Late Tomas Totland goal gives City SC 1-1 preseason tie with Austin
Tomas Totland scored in the 88th minute as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC pulled out a 1-1 preseason tie with Austin on Saturday in Indio, California.
The tie was City SC’s second in two games at the Coachella Valley Invitational portion of its preseason camp. The team will be back on the field on Wednesday to play New York City FC. City SC will have one more preseason game after that, a closed-door scrimmage with San Jose on Feb. 15 in Indio, before its season opener against Colorado on Feb. 22.
The goal by Totland, who came on in the 58th minute, came after an exchange of passes down the left flank by two other second-half subs, Indiana Vassilev and Celio Pompeu, who made it a habit of that when they got in the game. Vassilev got to Totland in the box about 10 yards out on an angle and he settled it and then drove it home.
City SC fell behind in the first minute of the second half, giving up a goal shortly after play resumed in a throwback to last season. City SC gave up a goal in the first four minutes of the second half four times last season, along with goals given up in the final minutes of either half or immediately after they had scored, the kind of thing that new coach Olof Mellberg said he wanted to improve the team’s focus to prevent.
The starting lineup on Saturday looked more like an opening-day lineup for City SC, with Eduard Lowen, Marcel Hartel and Klauss in the attack and Roman Burki, Henry Kessler and Joakim Nilsson in the back. Burki went 90 minutes for the first time in camp, as did Hartel and Kyle Hiebert. Tomas Ostrak came on at halftime, increasing his minutes played from 35 in the first game in California to 45, while two players coming back from injuries, Pompeu and Rasmus Alm, got about the same time they had gotten in the first game.
Austin had more of the time and the scoring chances in the game and switched most of its players in the 63rd minute.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel says competition among the team is increased as players show the new coach how they can add to the team on Jan. 31, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
Worthy: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC eager to fix what was 'lacking' after bitter memory of 2024
That whole bit about pain being good because it means growth will follow ... yeah, that’s easy to swallow when it’s somebody else’s pain.
When the sting is yours, it hits differently. It comes with any number of a variety of side effects such as regret, anger and bitterness. Then again, sometimes that sting yields increased focus and motivation.
It’s still early to have a great read on the situation, but ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC sounds and feels like a team that used the sting of a disappointing 2024 season as a driving force heading into 2025. Meaningful games won’t begin for another couple of weeks, so assessing the club’s collective psyche is a highly inexact science.
However, there are encouraging signs. The primary sign? Change. If you’re someone who clamors for reshuffling when you don’t get the desired results, then City SC put plenty of bait on the hook for you.
The club has been reshuffled in multiple ways after it finished 12th out of 14 teams in the MLS Western Conference in 2024.
The roster shakeup began last season, in part due to injuries. City SC went from 29th in payroll at the start of the season to 21st by the end of the season according to MLS Players Association figures. They took advantage of the summer transfer window and also signed players from City2. They added more players this summer than any other MLS club.
Then, this winter, City SC made the change that had been in the queue for several months. They hired Olof Mellberg as the club’s new head coach. A former Swedish player who’d had success coaching there, he’s currently overseeing his first training camp with the club.
Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel left the door wide open for more change in regard to lineups and the club’s internal pecking order.
“It doesn’t matter how long you are here,†Pfannenstiel said last week at City SC’s media day. “Everyone needs to prove themselves completely new. ... If the best 11 are 11 completely different people than played last year, so be it. It’s a competition. It’s a fight.â€
One player who has as much security in his place on the team as anyone, , appreciates the idea of change after what he described as a “very long†offseason.
City SC folded up its tent at the end of the regular season in October, forced to watch the playoffs from afar one year after they’d played into November and played in the MLS playoffs in the club’s inaugural season.
An 8-13-13 record in 2024 provided plenty of sting for Burki, and he views the roster shakeup as beneficial.
“At one point (it was) the injuries that we had — we had key players injured for a longer period of time,†Burki said of his takeaways from last season. “Then we also were lacking more (creativity) in how we want to play, what we are going to do on the field. The (creativity) that you have to have to beat teams.
“Maybe also soccer intelligence sometimes was lacking on our part. Now, obviously, with the players that we got — experienced players that played in Bundesliga — that’s definitely something really good that helps us.â€
Burki, the team captain, gained prominence playing in the Bundesliga earlier in his career.
Striker echoed Burki’s sentiment that the offseason was a bit too long for his personal preference.
As Klauss reflected on 2024, his thoughts went immediately to the rough start. Changing that in 2025 has been a focus.
