From St. Pauli to St. Louis – Marcel Hartl joins USA | NDR.de – Sports

A good month after announcing his departure from FC St. Pauli, the 28-year-old's new club has been decided. As the Major League Soccer club from Missouri announced on Tuesday, Hartl has signed a contract in St. Louis through 2028.

Former goalkeeper and longtime soccer executive Lutz Pfannenstiel is in charge of team planning in St. Louis. “We are thrilled to have completed this deal and to be able to bring a quality midfielder like Marcel to St. Louis,” Pfannenstiel said. “His playmaking and finishing skills will help us strengthen our offense in two ways.”

St. Louis is one of the weakest teams in the American League.

The club currently sits third from bottom in the MLS with three wins and 19 points from 20 games. The team is nine points off first place. In St. Louis, Hartl will also meet former Bundesliga pro Eduard Löwen (including FC Augsburg and Hertha BSC).

It was not easy for him to “take this step”, as Hartl said when he said goodbye to St. Pauli: “But sometimes special opportunities arise in life.”

Moving to Türkiye did not happen

Hartl has long been linked with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was then linked with a move to Trabzonspor in Turkey. However, committing to last season's third-placed finish in the Premier League and thus a Europa League contender was as unlikely as Kiezkicker's future Bundesliga rival.

Hartl will be sorely missed: he was St. Pauli's top scorer with 30 points (17 goals and 13 assists) and played a key role in the club's promotion to the Bundesliga.

More information

An overview of all arrivals and departures from the Northern Bundesliga clubs Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, FC St. Pauli and Holstein Kiel in the 2024/25 season. More

According to the data, the new Hamburg coach is a good choice. The analysis shows the approach he follows and what distinguishes him from his predecessor. More

Bundesliga newcomers FC St. Pauli have introduced Alexander Plessen as their new head coach and successor to successful coach Fabian Horzler. More