St. Louis CITY Soccer Formation

Starting Lineup

Bürki (Lundt) · Kessler (Hiebert) · Baumgartl (Yaro) · Nilsson (Wentzel) · Totland (Pompeu / Vassilev) · Durkin (Girdwood-Reich) · Löwen (Joyner) · Wallem (Alm) · Hartel (Ostrak) · Klauss (Glover) · Teuchert (Becher)

St. Louis CITY aims to dominate the middle of the pitch through a high press and vertical play. They utilize a 3-5-2 formation to crowd the center and force mistakes from the opposition. This formation focuses on winning the ball high up the pitch and moving it forward quickly to catch the defense out of position.

Bürki protects the goal as the goalkeeper. The defense plays as a back three, where Baumgartl sits in the middle to defend zonally and command the area. Kessler acts as the left centre back to cover the channel, while Nilsson plays as the right centre back to win the header and protect the flank. This unit stays compact to deny the turn to strikers and maintains a high line to squeeze the space.

The midfield is the engine of the team, using a single pivot to anchor the play. Durkin plays as the single pivot to shield the defence and win the second ball. In front of him, Löwen, Totland, and Wallem operate to connect the defensive and attacking lines. Löwen and Wallem work to carry the ball forward and recycle possession, while Totland helps to press aggressively to win the ball high. Hartel sits in the hole as an attacking ten to link the midfield to the front two and arrive late into the box.

In the attacking phase, St. Louis City SC relies on two forwards in a partnership to stretch the defence. Klauss acts as a pressing centre forward to pin the last defender and force a long ball. Teuchert works alongside him as a second striker to make runs in behind and receive on the half-turn. They aim to play through the lines to find the feet of the striker or exploit gaps with quick combinations. The front two often press the opposition back line to trigger a press in a mid-block or force a mistake during the build up.

A major advantage of this formation is the numerical superiority in midfield, which allows the team to dominate possession and control the tempo. The team can also press high in coordinated waves using the front three to squeeze the space in the opponent's half. This creates plenty of opportunities to hit in behind on the transition and exploit the space left behind a high line.

The 3-5-2 formation relies on central control and high intensity to break down opponents. This lineup is best suited for games where the team needs to win the battle in the middle and punish opponents on the break.