Central STL News

St. Louis CITY SC has announced the departure of sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, who was instrumental in building the club’s sporting department and overseeing its early achievements. The responsibilities previously held by Pfannenstiel will now be managed by President and General Manager Diego Gigliani and Technical Director John Hackworth while the search for a new sporting director is underway.

Pfannenstiel, a former German goalkeeper and experienced soccer executive, joined St. Louis CITY SC in 2020 as its first sporting director. He led the development of the club’s infrastructure from its Academy through to MLS NEXT Pro, including the construction of training facilities and formation of the first team. Under his leadership, St. Louis CITY SC became the first MLS expansion team to win its regular-season conference title in 2023.

“These decisions are never easy and with the legacy Lutz built during his time here, he will always be part of the extended CITY family,” said CITY SC President and GM Diego Gigliani. “From the very beginning, Lutz has shown real passion and commitment for this project and the foundation he established was integral to the club’s historic first season.”

“As we enter the next phase of the club’s long-term plan to lift up the region and help both the team and St. Louis achieve its potential, the next five years will be extremely important and believe a change in sporting leadership will help in the club’s pursuit of its goals,” continued Gigliani. “Unfortunately, we’ve struggled to create sporting stability and haven’t been able to meet the expectations of our owners or our fans, despite increasing our investment in the squad consistently.”

“Lutz 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,” said CEO and member of CITY SC’s ownership group, Carolyn Kindle. “But more than that, he believed in the ownership group’s vision of being about more than just soccer and embraced the St. Louis community. This club and this city can’t thank Lutz and Amalia enough for all they have done for CITY SC.”

The team will continue under Gigliani and Hackworth's guidance as it completes its 2025 season schedule. St. Louis CITY SC currently holds a record of five wins, sixteen losses, and six draws (21 points), with their next match scheduled against Houston Dynamo on August 30 at 7:30pm Central Time.