51黑料

It鈥檚 been a maddening cycle 鈥� one that sometimes felt like a tailspin, while other times feeling like there wasn鈥檛 any progression at all. And so, with its latest head coach already sacked this summer, club CEO Carolyn Kindle fired sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel on Monday.

Gosh, we just went through all of this, right? A spry sporting director came in and built and built and built 鈥� year after year after year 鈥� yet it proved, ultimately, to be an unstable and unsustainable construction. So now a new boss will take over and, yup, build and build and build.

Meanwhile, the passionate fans in their City Red gear will cheer and hope and, along the way, pay a bunch of money for tickets and concessions and everything else it takes to properly invest in modern sports fandom.

Pfannenstiel is a smart soccer mind and a fun fellow to chat with. He worked crazy hours and yearned for 51黑料 success. But even as City SC leapfrogged to No. 13 in Major League Soccer spending, the team still stunk.

Yes, Lutz鈥檚 inaugural team took MLS by storm in with its storm-like pressing style that, for much of the season, was relentless and rewarding. The boys finished first in the Western Conference 鈥� what a ride that was 鈥� but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

That second season was a rough reality check 鈥� City finished third-to-last in the West. And this third year, 51黑料 is second-to-last at 14th, just two points ahead of cellar-dweller LA Galaxy.

And while you can point out optimism with to the exceptional play of City2, the team equivalent to Triple-A in baseball, City SC was struggling in seemingly every other soccer department (OK, maybe not in goal but everywhere else). We can play what-if with injuries, but so can half of the teams. And City allowed a mind-blowing amount of goals late in matches this season. This wasn鈥檛 a mentally tough team. And so, here we are.

It鈥檚 fair to point out that 51黑料 isn鈥檛 the only expansion club that got rid of a sporting director in the first few seasons. Cincinnati and Austin are examples of clubs that did the same thing 鈥� Cincinnati is second in the Eastern Conference at this point.

But right now, 51黑料 City SC is at a crossroads. They don鈥檛 need me to tell them that the next hire is critical (the new sporting director will then hire the new coach). There is a lot of goodwill toward this club, but a little bit slips with each blown win or tie.

And the team鈥檚 new identity must be, well, identified.

And what鈥檚 frustrating is: It could take some time.

Lutz was hired in 2020 and fired in 2025. And now, over at City SC headquarters, they鈥檙e talking about 2030.

Club president and general manager Diego Gigliani told Tom Timmermann of the Post-Dispatch that 鈥渁 five-year cycle is a very reasonable amount of time to give a sporting director to come in, set a strategy and execute toward that strategy to be able to assess results. ... As we set our sights on the next five-year cycle for this club, we need to think about do we have the right people in the right roles. ...

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a short-term decision-making process with a sporting director; we did not assess on the basis of the last two or three weeks of wins and losses. That鈥檚 not how these sporting director decisions get taken. It is looked at over the medium term, and we look at results, we look at performances and we look at overall organizational maturity and way of working. We look at all those things, we project it to 2030, and we feel it鈥檚 the right moment to start a new chapter.鈥�

In the final pages of the previous chapter, we learned a little more about what the City SC ownership is thinking. During the final summer transfer window, City SC nabbed center back Fallou Fall and forward Sangbin Jeong 鈥� and Pfannenstiel had to pay transfer fees for the footballers. For a while there, City SC didn鈥檛 acquire players who had transfer fees, but in these two recent instances, City wrote a couple big checks. Fall cost 51黑料 $3.8 million, while Jeong cost $1.6 million.

So this is a light of optimism going forward.

But the journey, which feels like it鈥檚 been going for a while, is just beginning (again).

As I write this column, I鈥檓 in the press box at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals-Pirates game. Makes me wonder which club will return to the postseason first, the transitioning Cards or City SC?

Playing in October, for both clubs, seems bleak 鈥� and I鈥檓 not just talking about 2025.

With the summer transfer window closed, no major decisions need to be made on the sporting side until the season ends in mid-October, though there are some ongoing issues, such as re-signing goalkeeper Roman Burki, that will need to be addressed. When City SC鈥檚 season ends, the club will have to decide what to do with 14 players whose contracts are up but have options for next season.

Pfannenstiel鈥檚 contract ran through the end of the 2026 season, after he was given a one-year extension just before the start of the club鈥檚 second season. At the time, he had been getting job offers from clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

鈥淭his is the natural end of a five-year cycle,鈥� Gigliani told the Post-Dispatch. 鈥淎 five-year cycle is a very reasonable amount of time to give a sporting director to come in, set a strategy and execute toward that strategy to be able to assess results. And then when we do look at results over the last three seasons, we of course had an incredible fairy tale start in Year 1, but Years 2 and 3 have been really difficult both in terms or results and also in terms of instability.

