St. Louis CITY SC have named Yoann Damet as head coach, the club announced Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Frenchman takes on his first full-time head coaching job after serving as an assistant under Wilfried Nancy with the Columbus Crew, where he won MLS Cup (2023) and Leagues Cup (2024) titles.
Previously, Damet was an assistant under Greg Vanney at the LA Galaxy and twice managed FC Cincinnati on an interim basis.Â
"Yoann has all the attributes we were looking for in a manager and aligns closely with the vision and direction we have for this team," said sporting director Corey Wray. "He has invaluable experience working with some of the best teams and coaches in the league, which I am sure will help him get the best out of our players.
"Yoann is ambitious, competitive, and does an exceptional job communicating his soccer ideas, but most importantly, he values people and relationships. Having worked together before, we already share a foundation of trust, which I think will be beneficial as we move the team forward."
St. Louis rebuild
Damet arrives in St. Louis after the club missed the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the second straight season in 2025.Â
CITY parted ways with head coach Olof Mellberg in March, 15 league games into his tenure. Interim manager David Critchley took over for the remainder of the season en route to a 13th-place finish (32 points) in the Western Conference.
The club also moved on from sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel last August before naming Wray as his replacement in November.Â
"I’m honored to be joining CITY SC and really looking forward to getting to work with the team and building a high-standard environment that represents the fans and this city," said Damet, who also spent time working in CF Montréal's academy.
"I want to thank the ownership group, Diego [Gigliani], and Corey for the trust they’ve shown in me. This is an ambitious club, and we’ll work extremely hard every day to be competitive and play an entertaining style of soccer the fans and supporters can relate to and enjoy."
Core pieces
St. Louis, who earned the Western Conference No. 1 seed during their expansion 2023 season, have retained some key pieces from that squad - most notably goalkeeper Roman Bürki and Designated Player João Klauss.
DP midfielder Marcel Hartel is entering his second full season at the club.Â
"Through our conversations, it was clear that Yoann will bring an uncompromising desire to win, a relentless and thorough approach to his work, and values and behaviors that align naturally with our club," said president and general manager Diego Gigliani.
"We’re confident Yoann is well-positioned to follow the proven path of MLS-experienced assistants who have gone on to succeed as head coaches."
