Major League Soccer

Marcel Hartel does not fulfill the wish of his biggest fan. Since moving to St. Louis City SC in the Major League Soccer as a promotion hero from FC St. Pauli, his father has no longer been able to attend all the games, so his son’s upcoming long break from the season seemed like a small opportunity. «Two weeks ago he asked me, what’s the situation? Don’t you want to sign somewhere for another two months and gamble a bit so that I can come take a look. But I won’t do that,” Hartel told the German Press Agency.

Sure, a visit to Germany is firmly planned after his season ends on October 19th. But above all, the 28-year-old professional soccer player wants to go on vacation with his family, who have embarked on the American adventure with him. “This is actually my first time ever being in the USA. That was always a goal of my wife and I and that it was now a career for football was not the basic idea. But on the whole it worked perfectly,” reported Hartel.

In the promotion season, Hartel had 17 goals and 13 assists

Lutz Pfannenstiel helped build St. Louis City SC from the ground up and relies on numerous players with Bundesliga experience. – © Maximilian Haupt/dpa

Instead of what FC St. Pauli fans had hoped, he, who made such a crucial contribution to promotion with 17 goals and 13 assists, did not extend his expiring contract to play in the Bundesliga. He also didn’t go to a European Cup team, which many observers also believed he could do. No, Hartel went to the MLS on a four-year contract.

Marcel Hartel (l) represents a different transfer philosophy than his opponent Olivier Giroud from Los Angeles FC. – © Maximilian Haupt/dpa

“Marcel certainly had a lot of offers from Europe, but he was simply interested in the MLS. I’m very happy that he doesn’t play in France for a Champions League club or somewhere in the Bundesliga, but here with us,” said Lutz Pfannenstiel. The Bavarian with a past as an official at TSG Hoffenheim and Fortuna Düsseldorf is the sports director in St. Louis and arranged the deal. “The transfer was worth it when we got Marcel for free, as one of the most sought-after players on the German market.”

Hamburg has 1.8 million inhabitants – St. Louis has less than 300,000

Many colleagues in Europe could not have believed that Hartel was so enthusiastic about moving to St. Louis, a city that has only half as many inhabitants as Stuttgart and is far removed from the flair of the metropolis of Hamburg. But the down-to-earth offensive player quickly took a liking to what Pfannenstiel told him – and after almost three months in the USA, he sees himself confirmed. “Of course the MLS doesn’t have the best reputation, but the league here is very, very good, the quality here is really surprisingly good, I didn’t expect it at all, I’ll be honest,” he said.

After all, when Hartel, like Cedric Teuchert (previously Hannover 96), decided to join St. Louis in the summer, the team already had something to show for it. In its first season, the team won the Western Conference as a newcomer and caused a stir with a style of play that was unusual for the league. Eduard Löwen (including Hertha BSC and 1. FC Nürnberg) and Roman Bürki (Borussia Dortmund, SC Freiburg) plunged into the adventure almost blindly with their signatures and have been there from the first matchday of the previous season. They experienced first hand and played a major role in the fact that St. Louis quickly went from being an outsider and newcomer who was ridiculed for its approach to being a team that was respected throughout the league.

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Eleven players related to Germany in the squad

Because there are a total of eleven players in the squad who either have a German passport or have played for a club in German professional football, St. Louis City FC is a real enclave. But there was only a limited intention behind this, emphasized Pfannenstiel. “We don’t bring in players because they are German or come from the Bundesliga. “It just has to fit our playing philosophy, which is very much based on Hoffenheim from a few years ago,” he said. “The focus is on high-intensity pressing and counter-pressing, but we still want to play good, attractive football with the ball. And players who know this from their previous clubs help us.”

Messi and Reus help the MLS, St. Louis takes a different approach

In their fight for attention, many teams in the league rely on big names from international football. Lionel Messi at Inter Miami was a catalyst of unprecedented proportions for the MLS, setting records for TV subscriptions, jersey sales and tickets. But the signings of Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud from Los Angeles FC and, most recently, the transfer of Marco Reus to Los Angeles Galaxy also follow the same principle.

Pfannenstiel has a different approach. “Our loot scheme looks different. We bring in players who are maybe 26 or 27 years old. “We don’t have many players over 30,” he said. “You can’t get a top star from the Premier League or the Bundesliga here at that age. I’d rather bring in players who will make us better and are hungry for success, just someone like Marcel.”

Hartel has big goals

Numerous injuries and a change of coach this season meant that last season’s success could not be reproduced and the playoffs quickly fell out of reach. However, since Hartel and Teuchert joined the team, there has been a clear upward trend. Four of the last eight games were won and there were only two defeats. Teuchert has five goals and four assists during this time, Hartel has two goals and seven assists. So the direction is right. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to shoot this season, but we’re using it as preparation for the coming season,” said Pfannenstiel. Hartel is clearer in formulating his goal: “I want to win the MLS.”