鈥淚 think as we look around and set our sights on the next five-year cycle for this club, we need to think about do we have the right people in the right roles to be able to get us there. We felt this was the right moment to close the chapter on Lutz鈥檚 time and start a chapter with a new sporting director for the next five-year period.鈥�

CEO Carolyn Kindle said in a statement from the team that 鈥淟utz was one of our most important hires in the early days of the club ... and deserves so much of the credit for our early success. But more than that, he believed in the ownership group鈥檚 vision of being about more than just soccer and embraced the 51黑料 community. This club and this city can鈥檛 thank Lutz and Amalia enough for all they have done for City SC.鈥�

The move comes five years and eight days after Pfannenstiel鈥檚 hiring in 2020. The first two years were spent building the club and its academy system. When the team began play in 2023, it finished with 56 points, the second-most ever for an expansion team, and won the Western Conference regular-season title, City SC dropped to 37 points in Year 2, the largest drop for a second-year club, and is on pace for 27 points in Year 3. The team鈥檚 win total fell from 17 to 8 to 5 this season, with seven games to play.

Years 2 and 3 were marked with injuries and inconsistency, and the club鈥檚 original head coach, Bradley Carnell, was fired in the middle of Year 2. Over the past two seasons, City has just 58 points, more than just three teams in the league, one of which is in its first season.

Pfannenstiel鈥檚 dismissal means that the top two jobs on the sporting side of the team, sporting director and first-team coach, are both vacant, with David Critchley serving as interim coach of City SC after the firing of Olof Mellberg in May. Hackworth, who is serving as interim head coach of City2, along with being the club鈥檚 technical director, now adds more responsibilities.

Gigliani said the plan is to hire the sporing director first and then have that person take part in the coaching search, and he was confident both could be in place by the start of camp for 2026 in January. He said the team had not done any interviews for the vacant coaching job yet after telling Critchley he would be running the team for the rest of the season.

Though City SC is not officially eliminated from playoff contention yet, it is for all practical purposes. Even if the team were to win its remaining seven games, that might not be enough points to get the team into a playoff spot. It currently sits two points ahead of the team with the worst record.

The firing comes four days after the league鈥檚 summer transfer window, a period in which Pfannenstiel added three players 鈥� South Korean forward Sangbin Jeong, Senegalese center back Fallou Fall and, on a loan, left back Devin Padelford 鈥� while buying out the contract of oft-injured center back Joakim Nilsson and getting rid of forward Xande Silva on a transfer after acquiring him in the spring transfer window.

The acquisitions of Jeong and Fall represented a big change in how City SC was doing business. Before that, Pfannenstiel generally acquired players who were out of contract and for whom the club didn鈥檛 have to pay a transfer fee. The only one of the club鈥檚 early signings it had to pay a transfer fee for was forward Klauss, but the club paid a transfer fee of about $3.8 million to acquire Fall from a Norwegian club and then paid $1.6 million in real money to Minnesota for Jeong. Those were the second- and third-largest transfer fees paid in club history, behind Klauss.

The team was looking to be back in the playoffs after a strong finish to the 2024 season following a busy summer transfer window. But the Mellberg hiring didn鈥檛 work on multiple levels, and combined with a string of injuries to key players, the team fell into a hole too deep to get out of. Mellberg was fired on May 27 after just 15 games, only two of which City SC won, and with the team on an 11-game winless streak.

鈥淐learly that decision didn鈥檛 go well for us,鈥� Gigliani said. 鈥淲e had poor results, poor performances, it was clearly a poor fit having to take that decision with such few games. It clearly was a difficult one, and I feel accountable for it too and I know Lutz feels accountable for it as well. (But) I wouldn鈥檛 chalk the decision up to the Mellberg decision only.鈥�

An enduring question about the club will be how the team would have done if it hadn鈥檛 so many injuries.

