Olof Mellberg Named Head Coach of St. Louis CITY SC

November 26, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
St. Louis City SC News Release

ST. LOUIS – Aston Villa legend and previous Swedish National Team captain Olof Mellberg has been named St. Louis CITY SC’s second-ever head coach, pending receipt of his P-1 visa. In addition to being a highly respected leader – on both the pitch and the touchline — Mellberg brings five-plus years of Scandinavian head coach experience, primarily from Sweden where he demonstrated an ability to deliver results above expectations.

“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.”

Mellberg, 47, began his managerial career in 2016 at IF Brommapojkarna, a club in the outskirts of Stockholm. Founded over 80 years ago, Brommapojkarna has a strong reputation for youth development, as it boasts the largest academy in Europe with nearly 250 teams and 3,000 players.

“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.”

“We also want to extend our gratitude to John Hackworth. John’s passion, dedication, and leadership were critical as we navigated this past year, and he undoubtedly helped us improve. We’re grateful for his contributions to the club and are excited to have him return to his important role as the club’s Technical Director” continued Gigliani.

Mellberg took charge of the team in Ettan, Sweden’s Third Division, and successfully led Brommapojkarna to back-to-back promotions in 2016 and 2017, winning the title in each division each year, to bring the club back to Allsvenskan, Sweden’s Top Division. Over the course of those two seasons, Mellberg’s side averaged 2.2 pointsper match with a 44-9-14 (W-L-D) record, 140 goals scored and 58 goals against.

“Olof has an incredible work ethic and reputation for being disciplined and…