Page 70 - Soccer360 Issue 104

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER FOCUS
Eduard Löwen was signed as Designated Player and finished his debut MLS season with an impressive 14 assists.
“DESPITE ALL THE VICTORIES AND THE ATTRACTIVE STYLE OF SOCCER BEING PLAYED, ST. LOUIS WAS STILL ABLE TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE.”
Nicholas Gioacchini finished tied with the most goals for his club in 2023, showing St. Louis City SC wasn’t just about international talent.
The South African tactician is one of the biggest reasons for St. Louis City SC’s success in 2023. He may very well be the Coach of the Year, after getting his players to buy into an exciting brand of soccer that amazed fans and neutrals alike.
THE SECRET OF
ST. L OUIS
MARCO D’ONOFRIO TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO ST. LOUIS CITY SC’S SEASON AND HOW THEY MANAGED TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST INSTANTLY SUCCESSFUL EXPANSION CLUBS IN MLS HISTORY.
St. Louis City SC officially began Major League Soccer play in 2023 and immediately took the league by storm. Well, kind of. The team’s success on the pitch was unquestionable and they had managed to reach heights that nobody
thought was possible for an expansion team. But at the same time, nobody seemed to be talking about it.
The club became the first MLS expansion team
in history to put together 17 wins during their inaugural campaign. They also finished atop the Western Conference standings - becoming the first expansion team to do that as well.
Locally, they were an immediate hit and sold out all 17 home games they played during the regular season at the brand new CityPark. Fans turned the stadium into a cauldron on game days, providing one of the most intense atmospheres across the league. The club in turn rewarded their fans by playing an exciting brand of soccer and winning plenty of games on home turf. They became just the fourth expansion side to net 60 or more goals and picked up an impressive 11 wins at CityPark
68 SOCCER360