Brad Henderson
When Lutz Pfannenstiel moved to St. Louis from his native Germany in August 2020 to become St. Louis CITY SC’s first sporting director, the site that would become his new home was little more than dirt. “It was basically a hole in the ground,” Pfannenstiel says. “Then you see, week after week after week, a stadium comes up. The process was absolutely amazing.”
During the past two years of construction on CITYPARK in Downtown West, 85,000 bolts were used to install more than 5,000 tons of steel. Now that the last of those bolts has been tightened and the grass pitch has been laid, the 22,500-seat facility is finally ready for the spotlight. Beginning this spring, CITYPARK will host at least 17 regular season matches during CITY’s inaugural campaign in Major League Soccer. The team will play the majority of its games on Wednesday and Saturday nights, from late February through mid-October. CITY matches are sure to be a hot ticket in 2023, and the neighborhood surrounding CITYPARK promises to be among the most lively in town.
“When you look around and you see all these people, you may not know who they are, but you just made a best friend for 90-plus minutes,” says Carolyn Kindle, CITY’s president and CEO. “What I want is for people to walk out of the stadium going, ‘Gosh, I live in an amazing city.’”
With Kindle’s leadership, CITY made history as MLS’ first majority-woman-owned franchise. Consider it the latest chapter in St. Louis’ storied soccer tradition. The region has long produced players who’ve contributed decisive goals and key saves on amateur and international stages, earning it the title of America’s first soccer capital. With the arrival of an MLS expansion club and the construction of a gleaming new stadium, St. Louis is poised to add mightily to its rich sports culture.
