The past two seasons for St. Louis City SC have seen disappointment for fans and massive turnover of staff.
The soccer team went into its second season as a new MLS franchise with high hopes but instead saw consecutive years with losing records, missing the playoffs. Two head coaches were fired, and two interim head coaches were not retained.
Yoann Damet said he gets it.
“I think I completely understand the frustration from the fans. I think now is the opportunity to start a new cycle, a new chapter with a new leadership,” said the team’s new head coach during his introductory press conference on Wednesday.
But he is not interested in focusing on what went wrong before his arrival.
“I’m not here to dwell on the past, I’m here to build a future, and that’s what I’m excited about,” he said.
Damet is 35, making him one of the youngest MLS head coaches ever. But he has been in coaching since he was 16, including jobs on the staff of FC Cincinnati, LA Galaxy and most recently the Columbus Crew.
Damet said he had other opportunities but chose St. Louis, in part because of the soccer culture and the facilities.
“When you look at the fan base, there's not many teams that can say they have the fan base that there is here in St. Louis,” Damet said. “When I was at the stadium for the first time earlier this season, it was amazing to see the atmosphere.”
Damet also has a history with new Sporting Director Corey Wray, who was hired in November – the two worked together in Columbus.
“He’s a very open-minded, modern thinker when it comes to the game,” Wray said. “He seeks out new ideas but has a very clear and very strong idea of how he sees the game and how he wants to play.”
Wray and Damet both talk about “alignment, clarity and consistency” in terms of building a roster, a more robust scouting department that uses more data in its evaluation of players, a pathway for young players to move from the academy to the professional ranks and a coaching staff that can see that vision through.
Wray said that might include David Critchley, who had served as interim head coach since May after the firing of Olof Mellberg. Critchley applied to stay in the position on a permanent basis.
“We’re in discussions about a role within the club and keeping him here,” Wray said. “The club holds him in high regard. It would be great to keep him if we could.”
Damet said he spent most of his first day on the job calling players and trying to get to know them on a personal level.
“This is important to me. Before working with a player, you are working with a human being. I want to understand where they are at,” he said. “And in January, we will hit the ground running.”
