Critch on The Pitch: New Beginnings for Saint Louis City SC

New St. Louis City SC Interim Head Coach, David Critchley, takes his seat for the first time at Energizer Park

There's a new Scouser in town. At least there's a new Scouser at the helm of St. Louis City SC. Meet David Critchley: A Liverpool-born man whose journey has taken him across the pond, from captaining his college team for two seasons at Oklahoma Wesleyan College, to coaching at the youth level with TSC Hurricane and Lou Fusz Athletic.

According to CITY, David was one of the first coaches hired for their youth academy and played an "instrumental role in the success of the academy program, coaching the U-16 team in 2022 and the U-17s in 2023." Over the past week, I've been told multiple stories from individuals who have been coached by or had a relative coached by Critch, all praising his character and his ability to inspire those around him. This can be an underrated characteristic not only when choosing a new head coach for your franchise, but also a leader for your organization.

Almost immediately after taking over from former coach Olof Mellberg, Crich focused on relationship building. In his introductory presser, he said:

"Building the relationship off the field is the most important thing for me right now, especially with every single individual. Obviously, every player had an opportunity, even in the last two days, to express themselves, but they know also that is a sport where we want to go out on the weekend and win."

Critch and company would do just that on Saturday, beating the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at Energizer Park.

St. Louis City SC Midfielder Eduard Löwen speaking in the Post-Match Presser

CITY midfielder Eduard Löwen would go on to score a game-winning PK to save the day for St. Louis. In his post-match presser, he spoke about the new gaffer:

"Something I like about him is that he really values his relationships with the players. That makes it easier when you’re out there, playing for a coach who gives you confidence and pushes you to have joy out there."

St. Louis CIty SC Forward, João Klauss, speaking in the Post-Match Presser

Following Edu in the post-match presser, another goal scorer that night was forward João Klauss. He spoke about Crichley's approach since the promotion:

'"He was very clear in his message to the group...how he wants to play. Of course, you can't change everything in three days, but there were small changes. In video sessions and training, he was talking to the players and giving us a lot of confidence. It wasn’t perfect, which is normal, but it was a good step in the right way"

New Coach David Critchley's first official training session with CITY's first team as Interim manager

With three points under his belt as the new interim manager, Critch has his first full week of training with the squad. Now, CITY looks to secure another victory as they head to downtown Portland to take on the Timbers at Providence Park