Former Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg has been named as St. Louis City SC head coach, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
Mellberg replaces Bradley Carnell, who was fired by St. Louis in July after a poor run of results.
The 47-year-old started coaching at Swedish side IF Brommapojkarn, leading them to back-to-back promotions in 2016 and 2017, winning the league title both years.
ESPN previously reported Mellberg had signed a multi-year deal with St. Louis, with the club confirming the appointment, pending receipt of his P-1 visa.
“I am excited to join St. Louis as the head coach,” Mellberg said. “It is a great opportunity here because of the amazing infrastructure and the direction that the organization has put in place.
“I can’t wait to build upon the foundation already set here and the massive fan support that gives this team the energy to be successful.”
Club president and GM Diego Gigliani said he is excited to welcome the former Sweden internaitonal to the St. Louis.
“After careful consideration, we’re thrilled to welcome Olof as our new Head Coach and are confident he’ll be a great fit for St. Louis City SC,” Gigliani said.
“Across his four years as Head Coach of Brommapojkarna, he’s shown a consistent ability to outperform expectations and get results.
“Furthermore, his passion for developing young players, strong reputation in the market and prior playing experience at the elite level of the sport were all additional reasons we were convinced he was right for the role.”