鈥淥f course injuries have played a role in the team鈥檚 performance, this season and last year,鈥� Gigliani said. 鈥淏ut there are other things that influence quality of the roster and how we built it, the quality of play and the alignment, the performance of the players we have 鈥� maybe one year they鈥檙e performing better than another year 鈥� the coaching, the training quality, all of those things influence a team鈥檚 performance. It鈥檚 not like injury gives anyone a pass, the same way that head coaches have been held accountable. Lutz in this case is also accountable for the three-year overall results.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a short-term decision-making process with a sporting director; we did not assess on the basis of the last two or three weeks of wins and losses. That鈥檚 not how these sporting director decisions get taken. It is looked at over the medium term, and we look at results, we look at performances and we look at overall organizational maturity and way of working. We look at all those things, we project it to 2030, and we feel it鈥檚 the right moment to start a new chapter.鈥�

But in Year 1, Pfannenstiel was the talk of the town, having put together a roster of castoffs with something to prove with a strong preference for players who were either from Germany or played in the German Bundesliga, a league he was very familiar with from his time running clubs there. (Even while running City SC, Pfannenstiel did color commentary on ESPN broadcasts of Bundesliga games on Saturday mornings, either from on scene or from a studio in the basement of his house.)

City SC won its first five games, an unprecedented start for an expansion team. But despite having the top seed in the West, the club was swept in its first-round playoff series by rival Sporting Kansas City. After the season, the club gave Pfannenstiel a contract extension.

Pfannenstiel may be gone, but his impact will be felt on the club for years to come, from the high-pressing style of play he implemented 鈥� which Gigliani said will remain the team鈥檚 identity 鈥� to the organization he built to the training center he helped design. In the club鈥檚 early days, as one of its few employees, he was a larger-than-life personality who was also an effective salesman for the club and who seemed to know everyone in the world of soccer.

鈥淗e鈥檚 super-committed to the team,鈥� Gigliani said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got his heart in the right place of wanting the team to be successful; he鈥檚 been super-integrated into the community, with the fan base, all of us, staff, owners, myself, fans. We鈥檙e really grateful to him for his time here.鈥�

What was different about this one how it brutally ended. As the game entered the 100th minute, which should have been the last of 10 minutes of stoppage time, Vancouver鈥檚 Mathias Laborda was running just inside the penalty area chasing a ball that was rolling toward the end line outside the box, when his leg may have clipped the knee of City SC鈥檚 Mykhi Joyner, who was running behind him. Laborda went down, and referee Fotis Bazakos said there was no foul and waved play on.

But just after Roman Burki took the ensuing goal kick that looked to many like the last play of the game, Bazakos instead was holding up play at the request of video assistant referee Kevin Terry Jr., who saw something. Bazakos was called to the monitor, and while the replays seemed inconclusive at best, they convinced him:

He decided Joyner鈥檚 essentially invisible contact had tripped Laborda and signaled for a penalty kick.

In the 104th minute, Vancouver鈥檚 big summer acquisition Thomas Muller stepped up to the penalty spot to face his old Bundesliga rival Burki and scored to give Vancouver the win and pile more anguish on City SC.

鈥淚n my opinion, the PK was a joke,鈥� said Burki. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not on us. ... It鈥檚 very unfortunate for the team. I鈥檓 sorry for the guys who put their bodies on the line to defend a lot. With such decisions, it鈥檚 hard to win against one of the top teams in the MLS.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty upset with, as you guys can imagine, a lot of situations on the field out of our control,鈥� said City SC interim coach David Critchley, treading lightly for fear of a fine. 鈥淚 think we have to get better as a league. ... If you鈥檙e going to go to the monitor in the second half and have to check it that many times, is it a clear and obvious error? I鈥檓 not quite sure it is. But that鈥檚 the season that this team鈥檚 been in, especially since I鈥檝e been in charge, as we鈥檝e not had luck go our way. We鈥檝e got to keep fighting through.

鈥淲hat we will see at the light at the end of the tunnels, we鈥檒l see a group of very high resilience moving forward because they鈥檙e going to go through a lot of these moments right now, in the next several weeks and as we continue to fight, as we continue to develop and perform. For me, there鈥檚 going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It鈥檚 going to come very soon. Things will go our way, and we鈥檒l be going in a real good direction. I do believe in that.鈥�

Right now, it seems to be more like a mine shaft than a tunnel that City SC continues to tumble down. City SC is at a point now that even if it were to win all its remaining games, it wouldn鈥檛 be enough to make the playoffs, and the bigger challenge now is to avoid finishing in last place in the league. With seven games to play, City SC is tied for next-to-last, two points ahead of the last-place Los Angeles Galaxy.

Like many of City SC鈥檚 recent games, there were promising signs but no tangible results. City SC has blown leads in the second half of three of its past four games and has now allowed a goal in the 85th minute or after in five straight games.

The game wasn鈥檛 a masterpiece, but City SC took the lead twice on the road against one of the better teams in the league. It鈥檚 the continuation of a theme for this team: Things are getting better, just not good enough to translate into wins.

鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 gone our way this year,鈥� Critchley said. 鈥淎nd look, we still have to improve. We鈥檝e got a couple of breakdowns in the game that we definitely need to address and continue to sharpen as we grow and as we develop. We鈥檙e not pointing the finger here tonight. We鈥檙e not saying, 鈥極h, we鈥檙e not to blame whatsoever.鈥� We have moments where we can improve Absolutely.

鈥淏ut what we鈥檝e got in the foundation right now in this team is guys that are showing up every day in the training environment, very committed to their growth and their development, a team that was fighting tooth and nail tonight for a win and then a draw.鈥�

One of those breakdowns was on a free kick in the 79th minute by Sebastian Berhalter that Daniel Rios headed in to tie the game. That came six minutes after a speedy recovery by Sangbin Jeong and a nice hold-up and finish by Klauss for his ninth goal of the season put City SC up 2-1. City SC鈥檚 first goal came on a header by Eduard Lowen off a pinpoint cross by Conrad Wallem.

鈥淭he free kick, we need to defend that better,鈥� Burki said. 鈥淲e have two guys at the first post, and it鈥檚 their responsibility to make sure that either the guy is not touching the ball or they are heading the ball out. That was poor defending on our side. But other than that, I would say we defended really good. We helped each other. We were there for each other. That鈥檚 a good thing to happen, definitely something positive.鈥�

Vancouver鈥檚 first goal was also on a penalty kick 鈥� six of the past 12 goals City SC has allowed has been on a PK 鈥� that came in first-half stoppage time. Devin Padelford appeared to have a light hold, if that, on the arm of Tristan Blackmon on a corner kick that Bazakos called for a PK on his own, then was confirmed by replay. Critchley didn鈥檛 think that one was a penalty either.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want the focus to take the attention away from the players on this club and the direction that these guys are going,鈥� Critchley said. 鈥淲e came into this game today 14th in the conference, and to watch these guys perform like they did, massive amounts of being proud, being happy. ... The calls don鈥檛 go our way tonight. I have some confusion on why and how it happened. But that鈥檚 the situation we鈥檙e in.

鈥淏ut to focus back on the players, we鈥檙e looking at some of the data right now, just the physical data is one of top three, is what I鈥檝e heard very quickly, of our highest ever recorded data in a game physically. So that just shows the commitments, the passion, the efforts, everything that these guys have put into it. They deserve so much more tonight than a loss, and I鈥檓 super-proud of them.鈥�

A week after giving up two goals after the 67th minute to lose to Chicago, City SC added to its league lead in goals allowed after the 75th minute. This time it was a header by Daneil Rios off a close-in free kick by Sebastian Berhalter that tied it and then a penalty kick by German legend Thomas Muller, making his first MLS start and going the distance that won it in the 104th minute.

City SC missed out on a chance for a rare road win, and kept itself in contention for dropping to last place in the league. It was the ninth straight loss away from Energizer Park for City SC.

Joyner made the slightest of contact with Vancouver鈥檚 Mathias Laborda on the edge of the box with Laborda not running toward the goal. It wasn鈥檛 called on the field, but VAR Kevin Terry summoned referee Fotis Bazakos to the monitor and the PK was awarded.

Klauss had put City SC up 2-1 in the 73rd minute. Sangbin Jeong used his speed to get to an outlet pass from Henry Kessler. He got the ball to a streaking Klauss in the box, though he had to pull up to control it, but even with two defenders and the goalie between him and the net, he was able to spin and shoot back to his right and inside the post to give City SC a second-half lead. It was the ninth goal in MLS play for Klauss, one off his total in his first season. City SC has had leads in the second half in three of its past four games, and gotten just four points.

After Vancouver tied the game, it was the Whitecaps who had more of the chances for the game-winning goal, and City SC had to hang on. It couldn't.

City SC scored first for the third time in its past four games on Lowen鈥檚 fourth goal of the season. A pass into the Vancouver end caught a bunch of City SC players offside, but Marcel Hartel, one of the few who wasn鈥檛, caught up with the ball and passed it to Conrad Wallem, coming forward from his right back position. He lobbed the ball into the box and Lowen leaned forward and drove it home to put City SC up 1-0 in the 14th minute.

It looked like City SC may be able to take a lead into the half again, but while Vancouver wasn鈥檛 getting many shots, it was getting a lot of corner kicks, which meant chances were never too far away. On its seventh corner kick of the first half, Devin Padelford grabbed the arm of Vancouver鈥檚 Tristan Blackmon in the box, he went down, and referee Fotis Bazakos signaled for a penalty kick. The play got a long look from the VAR, but was eventually confirmed, and Brian White stepped up and shot to his right while Roman Burki dove to his left and the game was tied four minutes into first half stoppage time.

