St. Louis City SC (stylized as St. Louis CITY SC) is an American professional men's soccer club based in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference and will join in 2023 as an expansion team. The club was established in 2019 and will play home matches at the Citypark, a new

soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...

near

Downtown St. Louis Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the eas ...

History

Previous attempts

Soccer has an established history at both the professional and amateur levels in Greater St. Louis for more than a century. In 2007,

was considered a possible destination for

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...

after the club founder announced he would sell the club if a new stadium was not built. From 2008 to 2009, St. Louis lawyer Jeff Cooper led a group of would-be owners who attempted to bring an MLS expansion team to

Greater St. Louis Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis, the principal city. It includes parts of both Missouri and Illinois. The city core is on the Mississippi Riverfront on t ...

, only to have the bids turned down in favor of other cities. Despite approved plans to build the $600 million

Collinsville Soccer Complex Collinsville Soccer Complex, also known as The Fields was a planned soccer-centered development to be located in Collinsville, Illinois, United States. The centerpiece of the complex was an 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium that would have been ...

, MLS was unimpressed with the bid's financial backing and suggested Cooper expand his group of investors. Cooper instead launched a second division men's club and a

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...

franchise.

AC St. Louis AC St. Louis was an American professional association football, soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in December 2009, the team played its first and only season the next year in the NASL Conference of the temporary USSF ...

played only one season in Division 2 before folding in 2011; the

Saint Louis Athletica Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...

folded midway through its second season in 2010. In late 2014, the city announced plans for a new stadium to host both American football and soccer. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in January 2015, "St. Louis has got a lot of activity going on with a stadium that they’re trying to get done for the NFL's

Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)$200 million soccer-specific stadium next to

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

in downtown St. Louis. On January 26, 2017, a funding plan was approved by the city's Aldermanic Ways and Means Committee, and later by the entire Board of Aldermen, that would have directed $60 million in city tax revenue to the new stadium. Voters rejected the plan in an April 4, 2017, referendum, leaving the city's MLS future in doubt.

2018–present

In September 2018, the ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...

'' reported on a meeting between officials with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and MLS representatives regarding a stadium proposal; St. Louis Mayor

Lyda Krewson Lyda Krewson (born November 14, 1953) is an American retired politician who was the 46th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. She is a member of the Democratic Party and St. Louis's first female mayor, serving from 2017 to 2021. On November 18, 2020, ...

later confirmed that a new group was trying to bring a team to St. Louis. St. Louis's MLS bid was effectively re-launched on October 9 of that year, with Carolyn Kindle Betz and other

heirs Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...

to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car fortune as the primary investors. The stadium location remained the same as in the original 2016 location, near Union Station. This bid did not seek public funding through taxes or from the city, so the public did not get to vote on the stadium. On November 28, 2018, the Board of Aldermen's Housing, Urban Development, and Zoning Committee voted 8–0 to approve the stadium plan. On April 18, 2019, the MLS announced plans to expand to 30 teams, up from the previous plan of 28. The league, currently at 27 teams, advised the Commissioner's office to advance the discussions with the Sacramento Republic and St. Louis bids. Both bids were asked to make presentations to the MLS Expansion Committee to "address each bid's final stadium plan, corporate commitments, the composition of the respective ownership groups, detailed economics on funding, strategic plans for fan development, commitments on player development and details on community programs." On April 20, 2019, two days after MLS announced it would advance discussions with the Sacramento and St. Louis bids, the St. Louis group released renderings and more information about their proposed stadium. The 22,500-seat stadium's design was produced by a collaboration between HOK and Snow Kreilich Architects. The group also promised that every seat would be within 120 feet of the field and that a canopy would cover the stadium. On August 20, 2019, MLS announced it had approved St. Louis as the league's 28th franchise, with play expected to begin in the 2022 season. The ownership group consists of Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and female members of the Taylor family, and is the first female majority-owned team in MLS. In the announcement, Don Garber said, "St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh." On October 19, 2019, the ownership group released new plans for the planned soccer-specific stadium. The area was extended to encompass a plan and would likely exceed the original $200 million cost estimate. The ownership group agreed to purchase and own the land along with the stadium and will not seek tax revenue or public financing. On December 17, 2019, the state of Missouri informed the ownership group that the $30 million previously promised by the state will no longer be provided. However, on March 18, 2020, the Missouri Development Finance Board unanimously approved a package of incentives worth $5.7 million in tax credits to help with construction of the $458 million stadium and surrounding area. On March 25, 2020, the ownership group released a statement regarding the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Site preparation for the stadium will continue as planned but will adhere to all health advice from public health officials and the local, state, and national government. Site preparation includes clearing all land where the stadium will sit and demolishing the old on and off ramps located on the site. On March 31, 2021, Purina, a pet food maker founded and based in St. Louis, became the club's first jersey sponsor and founding partner. On July 14, 2021, Together Credit Union, a local

credit union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provisi ...