“Last season, we started pretty slow, we tied a lot of games and we lost a lot of points in the beginning,†Klauss said. “This is something that we have to improve this season. I think when we got warm during the season, it was already too late.â€
Last year, City SC went 3-2-7 from the start of the season through May 4 (12 total matches, 10 MLS, two CONCACAF).
Klauss scored 10 goals and registered four assists in 2023 in fewer games and fewer minutes than it took him to score five goals with three assists in 2024.
He also expressed optimism about the different approach to the preseason under Mellberg, despite there still being some growing pains learning a new system and philosophy.
“In preseason, that’s the time you have to build physicality,†Klauss said. “You can build your physical conditions, and you can build your strengths. I think this was missing last year.
“This year, it has been very different. I think this year, we’re doing double what we were doing last year. It’s been very important for everybody.â€
From the roster to the coaching to the approach and the focus of some key returning players, City SC has the look of a team ready to turn the page and begin anew.
Right now, that’s the most encouraging sign they could give us.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½' professional soccer club is set to launch a regional commercial during the Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 9.Â
The 30-second ad will air on KTVI, FOX2 and is designed to showcase the energy and passion fans bring to Energizer Park and the skill of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC, the team said in a release.Â
The placement is part of a larger initiative by Major League Soccer to promote the league during Super Bowl LIX, ahead of its 2025 season.
"This game is consistently the most-watched TV event in the United States, and having the opportunity to bring further awareness of our club and our incredible fans to the broader ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ audience is an opportunity we could not pass up," Diego Gigliani, City SC president and general manager, said in a statement.Â
City SC will host the Colorado Rapids at the newly named Energizer Park in its home opener on Feb. 22.Â
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC fans celebrate after forward Cedric Teuchert scored the opening goal in the fourth minute of the first half on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in a game against Minnesota United FC at CityPark.
Zachary Linhares, Post Dispatch
Newcomer Conrad Wallem sets up goal as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC ties Real Salt Lake 1-1 in preseason game
Conrad Wallem, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC’s newest acquisition who joined the team late last week, set in motion the play that led to City SC’s only goal as it played to a 1-1 tie with Real Salt Lake in a preseason game Wednesday at Indio, California.
Wallem, a midfielder who had been playing with Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic, didn’t arrive in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ until last Friday and had only a few days training with the team. In the 37th minute, he split defenders to dribble into the box and took a shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar. In the ensuing scramble for the rebound, an RSL player headed the ball into the net for an own goal.
RSL tied the game in the 70th minute.
Three City SC players made their first appearances in a preseason game as second-half substitutes. Celio Pompeu and Tomas Ostrak, who both suffered season-ending leg injuries last season, came on in the 55th minute, and Rasmus Alm, who has been taking it slow in camp to not aggravate the groin injury that has given him trouble the past two seasons, entered in the 72nd. This was a significant step if the three are going to be available for opening day Feb. 22.
Next up for City SC is a game with Austin on Saturday at Indio. Game time is 1 p.m. and it will be broadcast on Matrix Midwest and on the City SC app.
Only a few players in City SC’s starting lineup Wednesday seem likely to be in the starting lineup when the season begins Feb. 22. Roman Burki started in goal; Joakim Nilsson was one of three center backs who started, in between Josh Yaro and Michael Wentzel; Indiana Vassilev in the midfield and Klauss up top, playing alongside Simon Becher. Burki and Nilsson came out at the half, and Vassilev and Klauss came out 10 minutes later.
Yaro and Wentzel were the only players to go the full 90 minutes as coach Olof Mellberg made frequent use of his bench.
After disappointing 2024, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC's Klauss says his fitness will be key in 2025
City SC’s Klauss celebrates after scoring on a penalty kick in a match against D.C. United on Saturday, March 23, 2024. at CityPark.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC striker João Klauss knows this is a big training camp for him, though possibly not in the way you might expect.
He knows 2024 was not a good season for him. (“I’m very disappointed with my performance,†he said at the end of last season.) He knows more scoring is expected from him as one of the team’s three designated players. But when he talks about what he needs to get done in camp, he talks about fitness. He can’t play better if he’s not playing.
“Especially for me, it’s very, very important,†Klauss said Friday during City SC’s brief stay in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ before relocating to California on Tuesday. “I think it’s when you can build physicality and the strengths for the season. I know I have been having some issues during the season, so I think for me, specifically, this preseason is very, very important. I’ve been pushing myself a lot during the holidays as well, and now preseason, of course, with soccer movements, that’s the most important for us. So yeah, I’m excited for the season.â€
Klauss missed 15 games in City SC’s first season to a quad injury and 11 games last season to a knee sprain. In the first season, it interrupted what was looking like a massive year. The second season proceeded at a more modest rate but ended abruptly. When he returned with eight games to go in the season, he scored no goals the rest of the way. His biggest contributions were in drawing defenders to him while teammates scored.
