For the past few weeks, midfielder Marcel Hartel, one of St. 不良研究所导航网址 City SC鈥檚 acquisitions in the summer transfer window and the team's new designated player, hasn鈥檛 been practicing much as the team tries to keep him healthy and pain-free for Saturday games.
The injury doesn鈥檛 sound too bad 鈥 it鈥檚 his right ring toe, the one next to the little toe 鈥 which doesn鈥檛 play that big a role in the grand scheme of things.
鈥淣o,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut if I move in my shoes, they are pretty tight and with this pressure on my toe, it鈥檚 very hard. ... I still feel it also in the game, but I can deal with it in the game with medication and stuff.鈥
But even if Hartel doesn鈥檛 practice all the time with the team, he鈥檚 making an outsized impact with his new club. He has played five MLS games with City SC and has two goals and five assists. He was named to the league鈥檚 team of the matchday each of this first three weeks, making the first team once and the second team twice. He also scored two goals in Leagues Cup play.
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Though he鈥檚 played only five games that count in the standings and the stats, he leads the team in assists, with one more than Eduard Lowen, who has played 19 games, and one more than Indiana Vassilev, who has played 28. In goal contributions, he鈥檚 one behind Klauss (five goals, three assists) and Lowen (four and four).
Though he hasn鈥檛 played enough to qualify in stats per 90 minutes of playing time 鈥 and won鈥檛 have enough minutes even if he plays all 90 minutes of City SC鈥檚 remaining four games 鈥 his rate numbers are among the league鈥檚 best. His goals and assists per 90 minutes would put him ninth in the league, according to Football Reference.
Hartel, known as Cello (pronounced like the musical instrument) to the team, had 17 goals and 13 assists for St. Pauli in the second division of the Bundesliga last season, so the success he鈥檚 had off the bat in St. 不良研究所导航网址 hasn鈥檛 come as a shock to him. He鈥檚 just picked up where he left off.
鈥淭he goal is to help the team with a good performance,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o it was not surprising. I was in a good mood before with my old team, I had a good break, but I still have the confidence to say that I can help the team. And so I鈥檓 very happy that it鈥檚 so good so far.
鈥淚n the end, the team helped me to perform a lot. So I do my best every week on the pitch to help the team, and without the team, I can鈥檛 perform. So we have a very good team. We have very good quality, and we show it every week on the pitch that we have the quality to stand much higher than we stand now in the standings. So in the end, the team helped me perform well, and I鈥檓 very happy to have the team performance.鈥
As well as Hartel and the team鈥檚 other new faces, Cedric Teuchert, Simon Becher and Jannes Horn, have played since they became eligible when the transfer window opened, it has come too late to save City SC鈥檚 season. Barring an unlikely finish to the season, there will be no playoffs for City SC this season. But that hasn鈥檛 shifted Hartel鈥檚 focus to 2025 yet.
鈥淚 think we can all look forward for the (next) season,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut we are still in the season, so let鈥檚 look at this game. And of course, the future looks very good for us as a club, as a team, for the supporters. I think everybody can see how we perform in the earlier games. And I think it鈥檚 a good way that we are showing the crowd and the city here, that we that we have a positive, positive future for to us.鈥
Over all competitions, City SC is 4W-3T-2L since Hartel and Becher joined the lineup (Teuchert started one game earlier, a tie), which is a good run considering the team had just four wins over all competitions in the preceding 27 games. This is the hottest the team has been all season.
Hartel couldn鈥檛 be happier with his decision to pass on an opportunity to play in the Bundesliga, one of the world鈥檚 top leagues, and try something new in America. And that goes for his wife Maike and their 1-year-old daughter Maliah. City SC also added a lot of kids in the summer transfer window: Horn and Teuchert also have small children.
鈥淭he parks, the playgrounds for my daughter are actually better than in Germany,鈥 Hartel said. 鈥淲e appreciate it a lot that we have so many things to do. The restaurants are pretty good here. So yes, great, great, great city.鈥
There鈥檚 one thing missing.
鈥淚 miss practice,鈥 he said, while his teammates practiced behind him. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like it to not train, and then doing only one training, two trainings a week, and then to go to the game. So I miss practice. ... It鈥檚 much funner to go on the pitch.鈥
Gold Cup coming back to St. Louis
The CONCACAF Gold Cup, the regional championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean, will come back to St. 不良研究所导航网址 in 2025.
CityPark was one of 14 venues announced Wednesday for the annual tournament. CityPark also hosted the tournament in the group stage last season, with a crowd of 21,216 on hand for a doubleheader that included the United States playing St. Kitts and Nevis. Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago played in the other game.
Which round CityPark will hold its matches, what teams will take part and what date they will be played hasn鈥檛 been announced. The draw for the tournament will be held on April 10. Traditionally, the Gold Cup bounces from venue to venue, with most sites hosting two matches on one day. Sixteen nations will take part, with group play running from June 14 to 24. The quarterfinals will be played June 28 and 29, the semifinals on July 2 and the final on July 6.