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He’s outspoken and one of American soccer’s most recognizable commentators. He’s also, perhaps you heard, from St. Louis. Apple TV’s Taylor Twellman, the St. Louis U. High soccer legend and former MLS MVP, shared his thoughts on the state of St. Louis City SC during a phone call Monday night.

Q: When you heard the news that sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel was let go, what came to mind?

A: He was a big part of getting the thing off the ground, right? A lot of people forget — during COVID is when they started to interview and hire and put this thing together for starting play in 2023. People look at it and say it was, ‘just 23, 24 and a half of 25,’ but you’ve got to remember, Lutz was a big part of getting the academy off the ground and all of that. In saying that, you can't sugarcoat the state of the team and where they are right now. And it is not in a great place — it's got to be fixed. And so, part of sports is changing things.

I expected a decision at the end of the year, to be honest. Now, I didn't know what the decision would be, but I expected some kind of statement from the ownership group that things will change. But I think they just kind of feel like the time is right now. But I think people need to understand that Lutz, in those first couple years when the first team wasn't even playing, they were organizing the training fields and all of that. He had a huge say in that. St Louis City 1.0 — absolutely Lutz had a big part of that. 

Q: When you look at the current roster of St Louis City, what stands out to you from a positive standpoint and a negative standpoint?

A: The roster’s a real conundrum. I think they've got, I'm going to guess, nine to 12 players on option years. I think the roster is very, very interesting in the sense that it needs a real different look. A makeover.

Listen, the numbers speak for themselves. They've given up more goals than anyone after the 60th minute, more goals than anyone after the 90th minute. That's more than LA Galaxy, that's more than DC United, that's more than Montreal. It's just it's not good enough — and St Louis City knows that. But the hiring of (coach) Olof Mellberg is where the thing gets interesting, because it almost didn't seem to fit the personnel.

The personnel was built on (coach) Bradley Carnell, high-pressing, get-after-it, that kind of thing. (Interim coach) John Hackworth then takes over, and they sign Cedric Teuchert, they sign Marcel Hartel, they sign non-pressing players and players that like the ball. So honestly, it's a long, convoluted way of answering your question, saying — I don't know what the roster is going to look like, because you don't know where the sporting direction needs to go. But the roster needs real change.

Q: Regarding the pressing style that became famous locally, especially in the first year of 2023 — what are your thoughts on that playing over the course of an MLS season for St Louis City going forward? How did they do with it — and could they keep doing it?

A: Yeah, I (ticked) off St Louis fans a little bit going into the playoffs in 2023 because I thought it was a little bit fool's gold with the way they ended the season. And I predicted that Sporting Kansas City would win (the playoff matchup) just because of reading the tea leaves. Now, saying that, it doesn't mean the pressing style doesn't work. Look at (coach) Bradley Carnell and the Philadelphia Union right now, right? So it obviously can work, but the personnel has to fit the style.

On a personal level, and this is just me being the lover of soccer and everything, I don't love (the pressing style). I think you can be very, very possession-oriented and still press. This pressing style has this odd connotation that it's: you press, you're not good with the ball. Well, that makes no sense, because what did Barcelona do with the greatest player in the world? What did the Man City do? What did Liverpool do? You can press and be very good on the ball. But for some reason, when it was described in articulated, it was as if the ball wasn't that important.

Bradley Carnell is proving to you right now that it can work. But San Diego has completely debunked anything St Louis City did in their first year, because they're possession oriented, and yet, when you look at their numbers, they're as compact — and they press and they defend.

Q: Last question — do you personally have interest in trying to either be the coach or the sporting director of St Louis?

A: I appreciate you asking. I love St Louis. I love everything about it. But right now, my man, I'm pretty happy. Listen, I'd always listen to St. Louis City SC, I'll always take their calls. But I'm a pretty happy right now.