Last year, while Klauss finished tied for the team lead in goals for the second straight season, he had only five and he did it in more than 600 minutes more than he played in City SC’s first season, when he scored 10.
He is, in a way, a living embodiment of the statistical concept of regression to the mean: In City SC’s first season, he scored 4.2 goals more than his expected goals total of 5.8. In City SC’s second season, he scored 4.3 fewer goals than his expected total of 9.3. That 4.3 goals below expected was the third-biggest negative total in Major League Soccer in the regular season; in 2023, his 4.2 was the sixth-highest above expected.
He scored two goals against Chicago on May 11; he did not score in the remaining 16 games in which he played. He’s aware of that, and he feels it, too.
“Sometimes people think for us, it doesn’t change anything,†he said. “Like when you have a bad season, you just go for the next one. But I think as a player, you always want to perform your best, so it’s hard for you when the thing is not happening. And I’m a guy that put a lot of pressure on myself. I know I have a lot of responsibilities in the team, and I’m not here just to have fun. I want to help the team. I want to win. Last year, we didn’t make playoffs, and that’s not acceptable, so we we’re going to work hard for a difference.â€
City SC striker Klauss speaks to a reporter on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
For him, that means starting fit and staying fit.
“Specifically as a striker,†he said, “you have to be able to handle moments of the game that you have to sprint maybe two, three times in a row and then recovery and be prepared for the next one. You never know when you’re going to get the chance. So that’s what I worked a lot during the offseason, to be prepared for these moments. And also, now during the preseason, I’m not a guy that runs the most distance, but my sprints and the sprinting distance is always one of the highest in the team. So I just have to prepare myself a little bit different than the other players and that my body can handle the situations.â€
“Klauss didn’t have a terrible season,†City SC sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said. “Klauss had actually a good season when he was on the field. Klauss didn’t score a lot of goals, but I think Klauss worked hard to get other players into scoring positions. But under the red line you have to say he missed a lot of games through injury, and that’s a problem. So we hope that he will be fit this year and then be able to last longer.â€
New coach Olof Mellberg said the team’s offense was not sharp in its first preseason game and much improved in the second.
“I think it’s normal,†Klauss said. “It’s a different philosophy, different formation, different style of play, and we have to get used to it also at the same time we have been working in the physical stuff. So you just have to find a balance and understand Olof’s idea as quick as possible. The first game wasn’t that good offensively but very strong defensively, and I think we struggled a lot last year with that. So I think this is a process that he’s starting from the back how he wants to defend, to be a more solid team that doesn’t concede a lot of goals and now they start to work also progressing the ball forward.â€
“There’s a lot of focus now on the tactical and the physical aspects,†Mellberg said, “so I think (Klauss) and the others as well have still got some work to do in the technical abilities, and we haven’t worked so much in detail yet in the final third. I think things will improve in that area over the coming weeks.â€
Klauss is in the last season of his contract, though the club holds an option for next season. That is another reason for Klauss to hope to have a good season. Since turning pro at 19, he has constantly been on the move, bouncing from one club to the next, sometimes on loan sometimes on transfers, seldom anywhere for more than a season. This will be his third season in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ (plus a half season with City2). It’s the longest he’s been with any one club since he was a teenager, which is one of the reasons he joined the team.
As Burki enters final year of City SC contract, Pfannenstiel says he'll be here all season
One off-field issue that figures to hang over ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC for this season is the future of its star player, goalkeeper Roman Burki.
Burki, one of the top goalkeepers in Major League Soccer and at 34 still in the prime of his career, is on the final season of his contract — he is one of the few players on the team that the club does not hold an option year on. That means teams in Europe will be interested in signing him. Already one offer to the club, from Danish club Copenhagen, reportedly has arrived.
While Burki’s future beyond this season will be in doubt unless a new contract with the team is signed, City SC sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel tried to put to rest any thoughts about Burki’s immediate future.
“I can tell you that Roman Burki will start the season with us,†Pfannenstiel said Friday, “and he will finish the season with us. It doesn’t matter, even if the moon or Barcelona is interested in him, he will not leave ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC, and he will stay with us.
