ST. LOUIS CITY SC SPORTING DIRECTOR
German soccer legend Lutz Pfannenstiel (pronounced LOOTZ FAN-EN-SHEEL) joins St. Louis CITY SC as our Sporting Director, bringing his rich on and off the field background – from playing and working in the sport all over the globe – into this pivotal role with the team.
As Sporting Director, Pfannenstiel will serve as the first member of our technical staff ahead of our inaugural MLS season. Pfannenstiel will be responsible for all on-field operations for St. Louis CITY SC, which includes recruiting coaches, hiring staff, identifying and signing players, and creating and developing a youth academy.
Before his move to St. Louis, Missouri, Pfannenstiel was formerly a goalkeeper, coach, coaching instructor and on-air football contributor. From starting his playing career with Germany’s U-17 team in 1986 to retirement from the field in 2011, Pfannenstiel has been the only professional player to have played in all six continental FIFA membership associations.
During his coaching career, Pfannenstiel was the assistant coach for the Cuba national football team, the Manglerud Star (Norway), the Ramblers F.C. (Nambia), the Nambia national team and worked as a scout and head of international relations for German club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim beginning in 2011. Most recently, Pfannenstiel was the managing director of sports at Fortuna Düsseldorf. He has also been a coaching instructor for FIFA and the German Football Association. Pfannenstiel’s on-air football contribution is vast, as he has been on BBC World, CNN and Eurosport, and was a pundit for the German television station ZDF during the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
In addition to his new Sporting Director role with St. Louis CITY SC, Pfannenstiel will also continue one of his off-field passions, his philanthropic effort, Global United FC. Founded by Pfannenstiel in 2011, Global United FC has been an international non-profit dedicated to protecting the environment by raising awareness of climate science issues. Global United FC joins professional football players, coaches and referees from all over the world for charity matches and individual projects in endangered locations.
In 2009, he released a German language autobiography Unhaltbar – Meine Abenteuer als Welttorhüter, with an English version following in 2014 under the title The Unstoppable Keeper.
Welcome to the club, Lutz!
