What Have We Learned About CITY’s New Formation?

Formation isn’t everything in soccer. Its importance to the game day tactics is definitely overstated by fans but it’s the easiest way to visualize the game and that’s why ‘Starting XI’ graphics are everywhere.`

For St. Louis CITY 2.0–the descriptor for this new era, given to us by Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel—the question of philosophy was always moot. We will see CITY 2.0 pull it back some but a pressing aspect is still going to be one of the most noticeable aspects of CITY’s DNA. 

That means the most obvious surface change for most CITY fans has been the new primary formations we’ve seen from CITY during their three preseason matches at the Coachella Valley Invitational. 

In matches #1 & #2 in Indio we saw CITY start each matchup in what would best be described as a 3-5-2. 

Compare those formations with their two most used formation from 2024.

From 2024 to 2025 here are the changes that jump out:

• There’s a whole extra CB
• Wingbacks have less responsibility for the defensive third’s flanks, more freedom to get higher in attack
• The 6/Defensive midfielder (Watts in the preseason) is pressing up high to the opponents box AND covering deep to CITY’s defensive box
• Marcel Hartel’s nominal spot has shifted from attacking left to central midfield with a heavy work rate from box-to-box

And here are some tactical aspects we’ve seen return from the 2nd half of 2024:

• More play at the feet of the CBs, with Kessler & newly-acquired Timo Baumgartl helping take it to another level
• Löwen dropping deep into the defensive backline for build-up play & possession
• Klauss + Becher’s interplay as pressers & attackers in the 2-Striker formation
• Hartel’s danger with the ball in the center of the attacking third

Injuries & recovery for potential stars like Cedric Teuchert, Celio Pompeu & Rasmus Alm affected our ability to see how more of the changes manifest under Olof, so there will still be a lot of questions to asked and answered as we move through the first few matches of the Olof Mellburg era—or wait, excuse me…the first few matches of CITY 2.0.