2025-2026 St. Louis CITY SC Off-Season Catch-All Thread

I'm sure they eventually will announce new players.

Well, kinda sure. Maybe. I hope.

That announcement is coming, but there are other major announcements in queue ahead of it.
Next week is reserved for announcement of the new official off-white sock color for the third kit. The following week will welcome a new sponsor, who will be introduced as the official Proctologist for CITY. Then the third week out will announce the new cauliflower smoothie that will be available at concession stands beginning with our 2026 home opener.

 

OK, CITY. It's 2026. Here's the countdown clock to the season and home opener.

It kinda maybe might be nice to know if we have a team to field for that match. Whatcha got for us?

 

Here is Matthew Doyle's take on all of the Western Conference teams' 2025 seasons. Here's what he had to say about CITY's 2025 mess:

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel's decision to bring in Olof Mellberg as head coach this time last year didn't exactly pan out, and that is a significant part of the reason why he is now ex-sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel. Mellberg’s conservative approach undid everything that had worked under John Hackworth, who’d had the interim job the previous half-season. Meanwhile, the guy Hackworth replaced, Bradley Carnell, went on to win Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year in Philly.

As with Toronto, the best thing to come out of 2025 was that it all reached a point where everyone realized a reset was needed. For the Reds that meant a roster overhaul, while for St. Louis it seems more pointed towards a cultural overhaul. New sporting director Corey Wray and his hand-picked head coach Yoann Damet both value ball-dominant, front-foot soccer, and I think that’ll play well with a St. Louis crowd that’s been starved for exactly that since the team’s inception.

Grade: Below Expectations, but real reason for optimism (though patience will be necessary)​

 

So you're saying it's a New Yawn?

(FWIW, I'm thoroughly underwhelmed, too.)

 

We've now scaled a new peak. The other message boards are reporting rumors that we will have news soon. Not rumors of players, just rumors of news.

The suspense. Oh, the suspense.

 

CITY only has 24 players under contract heading into the camps. CITY and San Jose appear to be the only MLS teams without major additions this offseason. And Minnesota's ongoing self-inflicted implosion defies description.

<sarcasm>
Question: Did MLS somehow secretly adopt pro/rel and are the three of us the West's relegated teams?
</sarcasm>

 

Players report to camp tomorrow. We're 43 days from the season opener.

OK, CITY, is anything happening? Whatcha got for us?

 

Finally. News. Not an incoming player, but still good news.

 

Christian Olivares has been loaned to Sporting Jacksonville (USL) for one year. Colin Welsh had his option declined at the end of last season, but signed a new one-year contract and is back with CITY 2. Those moves open the door for SuperDraft selection Andrew Samuels to play for CITY 2.

 

Here is CITY's preseason schedule.

 

Very solid trade by CITY. RBNY obviously has something in the works that requires a lot of GAM, and CITY landed a solid young player. Excellent work all around on this deal.

 

At his contract price, the trade is a gimme.

 

Three random Monday thoughts.

1.) Money isn't the sole motivator in where players sign. Indiana Vassilev asked to be traded to Philadelphia to follow Carnell. Jannes Horn wanted to return to Europe for family reasons. Jake Girdwood-Reich appears to have requested a return to the A League to be closer to his family. Miami appears to be acquiring players who are willing to play there at a discount to play along side of Messi. And for some players and coaches the political situation here right now may be a motivator for players seeking transfers out or for signing with Canadian MLS teams.

2.) Daniel Edelman clearly has been acquired to play along side of Eduard Lowen. That at least suggests that Lowen plans to stay with CITY and CITY plans to do whatever it takes to keep him. That includes protecting his ability to make his wife's medical care a priority (I commend CITY for this) and being willing to protect him from the needless training injuries we have seen for the past three seasons (what has changed to make this protection happen?). Matt Baker notes that pairing Daniel Edelman with Chris Durkin wouldn't seem to be a good plan.

3.) The last we officially heard, CITY was still in discussions with Minnesota United about Devin Padelford. What's happening there? I know Minnesota's entire team has blown up this offseason, but somebody has to know something and somebody has to be in charge there.

 

Meanwhile, the other do-nothing Western Conference team, San Jose, just acquired Timo Werner.

 

Here are the full CITY camp rosters: