ST. LOUIS - St. Louis City SC had been looking for a new head coach to captain the ship since the firing of inaugural head coach Bradley Carnell this past July.
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That search officially came to a close last Tuesday, with the club unveiling Aston Villa legend and former Swedish international captain Olof Mellberg as the second full-time head coach in the team’s short history, replacing interim head coach John Hackworth, who had manned the post since the dismissal of Carnell.
“After careful consideration, we’re thrilled to welcome Olof as our new Head Coach and are confident he’ll be a great fit for St. Louis CITY SC,” said President and GM Diego Gigliani.
“Across his four years as head coach of Brommapojkarna, he’s shown a consistent ability to outperform expectations and get results. Furthermore, his passion for developing young players, strong reputation in the market, and prior playing experience at the elite level of the sport were all additional reasons we were convinced he was right for the role.”
“We also want to extend our gratitude to John Hackworth. John’s passion, dedication, and leadership were critical as we navigated this past year, and he undoubtedly helped us improve. We’re grateful for his contributions to the club and are excited to have him return to his important role as the club’s Technical Director,” continued Gigliani.
As Gigliani mentions there, Hackworth stays in the St. Louis City fold, returning to his previous post in charge of coaching for the club.
Last weekend, reports came from Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet that Mellberg was a finalist for the job in St. Louis, and reported Saturday morning that he had agreed to join City. ESPN soccer writer Jeff Carlisle confirmed the reports on Saturday afternoon.
As a coach, Mellberg has been at the helm of Swedish Allsvenskan (first tier) team IF Brommapojkarna twice, most recently avoiding relegation in 2023 and keeping the team in the first division this past season.
In his previous stint with the club, Mellberg led a then third-tier Brommapojkarna to back-to-back promotions in 2016 and 2017, boasting an emphatic record of 43 wins, 14 draws, and nine defeats on their way back to the first tier.
His exploits as a manager have not gone unnoticed, Mellberg was a finalist for the Swedish national team job, where he was a stalwart defender in his playing days. Mellberg made 117 appearances for Sweden as a player, including a run as Swedish captain, playing every minute of their runs in the World Cups of 2002 and 2006.
As a player, Mellberg made a name for himself with Stockholm club AIK in a title-winning season in 1998 before moving to Racing Santander in Spain. That’s where he caught the eye of English Premier League club Aston Villa, where he became a fan favorite and club legend over seven years in Birmingham.
Mellberg was a first-choice center-back for most of his seven years with the club and captained the Villans from 2003 to 2006 under manager David O’Leary.
On August 15, 2006, Mellberg became the first player to score a goal in a competitive game at Stan Kroenke-owned Emirates Stadium, the then-new home of Stan Kroenke-owned Arsenal FC. A fun fact for many St. Louis sports fans, one that will only make Mellberg’s welcome to STL even warmer.
“Olof has an incredible work ethic and reputation for being disciplined and detail-oriented,” Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said. “His leadership qualities as a captain, both at the highest club level and with his national team, will be key to managing our group. Olof’s ability to develop young talent was seen at his Swedish club and we can’t wait to see it translate here in St. Louis.”
“I am excited to join St. Louis as the head coach,” said Mellberg. “It is a great opportunity here because of the amazing infrastructure and the direction that the organization has put in place. I can’t wait to build upon the foundation already set here and the massive fan support that gives this team the energy to be successful.”
Not done there, on Friday morning, St. Louis City SC announced the signing of German center back Timo Baumgartl, pending the acceptance of his work visa. Baumgartl, a 28-year-old defender, has spent most of his career in Germany, with a few seasons in the Netherlands.
“Timo and his vast European experience will be a key piece to our team next year,” said Pfannenstiel. “Not only does Timo bring on-field experience, but he also has the leadership character trait that will be an asset to the locker room.”
Baumgartl came up through the VfB Stuttgart youth setup in Germany, playing for Stuttgart’s second team before making his Bundesliga debut in 2014. He stayed at Stuttgart until 2019, when he moved to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where he received limited playing time, but featured in the PSV team that made the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.
After two seasons at PSV, Baumgartl returned to Germany on loan to Union Berlin in 2021.
In May 2022, during a routine doctor’s visit, a tumor was discovered, and Baumgartl was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The center back was sidelined for months, with a rigorous schedule of chemotherapy replacing training sessions with the Union team.
Baumgartl returned to action for Union Berlin but only featured in 11 games during the 2022-2023 season. After his two-year loan in Berlin expired, Baumgartl was sold by PSV in July of 2023 to former German giants turned second-tier scrabblers Schalke 04.
On September 24, 2023, Timo Baumgartl criticized the team and since-fired coach Thomas Reis in an interview with Sky Germany following a loss to FC St. Pauli. He was “banished” to the U23 team, and required to pay a fine and issue an apology to the club before returning to the first team.
Timo only made 12 appearances for Schalke before being again demoted to Schalke’s U23 team in March of 2024. Baumgartl was informed by another since-fired S04 head coach, Karel Geraerts, that he would no longer be a part of Schalke’s first-team squad,
“I’ve made the decision to demote Timo to the U23s because I’ve not been happy with his performances,” said Karel Geraerts. “Over the past few weeks, I’ve not been convinced by his performance level in training. I don’t think that he’ll be able to help the side out as we approach a crucial stage of the season.”
Baumgartl and the Gelsenkirchen club agreed to terminate his contract in August of this year. He had been a free agent before putting pen to paper with St. Louis City SC.
Notably, Timo Baumgartl made 30 appearances for the German youth team at different levels. The center-back shared the field with established City Germans Marcel Hartel, Eduard Löwen, Cedric Teuchert, and Jannes Horn, so Baumgartl should integrate well with so many players he’s already played with.
City addressed their two biggest questions of the offseason in the matter of a few days over the Thanksgiving holiday. Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel wanted to use the winter to continue to improve the City team after a big transfer window in the summer, and a center back to take the load off Henry Kessler and Joakim Nilsson was a top priority.
Baumgartl signs a two-year deal, keeping him in St. Louis through 2026, with a club option for 2027. He will hold an international roster spot.
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