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With Major League Soccer on the way, St. Louis FC of the United Soccer League Championship is going away.

According to a story posted by ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Illustrated on Tuesday morning, STLFC will shut at the end of the 2020 season. The club’s owner, World Wide Technology CEO and former St. Louis University soccer standout Jim Kavanaugh, is also a minority investor in the new MLS team, St. Louis City SC.

In a , team CFO Tom Strunk said: “Unfortunately, the financial impact of COVID-19 during 2020 and beyond make it too difficult to continue operations.�

“I want to personally thank all of our corporate partners, fans and, of course, the St. Louligans,� Kavanaugh said in the letter. “Collectively, we created something special that brought the St. Louis soccer community alive again. The support of our fans was the foundation of every accomplishment in the last six years and we’re very proud of every aspect of how we operated the club.�

A St. Louis City SC spokesperson provided the following on Tuesday: "While Jim Kavanaugh is part of both clubs' ownership groups, this was a decision St. Louis City SC made on their own. We're very appreciative of everything STLFC has done to grow soccer in St. Louis and the support they've shown us over the last two years. We hope all supporters and fans continue to support the other great soccer clubs in the region like Fire & Ice, Club Atletico, Marista, the St. Louis Lions and St. Louis Ambush. Our goal has always been to include all soccer fans and supporters who have put their heart and soul into showing how much this city truly loves the game of soccer, such as the Louligans, as part of our vision to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis. That hasn't and will not change."

STLFC, which plays at West Community Stadium in Fenton, started in 2015 and is 4-3-2 and battling for a playoff spot this season. The club has qualified for the USL Championship playoffs just once, in 2018, but put together a run to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals last year that included wins over a pair of MLS squads, the Chicago Fire and FC Cincinnati.

STLFC lost 2-0 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals to Atlanta United, which went on to win the Open Cup title.

St. Louis City SC is expected to begin MLS play in 2023 at a 22,500-seat stadium downtown. The new club will launch an academy and is expected to field youth teams before the MLS squad takes the field.

Last year, STLFC drew an average of 4,532 per game, which is close to the league average. Due to the coronavirus, the team has played in front of limited crowds this season and recently announced that due to revised St. Louis County protocols, fans would no longer be permitted to attend games.

STLFC's departure is expected to leave St. Louis without pro soccer for two seasons.