It’s been a busy few weeks on the transfer market for St. Louis CITY SC.
Earlier this week, the club announced its second signing of the summer transfer window, coming to an agreement with Sydney FC defender Jake Girdwood-Reich.
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The 20-year-old brings international experience to St. Louis, having already made appearances for the Australian Olympic squad this year, while thriving at center back in Sydney during the 2023-24 A-League season. He also offers CITY head coach Bradley Carnell additional depth, something sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel referenced in the club’s announcement.
“His ability to play as a defensive midfielder and center back gives our roster a ton of flexibility,” Pfannenstiel said. “Alongside his flexibility, his energy and aggression matches our style of play that will help him fit in.”
That said, it’s hard to predict how easily Girdwood-Reich can adjust to MLS. He’s coming off his first season as an everyday center back, slotting into the role due to a rash of injuries on his club. Ultimately, it’s probably fair to say that Girdwood-Reich’s play at center back is what landed him on Pfannenstiel’s radar, but his position is written in stone at this point. Girdwood-Reich slots in similarly to recent CITY2 acquisition Oscar Benitez, and adds more young, versatile talent to the group.
Simply put: adding Girdwood-Reich, who is signed through 2027 (with a club option for 2028), is a play for the future. Why? CITY’s depth on the back line is aging.
When the 2025 campaign starts, Josh Yaro and Tim Parker will be 30 and 32, respectively. Both players’ contracts expire after this season. Joakim Nilsson and Kyle Hiebert, meanwhile, will be 31 and 28 years old, respectively, next year. So CITY needs more youth that it can count on.
CITY2’s Michael Wentzel is in that group, though he’s still a work in progress. At the same time, Benitez and Gabriel Mikina have looked promising. But there are no clear heirs to the roles occupied by CITY’s current cast of starters. That’s where Pfannenstiel hopes Girdwood-Reich can slot in at some point in the near future..
While the A-League is a physical league, the talent level there does not compare to MLS. Shutting down the attacking stars of MLS is something that will require adjustments. Eventually, Girdwood-Reich could earn a starting job in St. Louis, much like he did in Australia. Now, though, those are high expectations for a player that is still viewed as a prospect. If recent German acquisition Cedric Teuchert is a signing for the here and now, then Girdwood-Reich is a signing with an eye toward 2026.
