ST. LOUIS–Hours after announcing that an electrical issue will keep Centene Stadium off-limits for a hoped-for match this weekend between CITY2 and Sporting KCII, there were still signs of progress Thursday at the construction site for St. Louis’ entry into MLS play.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Louis CITY SC's training complex will be known as the Washington University Orthopedics High Performance Center.

  • The team's physicians will come from Washington University Orthopedics, while BJC Healthcare will be the club's medical services provider

  • Team officials wouldn't say if an electrical problem will be resolved in time for Centene Stadium to host MLS Next Pro playoff matches

Crews removed more of the temporary fencing around the stadium, making access to the team’s merchandise store a little more inviting. Crews continue working on elements inside, where only the lower bowl would have been open Sunday night.

Across Market Street, the team on Thursday announced BJC HealthCare and Washington University Orthopedics as the expansion club’s official medical services provider and team physicians.

BJC will have its logo featured on the team’s jerseys at the MLS, training and academy level squads 

The facility itself will be called  “Washington University Orthopedics High Performance Center.”

"When our ownership group and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel developed a vision for this training center, we focused on world class innovation, holistic player development, and the latest in sports medicine. We are thrilled that BJC and Washington University Orthopedics understood from the start what a key role this center would play for our team, our stadium district, and St. Louis’ place as a biomedical innovation center,” said St. Louis City SC CEO Carolyn Kindle.

“Healthy players win games. Healthy players are an asset,” Pfannenstiel said.

 

Just as the franchise scouts around the world for players, the club also scouted facilities.

“We definitely looked at the good and the bad, from all over the world, that’s what came out,”  Pfannenstiel said.

Manchester City, Pfannenstiel said, inspired St. Louis CITY’s design for its film room, incorporating a theater-cinema feel to ward off player boredom.

Just as it is rare for an MLS club to have its training operation so close to its gameday stadium, another rare touch is the fact that coaching staffs from the youth level all the way to Director of Coaching John Hackworth will all be within a few feet of eachother at the complex, making it easier to instill the same brand of play from top to bottom.

Even the way some of the doors open, or where equipment is located, comes with an intention.

“I’m convinced 100 % that we will be one of the most difficult teams to play against, it doesn’t mean you win all the games, but whenever a team comes to St. Louis and sees the Arch, they should say like, I don’t want to be here. We don’t enjoy it here,” Pfannenstiel said.

On the flip side, he said the facilities could give the club that extra two to three % needed to convince a player chosen in the expansion draft or a potential free agent signee, to come to St. Louis.

Speaking of the expansion draft, the MLS announced Wednesday that it will be held Nov. 11, with the list of eligible player released the day before.

CITY SC could select up to five players. Teams are allowed to protect 12 players. Austin FC, Atlanta United FC, D.C. United, LAFC and New York City FC won’t lose any players because they had players taken by Charlotte FC in the 2021 expansion draft.

Stadium Update

Centene Stadium hosted its first official event, albeit a private one Wednesday, when attendees in St. Louis for the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative’s annual meeting had dinner at the Stadium’s Ultra Bar.

Team officials said Thursday it was unclear if the electrical issue which caused Sunday’s game to move to SIUE would keep Centene from hosting a MLS Next Pro playoff game. The postseason starts September 23 with the Pro Cup final match slated for October 8.