Granite City Native Trittschuh Named Head Coach Of Saint Louis FC

FENTON, Mo. - Steve Trittschuh, a native of Granite City and a member of the 1990 United States Men's National Team that played in the FIFA World Cup in Italy, the first American team to compete in the tournament in 40 years, was named head coach of Saint Louis FC, the area's current professional soccer team, in an announcement made Saturday morning at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo.

Trittschuh, 54. will take charge of the club starting in the 2020 United Soccer League's USL Championship season, replacing former head coach Anthony Pulis, who resigned to take a job as an assistant coach to Inter Miami CF, a Major League Soccer expansion team slated to begin play this coming season.

Trittschuh played his high school soccer at Granite City North, where he was a player for the late Bob Kehoe in his time with the Steelers, earning all-state honors his junior and senior years, and also was named All-American by Parade magazine in his senior year. After graduating from North, Trittschuh played for the late Bob Guelker at SIU-Edwardsville, scoring 12 goals and adding 11 assists in his career. He was second-team All-American in his junior year, and first-team his senior year, and was inducted into the SIUE Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. Trittschuh also served as an assistant coach for the Cougars in 1989.

Trittschuh then played in the final year for the original St. Louis Steamers in the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1987-88, leaving when the team folded in the spring of 1988. After being signed by the United States Soccer Federation to play for the USMNT, Trittschuh played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the old American Soccer League, then for the USMNT when they qualified for the 1990 World Cup. He only appeared in one game, a 5-1 loss to Czechoslovakia, but was signed to play for Sparta Prague in the Czech first division after the World Cup. He played only one season for Sparta, scoring one goal, but helped the team to the league championship, and was also the first American to play in the UEFA European Cup, the forerunner of today's UEFA Champions League.

He then played for the Rowdies for two seasons before signing with Dutch club SVV Dordrecht, but when the club went bankrupt, Trittschuh returned to Tampa Bay, then played in the indoor National Professional Soccer League, winning a title with the St. Louis Ambush in 1994-95. He joined the Montreal Impact in the forerunner to the USL Championship, the American Professional Soccer League.

After a stint with the NPSL's Tampa Bay Terror, Trittschuh then joined the Colorado Rapids in MLS' inaugural season of 1996, playing three years for the Rapids and appearing in the MLS Cup final in 1997, with the Rapids losing to DC United 2-1. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1999, played two seasons with the Mutiny, then retired as a player to concentrate on coaching. He served as an assistant coach for the Rapids from 2002-2008, coaching the Rapids' reserve team to the MLS reserve team championship in 2008. He was named coach of the USL Championship's Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in 2015, coaching the club to two postseason appearances before being fired midway through the 2019 season.

Trittschuh becomes the fourth coach in STLFC's history, and the second St. Louis-area native, joining original coach Dale Schilly. Trittschuh is slated to make his coaching debut for the club on Saturday, March 7 at home against 2020 expansion club Miami FC, with the kickoff set for 7 p.m.

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