City SC start first training camp on Wednesday

In less than three years and a week, about 25 players, coaches and training staff will be heading into the first day of preseason camp at the team’s state-of-the-art training facility across from the team. Take your first steps towards becoming a team at a state-of-the-art stadium in downtown St. Louis.

“I’m happy to finally get started,” said City SC sporting director Lutz Pfanenstil. “We’ve been working on that for a long time. It’s about time. Rhythm, I call it. My life The Rhythm has games on the weekends. For the past two and a half years, it’s actually been It wasn’t.”

The team trains at the practice facility every day except Monday, with intra-squad scrimmage scheduled for Sunday mornings through January 18. The team will then train in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from January 19-29.

The baton is passed from Pfanenstiel, who put the team together, to Bradley Carnell, the coach of City SC. Carnell has been waiting for this too since he was named head coach on January 5, 2022, but his six other players on the current team already have more tenure than any MLS coach. I have.

Kernels face some challenges at the camp. As well as setting the squad up for the opening day on February 25, the starter will have to figure out who the 11 are and put together a team that has mostly never played together. .

The team got off to a slight head start by getting to know each other thanks to a player who was able to sign last season and stay with the City2 development team. Thirteen of his players in the camp have trained with the rest of the team at one point, but it’s rare to see them all at once. He played with 11 players, many of whom were promoted from City 2 and didn’t get much playing time for the first team. Some key players — defensive midfielder Nyablo Blom won’t be on the field until his work permit is finalized on Wednesday, or center-back Joachim Nilsson out of rehab for a knee injury. I haven’t trained much for — still need to get acquainted. in the field.

Pfannenstiel also has a whiteboard in his office with the team’s depth chart, but he says nothing has been decided. (This is true, all the names are magnets for easy navigation.)

“At the end of the day, everyone participates with a certain heart,” he said. “The first 11 will be in your head, but most things are always different than you think. There will be surprises — there will be surprises. No one has signed a contract that says they are guaranteed a spot in. They all have to fight and prove themselves every day.

“Looking ahead, Klaus was a pick and had a great scoring percentage in Europe, but the guys behind him said[Nico]Gioacchini was here from Orlando to see the arch. I don’t think so.” Say, “Well, that’s great.” he wants to play (Midfielder Rasmus) Alm usually plays a lot of games, but other players want to play as well. Jared Stroud isn’t from Austin because St. Louis is a beautiful city. Or (Isak) Jensen didn’t come from Europe to sit on the bench. It should be. Obviously the team has a few steps, but that’s normal. Serio (Pompeu) has played all his life in college, but it may not be as easy as Alm, who has played in Sweden’s top division for the past nine years. I always say, everyone who boils boils water, right? Whose water gets a little hotter? Everyone has a chance.

We’re definitely seeing a trend of who could be in the starting 11, but I think in preseason you like underdogs, you like surprises, you like guys who bring themselves to the top teams. Knowing Bradley and the way he works, he doesn’t worry about his name, his former clubs or his reputation. Every moment, every session matters. Every moment, every session, you have to give 100%. No First Eleven. You have a team of players, everyone needs motivation to be in the First 11, and every day should be a training battle for the possibilities, the options and the chance to show yourself. Not in Bradley Carnell’s world, not mine, but his first eleven. Work hard, you deserve it. ”

On the eve of camp, City SC announced the kernel’s staff for the first season, taking advantage of coaches already in the organization. John Hackworth, the club’s coaching director and coach of City 2 last season, Erbil Kafežić, who was Hackworth’s assistant on the development team, and John Migreze, who was the coach of the club’s under-21 team. Become an assistant. Goalkeeper coach Alex Langer, who was also City2’s goalkeeper coach. City2’s new coach will be announced next week.