Less than three days removed from its season-ending playoff defeat at Sporting Kansas City, St. Louis CITY SC players and staffers met with local media on Wednesday at CITYPARK to reflect upon the 2023 campaign and look ahead to the offseason. Here are five things we learned.
1. Navigating the long MLS schedule—and the breaks within—was a challenge for CITY.
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No one is using the wild 2023 schedule as an excuse for St. Louis’ early exit from the MLS Cup Playoffs. Every team, after all, had to navigate some version of the league’s marathon slate. But as CITY players and staff reflect on the past nine months, it’s clear that they feel the schedule did them no favors—particularly toward the end of the year.
Following the 24-day stretch between the end of CITY’s stint in the Leagues Cup tournament and the resumption of MLS play in late August, the squad claimed four wins and three draws, while losing three games across the next 10 matches. After a 3-0 loss at Vancouver on October 4, CITY went 17 days before its next game—a 2-0 loss to Seattle on Decision Day.
“I think the break after the Vancouver game was very tough,” said midfielder Eduard Löwen. “… At the end of the season, you have to ramp it up for the playoffs. Then you have (almost three weeks) off? I mean, it doesn’t help.”
In fact, sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel says staffers were discussing the role the schedule played on the season earlier Wednesday morning.
“I think we did get a little bit cold by the last international break with another bye,” Pfannenstiel said. “… We don’t want to use it as an excuse because other teams had to deal with similar things. But when you are running on overdrive and you’re very motivated and everything clicks, then suddenly you win that Western Conference title and there is that long break afterwards, it was not the perfect timing. Again, I really want to stress that it shouldn’t be an excuse.”
2. Players are already thinking about the Concacaf Champions Cup, which will add even more games to the schedule in 2024.
As a reward for winning its conference, St. Louis secured a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, a tournament featuring top club teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The event kicks off in early February, so it won’t be long before CITY is back on the field in games that count.
The tournament draw is set for Wednesday, December 13 at 6 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be a great experience for the club and for the players,” said CITY’s Aziel Jackson. “To play in the Concacaf Champions League is amazing. For coming off the season we had and playing in the Concacaf Champions League is going to be electric. It’s going to add more games to our season and we’re looking forward to getting another trophy.”
3. Next year, CITY could benefit from being a team full of pests.
As the Sporting Kansas City series illustrated, playoff soccer takes on a different feel. In CITY’s case, one thing missing from the disappointing two-game run was an attitude that matched the moment. Early in the season, CITY cultivated a reputation as a team that was hard to play against thanks to a relentless style and persistent approach. Notably, CITY was a team that was eager to pressure and get in the faces of their opponents.
The playoff series didn’t seem to have the same feel.
“We can be even feistier and more annoying,” vice captain Tim Parker said. “I think that’s what we thrived off of in the beginning of the year, being that annoying team to play against. Did that get away from us a little bit toward the end? It’s possible. I think we have to take pride in being that pesky, annoying team.”
4. Pfannenstiel reflects on roster construction.
The CITY sporting director said this summer that his goal during any transfer window is to make strategic moves that will benefit the club over the long term. He’s not interested in so-called quick fixes.
As CITY marched toward the second half of its season, Pfannenstiel made a series of moves to try and bolster the roster. St. Louis brought in defender Anthony Markanich from Colorado, as well as Icelandic forward Nökkvi Thórisson. The club also sent two players out on loan: Isak Jensen and Selmir Pidro.
Now, as the club moves into the offseason, Pfannenstiel says his focus remains on finding players who fit the system, rather than those with big names and well-known reputations.
“Obviously, we have a plan,” Pfannenstiel says. “We’ve had a plan for a long time of where we want to strengthen, and that’s now the work for the next few weeks, to be active, to keep our eyes and ears open, and try to find the right players for our DNA. It doesn’t have to be the biggest name. It doesn’t have to be the best player out there on the market. It needs to be the guy who fits the way we want to play. I don’t like to change too much of my messaging. Having now a few weeks which didn’t go our way, including the two Kansas games, it would be the worst thing in the world to change that and start to doubt it. I think it’s very important to stick to our principles on the field, and also off the field. That’s how we are going to approach the next transfer window.”
5. CITY players are thankful for the support they received from St. Louis in 2023.
In between saying goodbye and so-long to teammates and club staffers on Wednesday, CITY players discussed some of their offseason plans. Among the most interesting vacations and tasks that await:
- Kyle Hiebert is planning to spend most of the next couple of months in St. Louis, where he’ll be studying for a CPA exam he plans to take in December.
- Jared Stroud will visit friends and family across the country before traveling to see additional family members in England. While he’s there, Stroud plans to attend a few Premier League matches.
- Njabulo Blom’s long journey home to South Africa began Wednesday afternoon, when he boarded his first flight of the marathon trip.
- João Klauss is heading home to Brazil, where he’s excited to munch on some Brazilian barbecue.
- Niko Gioacchini is looking to purchase a home in the St. Louis area.
- Roman Bürki is eager to play Fortnite with friends.
Eduard Löwen seems especially touched by the support he’s found in St. Louis during his first year and a half in town. Coming to the United States was a risk, he acknowledges, but he’s glad he did. And he’s even more thankful to have landed in St. Louis.
“I really enjoy living here,” Löwen said. “My wife does, as well. I don’t know how it is in other clubs, but here in St. Louis, it’s incredible. The team spirit we have, the love I have not only for the players, but for the staff members, I’ve never had something like that before. Just now, I got invited to a wedding of one of our staff members. I think that says a lot. We have great people here in the club, and I just love being here. I enjoy it a lot.”
