ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The first thing that impressed St. Louis City SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel when it came to Olof Mellberg was his leadership qualities.
"The leadership qualities which he learn not just as a coach, but being a captain for big teams like Aston Villa and Swedish the national team and playing in the biggest competitions I think is extremely important in how he manages a group, how he leads his staff" said Pfannenstiel.
"His work ethic, the way he coaches, interacts with players and staff was something we figured out pretty quickly by doing some research, but also meeting him on various calls and flying to Stockholm to sit down and I think that's when you get that feeling that you are dealing with the right person."
The City 2.0 Era officially got underway Friday as City SC, featuring the likes of President Diego Gigliani and Pfannenstiel, officially introduced Mellberg to the media, weeks after naming Mellberg as City SC's next head coach all the way back in November.
Pfannenstiel admits that it wasn't easy getting Mellberg, claiming some high profile clubs wanted him, along with the Swedish National Team. Sweden is set to begin compete in FIFA World Cup qualification games in October.
"Obviously, it was an honor to take him over a national team," said Pfannenstiel.
Mellberg, who officially landed in St. Louis last Friday, says what attracted him about the job as City SC head coach was how attractive MLS has now become.
"I think the process overall was a couple of months and a lot of meetings. During that time, I also did my research of the club, the city," said Mellberg. "Started to watch a lot of MLS games. Not only our team but opponents as well."
"It's an attractive league now and attractive place to be as a player as a coach. The league is constantly growing in quality and in interest."
Unlike a lot of managers in the sport, Mellberg says he quite flexible when it comes to formations, but the style of play City SC has come to see over the last two years won't change under him.
"My main job is to maximize the potential of the squad and each individual," said Mellberg. "How I tactically want to approach the season, I often say the players decide that from my perspective."
"The qualities of the players decide exactly how I play, but the identity of this team and club won't change."
Pfannenstiel says he believe Mellberg can maximize and improve the potential of the squad regardless of whether the players are youngsters or veterans.
"He's good in developing players, forming winning teams and I think that's the key for us," said Pfannenstiel. "We want to have a winning culture."