He's Gone! Olof Mellberg Relieved of His Coaching Position At St. Louis City SC.

Olof Mellberg coaching on the sideline for St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louis City SC has relieved Head Coach Olof Mellberg after the worst start in club history. Not only has City made unfortunate club history with its worst 15-match start, but Mellberg's firing also marks the second-shortest MLS Head Coach tenure ever. In his absence, City2 Head Coach David Critchley has been announced as "Caretaker" Head Coach. David "Critch" Critchley's promotion makes him the fourth leader of the Club in less than three years. With City 2, Critch currently holds a record of 6-1-4 (W-D-L) and sits at third place in the Western Conference in MLS Next Pro.

Posted by the official St. Louis City SC X page following the sacking (@STLCITYSC on X)

Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said this following the firing, "The decision to part ways with Olof goes beyond just results. We’ve analyzed the team’s performance across a number of factors, including the need to execute against a style of play that led to the team’s initial success and has been part of our DNA for four years. As a club, we have certain standards we need to meet, and believe a coaching change was necessary to improve our overall performance and return to a winning culture.”

Lutz saying that the club needs to get back to its DNA directly contradicts his statements following Mellberg's hiring in November, in which he said, "Olof’s ability to develop young talent was seen at his Swedish club, and we can’t wait to see it translate here in St. Louis." It indeed did not translate to St. Louis and strayed the club away from its DNA. Mellberg record with City 2-5-8 (W-D-L).

Former St. Louis City SC Head Coach Olof Mellberg speaking to the media hours before being let go.

It was especially odd that the firing came at 6:54 PM, after Mellberg led training and spoke to select media members. However, Mellberg wasn't the only one that parted ways with CITY that day. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Tom Timmerman wrote this on X...

The Sporting Director of St. Louis CITY SC Lutz Pfannenstiel, and the club's President and General Manager, Diego Gigliani, are set to address the media on Thursday, May 29th at 12 pm CT.

Here's Tuesday's timeline;

2:00 PM: Olof Mellberg leads Tuesday's training.

5:00 PM: Olof Mellberg speaks to the media, no mention of his job security.

6:54 PM: St. Louis City SC announces the firing of Head Coach Olof Mellberg

6:54 PM: St. Louis City SC names City2 coach David Critchley Interim Head Coach.

6:54 PM: Former Interim Head Coach John Hackworth is announced as Interim Head Coach for City2.

7:00~7:30 PM: St. Louis City SC Podcasts such as FlyOverFooty, BallWatching, and TopCornerTalk go live to react to the news.