How St Louis City are Breaking Records in MLS

St Louis City SC has started the 2023 season better than any expansion side in history. Five straight wins for a team that has never played together before and a coach that has never held a permanent manager role before this one. Let’s dive into what is happening in original soccer city USA and the coaching decisions that are driving historic results.

We have to start with the coach Bradley Carnell because this is a guy whose most senior position before this one was interim manager of NYRB when Chris Armas was fired. And obviously the results don’t happen without the players on the pitch - we’ll cover some of the key figures for St Louis. Finally we’ll break down some of the scoring plays and see how Mound City are getting their goals and defending their own net.

So let’s start with the man in charge Bradley Carnell.

He is a product of the NYRB system, and having played in Germany before you can tell Carnell is implementing a gegenpressing system. It is evident in the team style comparison so far in the 2023 season that St Louis is the 4th most “direct” team and the fast on the counter-attack. The club is tied for second in turnovers resulting in a shot behind only Atlanta.

Carnell credits Ralf Rangnick and Jesse Marsch as critical coaches that helped him forge his path as a manager.

The club at large is focused on setting a vision that aligns with club’s ethos and one that the fan’s can get behind. We cannot discount this having a tangible impact especially with the raucous crowd CityPark.

Great teams take advantage of other team’s mistakes, once you force a turnover you still need to put the ball in the net. In every game so far, the opposition has had more time with the ball, but St Louis City has had more shots on goal, more scoring chances, and a better expected goals percentage. What does that mean? Well, it means that STL is doing a really good job of taking advantage of the times when they have the ball, and they're making the most of their chances to score. It's not just luck - it's because they're working hard and in an efficient system.

The success early on at this club can also be attributed to the bought in approach from the sporting director down to the coach.

St. Louis City’s German sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel cites Hoffenheim – where he worked in scouting and international relations between 2011 and 2018 – as one of the main influences on playing style and mentality. Pfannenstiel is also focused on building on the existing soccer culture in St. Louis and believes the players from the local area will be an ideal fit for the style of football the team wants to play. He told the Athletic:

“We are in the Midwest and the Midwestern mentality is hard-working down to earth. You fight, you grind, you always do your best you leave your heart and soul on that field until the 95th minute… We do want to have that blue-collar approach, we want to have that hard-working approach, and that fits perfectly from that idea we created in Hoffenheim, an idea I learned and grew up with in football [and fits] very much to what St. Louis stands for.”

You may have seen St Louis referred to as the original “soccer city USA”. The first professional soccer league in the United States was in St Louis started in 1907, it’s given us modern players like Tim Ream, Josh Sargent, and Becky Sauerbrunn. But even in 1950’s historic World Cup victory over England, the US team had 6 players from St Louis.

But any club and any manager can implement a high-pressing system. Why is St Louis different?

One of the biggest things that stuck with me from interviewing Stanford HC Jeremy Gunn was when he said “as a coach you have to match your mentality. If you want an intense style you have to be an intense person.”

Carnell is equal parts motivator, intensity, and ambition. For a young club looking to make an impact, there may not be anyone better suited for the job. Bradley cites his attitude as a player - nicknamed “the pitbull” as a trialist at Stuttgart.

But the manager can only train the players and get them on the pitch. Who are the key players driving the incredible results?

Joao Klauss

Roman Burki

Eduard Lowen

Speaking of players… I can’t believe what Carnell has been able to get out of such a group of career journeymen. Do you remember the American forward prospect at Aston Villa Indiana Vassilev? Vassilev failed in the Premier League and then at Inter Miami. Well he’s now a starting box-to-box midfielder for this undefeated squad.

Now let’s break down some of the goals and chances created:

Lots of goals and chances on set pieces is a sign of a well coached team. The reason that is a correlation many people make is that set pieces are created equal for all teams. Every club gets opportunities from dead balls or corner kicks, and it’s something you can train on the practice grounds as there are less variables than specific game situations. Set pieces fall into their own category outside of transition moments or rest formations - and if teams can be disciplined and precise with their training, you see more production from those moments. 

3rd goal STL vs CHA

The defender makes a mistake as he plays a back pass to the keeper. It goes to Klauss who makes a really smart finish. Again it looks like teams keep passing back to STL and I’ll concede yes that is what is happening - but it keeps happening for a reason. The pressure coming from #7 on the back of the defender is expected and it makes the Charlotte defender make a bad decision. I also love that the action right before this pass the STL attacker was walking back but identified an opportunity to put smart pressure on the defender while Klauss was covering two different passing lanes to the goalkeeper and partner CB. It’s small moments like those that look pedestrian and unfortunate for the opponent, but STL made that play happen with their pressure, positioning and workrate.

Stroud goal vs Austin

Very similar to Klauss’ - yes a huge mistake from the defender but you can tell the defender needs to make a decision quickly with a pressure coming from the back. And you know, I watch a lot of NYRB who play a very similar style and to be honest Tom Barlow might not be finishing that. I will say this again and again that you make your own luck in this league.

2nd goal STL vs SJ

There is no reason Klauss should be getting on the end of this ball but he does - and it’s not all down to defenders mistakes. This is all about the intense work rate, the never say die attitude of this squad that is fully bought into Carnell’s vision and character. This goal embodies the saying “you make your own luck”. 99% of forwards don’t continue their run, but Klauss is able to take advantage of the lax nature of defense and barrel straight through on goal.

Carnell will set his team up differently against different formations. In the 3 matches they have faced against the 433 they’ve set up in a 442, and in the other matches they’ve set up in a 4231 without Giacchini.

Playing a 442 against 433 allows you to cut off half the pitch with two pressing forwards and provides a numbers advantage in the midfield. A lot of coaches are reluctant to not be the team that dictates play on the pitch, but Carnell is able to keep his team playing a similar style in a different setup that is best suited against the opponent.

If you want to dive deeper into the world of soccer analysis so that you can enjoy soccer even more, check out my new book the beautiful game decoded available on Amazon.

If you want to watch this in video format, check out the video on the It’s Called Soccer YouTube channel.