St. Louis CITY SC have named Aston Villa legend and former Sweden captain Olof Mellberg their next head coach, the club announced Tuesday.
Mellberg, 47, arrives after his second stint at Swedish top-flight side IF Brommapojkarna. He first led Brommapojkarna to back-to-back promotions (2016-17), then to a club-best 10th-place finish in the 2024 Allsvenskan campaign. He's also managed Helsingborgs IF (Sweden) and Fremad Amager (Denmark).
St. Louis parted ways with inaugural head coach Bradley Carnell in early July, creating this opening. John Hackworth, who took over on an interim basis, remains as CITY SC's technical director.
"After careful consideration, we’re thrilled to welcome Olof as our new head coach and are confident he’ll be a great fit for St. Louis CITY SC," said president and GM Diego Gigliani.
"Across his four years as head coach of Brommapojkarna, he’s shown a consistent ability to outperform expectations and get results. Furthermore, his passion for developing young players, strong reputation in the market and prior playing experience at the elite level of the sport were all additional reasons we were convinced he was right for the role."
Swedish legend
Before his managerial career, Mellberg played in nearly 600 professional matches across European sides Aston Villa, Juventus, Olympiacos, Racing Santander and more.
Mellberg played 117 times for Sweden, earning the seventh-most caps in program history. Primarily a center back, he was part of their 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup squads and featured at four European Championships.
"Olof has an incredible work ethic and reputation for being disciplined and detail-oriented," said sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.
"His leadership qualities as a captain, both at the highest club level and with his national team, will be key to managing our group. Olof’s ability to develop young talent was seen at his Swedish club and we can’t wait to see it translate here in St. Louis."
Turnaround coming?
Entering their third MLS season, St. Louis are chasing a return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs after finishing 12th in the Western Conference (37 points). They set numerous expansion-club records in 2023, topping the West with 56 points.
St. Louis are expected to have a quiet winter transfer window, having signed attackers Marcel Hartel and Cedric Teuchert this past summer. The club's core also includes goalkeeper Roman Bürki, midfielder Eduard Löwen and striker João Klauss.
"I am excited to join St. Louis as the head coach," said Mellberg. "It is a great opportunity here because of the amazing infrastructure and the direction that the organization has put in place.
"I can’t wait to build upon the foundation already set here and the massive fan support that gives this team the energy to be successful."
