ST. LOUIS (KMOX)--St. Louis City SC is "parting ways" with Lutz Pfannenstiel, the club's sporting director. A release from the team says President and GM Diego Gigliani and club Technical Director John Backworth will work with the team's current sporting staff with roster management and construction -- including player contract negotiations. Lutz was with the team at the beginning and was an avid guest on "Sports on a Sunday Morning."
“These decisions are never easy and with the legacy Lutz built during his time here, he will always be part of the extended CITY family,” said CITY SC President and GM Diego Gigliani. “From the very beginning, Lutz has shown real passion and commitment for this project and the foundation he established was integral to the club’s historic first season.”
“As we enter the next phase of the club’s long-term plan to lift up the region and help both the team and St. Louis achieve its potential, the next five years will be extremely important and believe a change in sporting leadership will help in the club’s pursuit of its goals,” continued Gigliani. “Unfortunately, we’ve struggled to create sporting stability and haven’t been able to meet the expectations of our owners or our fans, despite increasing our investment in the squad consistently.”
“Lutz was one of our most important hires in the early days of the club…and deserves so much of the credit for our early success,” said CEO and member of CITY SC’s ownership group, Carolyn Kindle. “But more than that, he believed in the ownership group’s vision of being about more than just soccer and embraced the St. Louis community. This club and this city can’t thank Lutz and Amalia enough for all they have done for CITY SC.”