The MLS Secondary Transfer Window opens Thursday. For St. Louis CITY SC, it’s a crucial opportunity to remake a broken roster.
Anticipation in St. Louis has been building for months ahead of the window’s opening. As draws and losses have piled up and CITY’s place in the league standings continues to fall, the summer transfer period represents St. Louis’ latest chance—and last this season—to fix the issues that have led to the club’s second-season struggles.
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The good news is that CITY sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has already lined up the club’s biggest moves of the summer, and forward Cedric Teuchert, midfielder Marcel Hartel, and defender Jake Girdwood-Reich are each poised to help St. Louis fill its needs sooner than later. Behind the scenes, Teuchert and Girdwood-Reich have already joined the club in training. Hartel, meanwhile, is expected to arrive soon. When he does, Hartel’s firepower could change the perception of CITY’s ailing attack.
In the eyes of interim head coach John Hackworth, the transfer window can’t open soon enough. Although CITY’s midweek game at Seattle comes a day before the new players can officially join the matchday roster, Hackworth is already eyeing Saturday’s seemingly must-win match at Sporting Kansas City as a possible debut day.
“These guys are available for Sporting Kansas City,” Hackworth said Monday. “The summer transfer window [will be] officially open, so they could play in Kansas City.”
Teuchert has been in CITY’s plans since May, and his ability to score could make him the club’s most important addition in the near term. Teuchert tallied 12 goals and three assists in 28 matches with Hannover 96 in the 2.Bundesliga this past season, and he has already showed off a quality finishing touch in training. Given the shortcomings CITY has endured at the striker position this season, particularly as João Klauss recovers from his knee injury and Sam Adeniran appears to be on his way out of town, the club hopes Teuchert can add an instant jolt to its lineup.
(As an aside, Adeniran was once again held out of training this week as CITY continues to interact with teams about a potential transfer. “He’s still with the team, but I’ll just say we’re in talks with another club [and] nothing has been decided,” Hackworth says.)
Much like Teuchert is expected to boost the attack, CITY is counting on Girdwood-Reich to bolster its defensive depth. Girdwood-Reich is a versatile player who could slot into the lineup as a defensive midfielder or center back. His arrival will coincide with the return of Kyle Hiebert, who spent the past few weeks on international duty with Canada in the Copa America tournament. Along with the upcoming return of fellow defender Joakim Nilsson, who has been sidelined with an injury since June 15, CITY is hoping that three new bodies can stabilize things on the back end.
Then, there’s Hartel.
Although he has yet to arrive in St. Louis, Hartel could also have an instant impact on the lineup. The Designated Player logged 30 goal contributions, including 17 goals, for Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli this past season—the most productive of his professional career. Hackworth expects him to make a smooth transition to CITY’s lineup, telling reporters that Hartel’s fitness level should allow him to get a look shortly after he arrives. The club was previously aiming for a debut during St. Louis’ Leagues Cup matchup against Dallas on July 27, but Hackworth’s comments hint at the possibility of an earlier debut if Hartel’s visa arrives in time.
Pfannenstiel isn’t done, either. It feels likely that Adeniran will be moved in short order, and season-ending injuries to Célio Pompeu and Tomáš Osták mean that the club could still use some help out wide.
Ahead of the club’s most important transfer window in its brief history, there is a palpable pressure to make the kinds of moves that will turn around CITY’s fortunes.
