St. Louis CITY SC know the future is bright – they’ve shown it in glimmers, even as they were officially eliminated from Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs contention.
Despite other Matchday 35 results slashing their postseason hopes, Saturday's 3-1 win over Midwest rivals Sporting Kansas City set the early tone for 2025.
“Regardless of what happened to end this year, I am very confident that we'll be a good team next year,” interim head coach John Hackworth said post-game. “These guys are working towards that, and they're putting it on display against our main rival, so I'm confident we're going to be a good team next year.”
While St. Louis' second year in MLS was hampered by odd and significant injuries to multiple star players, sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has quickly turned the team around, adding nine players in the summer transfer window.
It was a lot of change, but no quick fix.
“They keep coming to work every single day, and they don't just work hard; they work efficiently,” Hackworth added, taking on the role after the club parted ways with Bradley Carnell at the start of July. “They try to work well as a team, and when you work with a group of players like that, it's rewarding to beat your arch-rival in a derby.”
While CITY's remaining matches won’t affect the playoff race, sending the CITYPARK faithful home happy on Saturday was critical, as were the continued solid performances from the new signings.
Cedric Teuchert scored his fifth goal in just his seventh game, and was buoyed by tallies from veteran mainstays Eduard Löwen and Rasmus Alm, leaving fans wondering what heights the club can reach next season.
“Not going to the playoffs was hard for us, but every week is important for the next season. We have a lot of new players. It's not easy to go straight into the perfect shape,” Teuchert said, joining as a free transfer. “We’ll train hard; at the end of the week, we have the game to win and celebrate.”
An early start on 2025
For some teams, elimination from the playoffs is the end of a journey. That’s far from the case for St. Louis, who enter the final spell with consecutive wins and a 3W-1L-2D record since Leagues Cup.
There’s reason to hope – a chance to pave the path towards 2025. The plans are there, and while they won’t find trophies this season, there’s every possibility for a turnaround.
“I challenge them, and they go for it,” Hackworth said. “Players are pushing each other when I throw tactical ideas at them... but the mentality is what I'm talking about, and that makes it so fun for a coach to work with players like this.”