City SC goalkeeper Roman Burki blocks a shot while practicing at the club’s training camp on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, at its facility in downtown ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
“And of course, then there is ’26, ’27, ’28 and there’s a future to talk about as well, but that’s something which we have to figure out with Roman and his agent, and there is talks. Roman is our captain. He’s the best goalkeeper in the league. He’s a very important player for us. And of course, we’re working hard to keep Roman here as long as possible. But right now as I said, doesn’t matter if it’s Copenhagen or anybody else, … So Roman is here, and Roman will stay here, as simple as that.â€
“Obviously, I’m very happy here,†Burki said, “but in soccer, you never know, and also you have one career, you have to look what’s best for you, what’s best for me. And so we definitely will have talks, and we’ll figure it out. I’m focused on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.
“I have no idea (about other offers). I mean, from my perspective, all I can do is play good, you know? And obviously, if you play good, if you bring a performance, there are maybe clubs interested. Especially because in my case, I’m going into my last year, but I’m not really thinking about that right now. I’m focused on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. I have one more year, and we are just waiting for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to do something.â€
Burki has been the hands-down star of the team, not to mention, as the player with the most success playing in Europe, the driving force in the dressing room when the team has struggled. In 2024, even though he was tied for the fifth-most goals allowed in MLS, he was second in goals saved above expected, at plus 7.6, which reflects how often he was left hung out to dry by his defense and how he regularly was called on to make spectacular saves. He was first in goals saved above expected in 2023, at 9.1, and won league goalkeeper of the year honors. He’s also been one of the most dependable players in the league, starting all but three of City SC’s games in its first two seasons.
City SC is back in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ for a few days of training before making its now annual trip to Southern California for the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio on Tuesday. City SC will play four games there, the first on Wednesday, in which coach Olof Mellberg said he will start using lineups that likely will reflect what he plans to use when the real games start in late February.
City SC goalkeeper Roman Burki speaks to a reporter on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
City SC played two exhibition games while at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, losing to the New England Revolution 1-0 then beating New York Red Bulls 1-0. In the first game, Mellberg played different lineups in each half. In the second game, most of the starters went 60 minutes and then a second set of players went the final 30.
“It’s going well, I think,†Mellberg said. “It’s been a good, good camp. We’ve been working hard, trained a lot. We were very heavy actually, in the first game, so struggling a little bit, especially our attacking wasn’t good enough. We worked a little bit on our freshness for the second game, and played really well. So overall, they worked hard, obviously from a physical point of view, but also tactically and pleasantly surprised how well things have worked so far.â€
“The offense got together between the first and second game,†said midfielder Cedric Teuchert, who scored the goal in the Red Bulls game. “I think after every session it’s important to talk about the new ideas from the coach, and I think we made a big step in the second game.â€
It’s still not a full group, especially at midfield, but it’s getting there. Tomas Ostrak and Celio Pompeu, who missed most of last season because of serious leg injuries, practiced Friday and are gradually being integrated back into the full group. Chris Durkin, still recovering from a knee injury that idled him for the whole offseason, was on the field and doing some running, though he thinks he can be ready for opening day. The biggest issue is with midfielder Jake Girdwood-Reich, who was late in arriving to camp because of a foot injury.
“He’s not OK yet,†Mellberg said. “He was also a sick a little bit during the camp. It was not an ideal camp for him in that respect.â€
The team’s newest signee, midfielder Conrad Wallem, was on his way to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ on Friday afternoon when Pfannenstiel talked to reporters.
“He’s picking up right now his work permit,†he said, looking at his phone. “He should be back in two hours and then we still have to do some medical final examinations with him, but he will be available for Coachella and he will be available for the start of the season.â€
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC midfielder Celio Pompeu talked about how his play has improved recently after recovering from an injury on Jan. 31, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC defensive midfielder Chris Durkin talks about how resting during injury recovery will help him this season on Jan. 31, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC defender Josh Yaro said having Olof Mellberg has their new head coach was a good opportunity for the team on Jan. 31, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC head coach Olof Mellberg talked about some things he's learned about the team during training camp and preseason matches on Jan. 31, 2025. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
Photos: Fresh back from training camp in Florida, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC holds Media Day
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC head coach Olof Mellberg listens as Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel speaks to the press on Media Day Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC head coach Olof Mellberg and Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel speak to the press on Media Day Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
City SC forwards Simon Becher and Klauss, right, arrive for interviews on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
City SC striker Klauss speaks to a reporter on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC forward João Klauss and midfielder Tomáš Ostrák wait to speak to a reporter during Media Day Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC midfielder Chris Durkin speaks to a reporter during Media Day Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Energizer Park.
