David Critchley had a one-word answer when he was asked to be the interim manager for St. Louis City SC.
"Yes.”
Critchley has held coaching positions with City since 2021. Most recently, he was the head coach of City 2, the team’s developmental squad. He was tapped to take over as interim manager after the firing of Olof Mellberg just 15 Major League Soccer games into his tenure.
“It’s an opportunity I feel very excited for. I feel very prepared for this opportunity,” Critchley said in his introductory press conference on his second day on the job.
City SC has only two wins this season and has struggled to score goals. Mellberg, a defender in his playing days, adopted more defensive and conservative tactics.
Critchley plans to change that.
“We want to bring back a game model and a style of play that will entertain the fans,” he said. “It’s about being aggressive on the ball. We want the fans on the end of their seat.”
That change of philosophy and the return to what made the team successful in its inaugural season in 2023 echoed why team officials said they fired Mellberg.
“We want to play our City style, and that was not negotiable. We want to be aggressive, we want to be a pressing team,” said Lutz Pfannenstiel, the sporting director. “And unfortunately, we did not really see that very much.”
Pfannenstiel said that the expectations were communicated to Mellberg thoroughly and that his past coaching experience in Sweden suggested he favored an aggressive style of play, but that did not translate to MLS games.
City also suffered several key injuries this season, and the team has had to rely on backup players in key positions for many games. But Pfannenstiel stood behind his roster.
“Last year, we had success after the transfer window with the same team we have now,” he said. “We played some entertaining football. Do you think our players, overnight, just forgot how to play football?”
Critchley, a native of Liverpool, England, and a former college and United Soccer League coach, said he has followed the players' training closely all year. He said he believes the team has the talent and ability to quickly shift to a more offensive-minded game plan.
“It’s a great group of players. I think they are ready to thrive and play. We’re going to go out there with a good attacking style,” he said. “We are going to demand these guys be comfortable, they be brave, and they play.”
Critchley would not say if he’d seek the position on a permanent basis. “My only focus is on Saturday,” he said. But he also isn’t shy about his aspirations.
“I’m a highly ambitious, highly driven coach,” he said. “I’ve expressed my goals since I walked in on Day 1, including someday sitting in this chair.”
The team plans to start a search for a permanent replacement immediately but does not want to rush the process. But a new hire could come before the end of the season.
“I would not say we expect it, but it would not be unreasonable to think David (Critchley) would go back to City 2 at some point during this season if we were able to find that permanent head coach,” said Diego Gigliani, City SC president and general manager .
City SC’s next match, the first with Critchley in charge, is against the San Jose Quakes on Saturday at Energizer Park.
