St. Louis City Hire Olof Mellberg As Next Manager
St. Louis City have hired their next Manager following the firing of Bradley Carnell this past season. Olof Mellberg arrives as Manager of St. Louis City from the Swedish top division where he was managing IF Brommapojkarna.
Mellberg began his managerial career in 2016 when he became the Manager of IF Brommapojkarna in the then Swedish 3rd division. Mellberg would win the 3rd division title in his first season as Manager and in his second season as Manager of the club, winning the Swedish 2nd division. After two league titles and now his club in the Swedish 1st division, Mellberg decided to leave the club after 66 games in charge. In those games he won 43 games, drew 14 games, and lost 9.
Mellberg took some time off of managing a club, about 18 months. In the summer of 2019, Mellberg was announced as the Manager of Fremad Amager in the Danish 2nd division. He only lasted 8 games as Manager of the club before departing for a Swedish 1st division opportunity in Helsingborgs IF. With Fremad Amager, Mellberg finished with a record of 3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses. He would be in charge of Helsingborgs for about 15 months, leading them to a record of 8 wins, 11 draws, and 19 losses.
Mellberg then took another two year break from managing before his return to the Swedish 1st division and return to IF Brommapojkarna in January of 2023. In his second stint as Manager of Brommapojkarna, he would manage 70 games with a record of 23 wins, 15 draws, and 32 losses before his hire in St. Louis.
St. Louis fans should expect a Manager who loves playing with a three man backline, a trend we are starting to see widely used around MLS. He has a familiarity with soccer in the Scandinavian region and that is a player profile that St. Louis’s front office has clearly valued. The hiring makes sense, the long term project build makes sense, but I think you just need to hope that Mellberg can find better results in St. Louis than what you’ve seen in his most recent Swedish stints.