, became the club's second founding partner and the official banking partner. Former South African International and

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

assistant coach

Bradley Carnell Bradley Neil Carnell (born 21 January 1977) is a South African former footballer who played as a defender. He is the current head coach of St. Louis City SC of Major League Soccer. Early career Born in Johannesburg, Carnell attended Parktow ...

was named as the teams first head coach on January 5, 2022.

Colors and badge

The crest features the iconic

Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources consider ...

and the two lines symbolize the confluence of the region's two rivers (

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

and Missouri River). The team's colors are red, navy blue, and yellow.

Sponsorship

Stadium

The team will play in Citypark in downtown St. Louis that is expected to be the anchor of a development area that will include team offices, training facilities, and commercial districts. The stadium is intended to field 17 to 23 soccer games a year and serve as a venue for concerts, high school sports, and more. The design of the stadium is intended to connect the surrounding area and the downtown area together while blending with the neighborhood.

Ownership and management

The St. Louis City SC ownership group consists of

Enterprise Holdings Enterprise Holdings is an American private holding company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri in Greater St. Louis. It is the parent company of car rental agencies Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent a Car and also operate ...

Foundation president Carolyn Kindle and female members of the Taylor family (

), and is the first female majority-owned team in MLS. The group also includes CEO of

World Wide Technology World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) is a privately-held technology services provider based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company has an annual revenue of $14.5 billion (the 27th largest private company in the US and the biggest black-owned company in ...

Jim Kavanaugh James P. "Jim" Kavanaugh (born 1963) is an American businessman. He is known as the CEO and co-founder of World Wide Technology. Early life Kavanaugh received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Saint Louis University in 19 ...

and members of the Kavanaugh family.

Players and staff

Roster

Technical staff

Executive staff

Captains

Club culture

Supporters

The most prominent soccer supporters' group in the St Louis area is the St. Louligans. Their name references

football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...

, the disruptive and disorderly behavior of soccer fans, though this type of phenomenon is not generally found among soccer fans in North America. The St. Louligans were founded in 2010 when several local soccer fan groups joined forces at

home games. They have provided strong support for a number of St. Louis area soccer teams, including AC St. Louis,

St. Louis Lions St. Louis Lions was an American soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team played its home games at the Tony Glavin Socc ...

, and Illinois Piasa. St. Louligans was the official supporters group for

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wid ...

, a

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

side founded in 2014. Saint Louis FC worked closely with the St. Louligans to encourage their support. Notable contributions of the group include awarding a new fan each week with a ticket, and coordinating with the Coopers, supporters for

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

, to create the Kings' Cup rivalry competition between the two teams. Saint Louis FC folded in 2020. The St. Louis chapter of The American Outlaws, the largest supporters' group for the United States men's and women's national soccer team, is one of the most active in the country with over 1,000 members, leading the nation in funds raised for the group's charitable arm, AO Impact. Many new independent supporters' groups were organized in anticipation of the MLS squad's arrival, supporting City 2 throughout their 2022 campaign. These groups include Saint Louis CITY Punks, sporting denim vests and Punk rock vibes, as well as the No Nap City Ultras, a supporters' group of parents and their young children. 2022 also saw the arrival of a new drum corps and supporters' group, the Fleur de Noise, who will take up the role of drumming and leading chants for the supporters. The new stadium will contain a supporters' section with space for more than 3,000

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

spectators, three capo stands, a long integrated

tifo Tifo () is the phenomenon whereby tifosi of a sports team makes a visual display of any choreographed flag, sign or banner in the stands of a stadium, mostly as part of an association football match. Tifos are most commonly seen in important m ...

rigging system, a drum riser for drum corps during matches, and a dedicated supporters bar.

Reserve team

On December 6, 2021, the club announced it would be fielding a

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

in the new

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS clubs ...

league, in the third tier of US Soccer. St. Louis City 2 began play in the 2022 season, despite the MLS side not beginning play until 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Louis MLS team 2019 establishments in Missouri Association football clubs established in 2019 Soccer clubs in Missouri Major League Soccer teams MLS team MLS team Sports in Greater St. Louis Proposed sports teams