ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis City SC has officially found a replacement for Bradley Carnell, naming former Aston Villa defender and Swedish international Olof Mellberg Tuesday as the next head coach of St. Louis City SC, pending receipt of his P-1 visa.
Mellberg, 47, has spent most of his managerial career in Sweden, with Mellberg most recently serving as the manager for Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna, his second stint with the team. Mellberg began his managerial career with IF Brommapojkarna in 2015.
“I am excited to join St. Louis as the head coach,” said Mellberg. “It is a great opportunity here because of the amazing infrastructure and the direction that the organization has put in place. I can’t wait to build upon the foundation already set here and the massive fan support that gives this team the energy to be successful.”
As a player, Mellberg played all around Europe, spending time with Italian-giants Juventus, Greek-giants Olympiacos, Spanish-side Villarreal and most notably, Aston Villa in England.
During his time as a player at Aston Villa, Mellberg notably scored the first goal ever at the Emirates Stadium on Aug. 19, 2006. The Emirates Stadium is the home ground of English Premier League giants Arsenal, who are owned by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Internationally, Mellberg represented Sweden from 2000-2012, receiving 117 international caps, and captained Sweden during the 2006 World Cup.
Mellberg will replace interim head coach John Hackworth, who took over City SC midseason after the club decided to surprisingly fire head coach Bradley Carnell midseason. Hackworth will reportedly remain with the club in his previous role of director of coaching, according to ESPN.
"We also want to extend our gratitude to John Hackworth. John’s passion, dedication, and leadership were critical as we navigated this past year, and he undoubtedly helped us improve. We’re grateful for his contributions to the club and are excited to have him return to his important role as the club’s Technical Director" said City SC President and GM Diego Gigliani.