“I’m excited to be home and excited to be with STLFC,” Trittschuh said. “The team was pretty well put together before I was hired, but we have a lot of talent to work with. They’ve worked extremely hard during the preseason and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do on the field. It’s a good group with solid depth at all positions. Like I told them, it’s a long season and I expect everybody on the roster to get their chance to contribute.”

Veteran defender Sam Fink, an Edwardsville native, said the coaching change caught him by surprise, but that the team has adjusted well.

“Our style’s changed a bit — we’re trying to possess the ball more now — but I think people are going to like what they see,” Fink said. “A good number of guys from last year are back and we’ve added some quality players at every position who are going to help us. I think we’re all excited about getting the season started.”

A year ago, STLFC produced mixed results after reaching the playoffs in 2018. After a U.S. Open Cup run that included wins over a pair of MLS opponents, the Chicago Fire and FC Cincinnati, STLFC lost 2-0 to eventual tournament champion Atlanta United FC in the quarterfinals. In league play, however, STLFC stumbled late and finished 11-14-9 to narrowly miss the playoffs.