St. Louis CITY SC’s 2024 season ended with a thud on Saturday night in Minnesota. For CITY, that 4-1 loss should serve as a reminder: while the club has played better since July, it is in store for a busy offseason.
CITY finished the campaign with 14 points out of a possible 27 since its encouraging performance in the Leagues Cup began to change perceptions of the club. That point share would put them in sixth place in the Western Conference, and ninth place in the Supporter’s Shield standings, if extrapolated over a full, 34-match season. It’s a credit to all involved with the team to be able to nimbly adjust to personnel and win as many matches since September 1 as the club did during the preceding six months.
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And yet, the loss at Minnesota provided further evidence to underscore a season-long shortcoming. In 2024, St. Louis struggled to set up in such a way that could break down a cohesive defensive block.
Maybe that would have changed if Indiana Vassilev, Chris Durkin, and Célio Pompeu were available on Saturday. But those obvious holes point to areas that sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel will have to strengthen in the offseason. Those holes weren’t necessarily CITY’s undoing in Minnesota, but the lack of options who could offer both offensive firepower and defensive stability were readily apparent.
Through the eyes of interim coach John Hackworth, there’s a clear desire to work toward the future and solve remaining roster shortcomings before the next season.
“I don’t think we should change all of the positives that we felt about what we did since the start of July just because we didn’t win our last game away against a really good team,” Hackworth said.
If his interim tag is removed, Hackworth will have an entire winter to tinker while St. Louis’ summer signings grow more familiar with their Midwestern surroundings. It’s among the reasons Hackworth can keep his head up after such a frustrating finish to the season.
“I would say we still have lots of momentum going into next year,” Hackworth said. “I think we’re going to be a really good team next year. No questions about it.”
