It’s been an offseason of change for St. Louis CITY SC. Sporting director Corey Wray is rebuilding the front office, new head coach Yoann Damet is instituting his vision, and the roster is slowly coming together. CITY SC players believe they will be successful this season: Roman Bürki, Marcel Hartel, and Chris Durkin were all encouraged by Damet’s presentation to kick off preseason training. While Wray has work to do in filling some of the roster’s evident holes, the squad is hungry to prove that they aren’t defined by the past two seasons. Durkin recently shared more about his mindset going into a new season. Read more below.
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What To Know
St. Louis CITY SC acquires Daniel Edelman
CITY SC made its first major move of the offseason in acquiring Daniel Edelman from the New York Red Bulls for $500,000 GAM in 2026, $200,000 GAM in 2027, a potential $150,000 GAM in performance bonuses, and a percentage of any future sale out of Major League Soccer. Edelman is a 22-year-old defensive midfielder who captained the U.S. Youth National Team during the 2023 U-20 World Cup. CITY SC also acquired the Homegrown rights for the New Jersey native, who is signed through 2027 with a club option for 2028.
CITY SC coaching staff changes
New head coach Yoann Damet made a few additions to his coaching staff this week, adding David Sauvry and Marcelo Sarvas to a staff that returns Baggio Hušidić and Alex Langer. St. Louis native and former Toronto FC scout Colin Rooney has been added as the club’s director of scouting. Of course, the big coaching news heading into camp is that former interim head coach David Critchley will return to the club as CITY 2 manager. He’s joined by assistant coach Elvir Kafedžić.
St. Louis CITY SC preseason schedule
Next week, CITY SC will head to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where the club will play friendlies against Red Bull New York and the Tampa Bay Rowdies before returning to St. Louis. The team will then travel to the Coachella Valley Invitational, where it will face the Portland Timbers, Austin FC, and the LA Galaxy before finishing the preseason with a closed-door friendly against DC United.
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