Who is St. Louis City SC's New Man, Fallou Fall?

Fallou Fall (right) and teammate Brendan McSorley (left) on the bench before St. Louis City SC’s pre-match friendly against Aston Villa.

Fallou Fall is the latest player to join the St. Louis City SC team as they look to end this MLS season on a high.

With the European transfer window open, City SC has taken advantage to land the 21-year-old Senegalese youngster from Norwegian side Fredrikstad, whom he joined last year on an initial loan deal that was made permanent in April this year.

Fall has had a stint at Reims in the French Ligue 1 as well, so it is safe to say he is ready for the MLS.

Background

Born in Rufisque, Dakar region, Senegal, the same country from which Akon’s parents are from, Fall was already competing in Europe at 18, when he played for Serbian club Grafičar.

His development there earned him a move to Reims in France at 19, and he was an ever-present in the team when he moved on an initial loan deal to Fredrikstad.

City SC tracked him for some time and have now brought him to the MLS as their second most expensive player, with only João Klauss costing more in the squad.

What can Fall bring to the MLS and St. Louis City SC?

City SC wants to improve its standing in the Western Conference after finishing 12th last season, so the only reason they have splashed the cash on Fall is that they know he can deliver for them.

In the MLS overall, the youngster will make the American top flight more popular in Norway, where he has played in the last two years and Senegal, where his countrymen are following him.

STL City SC hit the training pitch Tuesday before their clash with the Chicago Fire

For City SC, Fall will help solidify a defense that conceded 63 goals in the Western Conference last season.

They have already conceded 41 times in 25 matches this season, so his presence will bring in more stability at the back and help the team earn more clean sheets.

First Impressions

Fall was on the bench for the entirety of the friendly match against Aston Villa, which City SC lost 2-1.

However, in his first start for them against Nashville SC, he was superb, scoring a rating of 7.5/10 by Fotmob.

The defender completed 86% of his passes in that game, won 100% of his tackles, made 4 recoveries and was dribbled past just once in the entire match.

For a player who has just arrived at the club, that is a superb debut, and it is worth noting that the win was City SC’s first win after three straight defeats.