Pent-up energy fuels historic season for St. Louis CITY SC

Just eight months on from their first MLS game, St. Louis CITY SC look set to compete for the biggest prize in US soccer.

St. Louis have already made history this year by becoming the first expansion team to top their Conference in their debut season. They have been the best team in the West in 2023, storming ahead of MLS Cup holders LAFC, and have secured crucial home advantage for the playoffs.

The bond between the team and its supporters has been a key part of their success this season; their front-foot, high-pressing style thriving in the raucous CITYPARK atmosphere. As they prepare for their first ever tilt at MLS Cup glory, we spoke to those involved in this historic debut season.

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St. Louis’ wait is over

One of St. Louis’ key performers this season has been João Klauss, the Brazilian striker leading their high-intensity style from the front. In an interview with AS USA he revealed there was an instant connection within the squad, and a sense that something special was building in St. Louis.

“From day one the team chemistry that we had was different,” Klauss explained. “The sessions that we had were always fun, everyone was talking together like they had been friends for years.”

The Brazilian described St. Louis as “a soccer city,” one where “everyone had been waiting” for an MLS team to come to town. Soccer in St. Louis dates back to the late 1800s and Jake Koenig, founder of the St. Louis podcast Ball Watching, recalls the huge anticipation for the new team’s first MLS fixture.

“We had all of this pent-up demand to see top flight soccer in St Louis. We had false dawns, but to finally get a team meant there was real excitement. You had to be patient, but when it all came together…”

That long-awaited moment came back in February, a tough away trip to last season’s Western Conference runners-up Austin FC. St. Louis were trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining in their first MLS fixture, before goals from Jared Stroud and João Klauss secured a famous victory for the MLS debutants. That winning goal was the moment that kick-started the team’s MLS journey and wrote Klauss’ name in the city’s sporting History books.

Klauss-mania sweeps the city

Last month MLS released a list of the biggest-selling jerseys in the league for 2023. At the top, unsurprisingly, is Lionel Messi; but sitting in second place is none other than João Klauss.

“I think it’s a little bit unfair, competing against Messi,” Klauss joked, but his popularity in St. Louis can not be overstated. He has become a talisman and fan favourite despite suffering a serious mid-season injury that has restricted him to just 18 MLS appearances this year.

“I played nine games then had a long-term injury and was out for four months,” he said. “Every time I met the fans they said nice words and that really helps in the bad times... I didn’t expect that they would be so patient and so excited for me to come back again.”

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But during that 16-match absence Klauss only strengthened his standing with supporters. Jake recalls attending an open training session while the Brazilian was still sidelined, seeing the big Brazilian take the time to chat to any of the “couple thousand people” in attendance that approached him. He described Klauss as “a lightning rod of positivity” between the team and its fans.

Since Klauss returned to the team in August he has notched five goals in nine appearances, many of which came from the substitutes bench as he was eased back from injury. He has now reached double figures in his debut MLS season and, with the playoffs on the horizon, expect to see even more ‘Klauss 9′ jerseys on the streets of St. Louis.

St. Louis united for playoff journey

For decades, the Cardinals and the Blues stood alone as the two biggest sports teams in St. Louis. This year, for the first time, the city’s bars and cafes will be filled with soccer fans anxiously experiencing the agony and the ecstasy that the MLS playoffs provide. Jake described seats at CITYPARK as “the hottest ticket in town” and every home game since St. Louis’ MLS debut has been a sell-out.

For the city’s under-served soccer fans this is a first tilt at playoff glory, but the same is also true for many of the team’s top performers. In addition to Klauss; MVP candidate Roman Bürki is preparing for his first taste of the playoffs, as is the team’s creative spark Eduard Löwen.

After a record-breaking regular season there is a sense of adventure as St. Louis head into the playoffs, a first for supporters and players alike. As the number one team in the West they are guaranteed home field advantage all the way to the Conference final, a key factor for a team with such a strong record in front of their own supporters.

The raucous CITYPARK atmosphere has been the perfect backing track for the team’s heavy metal playing style, which requires intensity and unity throughout the 90 minutes. Jake described the gameday atmosphere as “a constant heartbeat” in the stadium, “putting wind in the sails” of every player in a St. Louis jersey.

The team have harnessed that energy this season, thriving on the pent-up excitement of a fanbase that has waited decades for the chance to see this story unfold. After Saturday’s regular season closer against Seattle Sounders they enter the unknown territory of the playoffs, where wide-eyed excitement comes up against hard-earnt experience.

There are no guarantees that their boundless momentum can carry them all the way to an MLS Cup triumph. But as St. Louis march on in a historic debut season, both the team and its supporters will be living the very same journey.