City SC was without newly acquired center back Fallou Fall, who did not get his Canadian visa sent to him in time to get on the flight for Vancouver and so had to be left behind. City SC had only eight players on its bench for the game.

City SC, which makes yet another trip to the West Coast to face Vancouver on Saturday, has allowed more goals in the 75th minute or later than any team in the league. It has allowed a goal in the 85th minute or later in four straight games, two of which turned potential ties into losses. And that doesn鈥檛 even include the Open Cup game with Minnesota, where City SC gave up goals in the 85th and 88th minutes to turn a win into a loss and elimination.

The most recent example was last Saturday against Chicago, who City SC led 2-1 in the second half before giving up goals in the 67th and 87th minute to lose 3-2. Since the start of June, it鈥檚 also happened against Minnesota in MLS play (allowing goals in the 75th and 90th) and Portland (55th and 91st).

鈥淐hicago was a very, very tough loss,鈥� said midfielder Eduard Lowen, 鈥渏ust as many losses we鈥檝e had throughout the season where we played a really, really good game, and we would have deserved a win or at least a point, and then getting scored on that late and in the way we lost. It鈥檚 frustrating, for sure.鈥�

The search for a cause has been elusive, but it led to a lengthy discussion of the topic in conjunction with the team鈥檚 Tuesday film session that pushed the team getting on field back more than 45 minutes. One thing the team is looking at is communication. As the game progresses, the players have often been getting increasingly spread out on the field, but not always communicating to others about that gap. That鈥檚 leaving more space for opponents to get the ball and create scoring chances. So in 11 v. 11 segments in practice this week, the coaching staff was stopping play in the equivalent of the 70th minute and telling everyone to start talking more.

鈥淚 wanted the guys to be more communicative, more intense,鈥� interim coach David Critchley said, 鈥渟o at the end of the practice now, I鈥檓 asking for more from these guys. So you need to tap in, mentally, and your body, physically, needs to be able to do it as well.鈥�

鈥淲e press a lot,鈥� said midfielder Marcel Hartel, 鈥渟o maybe some guys are not on 100 percent anymore, but then we have to communicate it in the game that we maybe step a bit back to stay a bit deeper so that we don鈥檛 just have one guy go in the press and don鈥檛 have energy in this situation to press with him. So we need more communication also on the field. If our front four have not the energy to press anymore, that we step a bit back so that we don鈥檛 concede that goal so easy.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to be more awake, more sharp, even especially in the last 20 minutes or so,鈥� Lowen said.

That won鈥檛 be the only thing on City SC鈥檚 mind against Vancouver. The Whitecaps were, for a while, the hot team in the league, but they have come down to earth with just three wins and two ties in their past 10 games. But the team is a hot commodity again after signing German superstar Thomas Muller. No one knows how good Muller is than the German-heavy City SC roster.

鈥淥ne of the biggest players of all time, for sure,鈥� Lowen said. 鈥淭he trophies he鈥檚 won, how many trophies he鈥檚 won, how many titles, how many goals he scored, I think he鈥檚 in a top 10 all-time goal scorers in the Champions League. He鈥檚 one of the best players of all time.鈥�

Muller, an attacking midfielder, won 13 Bundesliga titles in 16 seasons with Bayern Munich 鈥� parity is not a thing in European soccer 鈥� two UEFA Champions League titles and a World Cup. He has 10 goals in World Cup play; only eight players have more.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a special, special person for us German guys,鈥� said Hartel. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a German legend. He鈥檚 achieved so much in his career. We are very happy that he鈥檚 here and playing for the MLS. That means a lot for a lot of guys from Germany.鈥�

Muller, who turns 36 in September, came off the bench and played 30 minutes for his Vancouver debut on Sunday against Houston and scored a goal, only to have it erased on an offside call. He could be making his first start on Saturday.

鈥淩espect what he鈥檚 done as a player and respect him,鈥� Critchley said, 鈥渂ut not give him too much respect, where you give him too much space, give him too much time, I think the best way you can respect him is know his strengths and try to combat it. So the role of our double 6s (most likely Lowen and Chris Durkin) will be pretty important in this game, just trying to eliminate the space for him. He had a goal against Houston that was called back, but I think it was his third or fourth touch. He hits the volley bottom corner. So in those types of areas, in those types of spaces, just to be hyper alert and try to not give him any time and space, because you did see the quality in the finish.鈥