St. Louis City SC will start its third year in Major League Soccer with its second permanent head coach.
The team on Tuesday officially announced it hired Olof Mellberg, pending the receipt of his visa to work in the U.S.
Mellberg most recently has been the manager of Brommapojkarna, a top-level Swedish soccer team located on the outskirts of Stockholm. As a player, his career included more than 230 matches for the English Premier League team Aston Villa as well as time as captain of the Swedish National Team.
“I am excited to join St. Louis as the head coach,” Mellberg said in a written statement. “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.”
Mellberg takes over from interim head coach John Hackworth, who was put into the role in July following the firing of Bradley Carnell. Carnell was just a year and a half into his tenure and a half-season after he led City SC to the Western Conference championship in the club’s inaugural season.
Hackworth was reportedly a finalist for the permanent position.
“We also want to extend our gratitude to John Hackworth,” said Diego Gigliani, team president and general manager. “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.”
Mellberg inherits a team that finished near the bottom of the Western Conference last season but saw an overhaul of the squad during the summer, adding players including scoring threats Marcel Hartel, Cedric Tauchert and Simon Becher.
“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.”
Fan reaction to Mellberg’s hiring has been cautiously optimistic.
“We’re trying to figure out if he is going to be the right fit. People are sharing articles about him, where he came from, who he played with,” said Carlos Restrepo, founder and president of STL Santos, one of the City SC supporters groups. “It’s the hope that kills you. We’re still a little bruised from the last season, so we’re just waiting before we get too hopeful.”
Restrepo said Mellberg’s playing resume is impressive, but fans are asking questions about what kind of manager he will be.
“His coaching background is limited,” said Jake Koenig, co-host of the soccer podcast Ball Watching. “What he's been able to do has been impressive in terms of delivering above expectations on the budgets. I think I'm hopeful, but I do not think that this is a coach that you know exactly what you're getting out of yet.”
Mellberg has managed three teams in Sweden and Denmark over six years, and led one of them to league promotions twice.
City SC said Mellberg will address the media when he arrives in the United States in January.
This story has been updated with comments from fans.
