Dave Lange has covered soccer in St. Louis dating back to the 1970s, when he worked as a college student freelancing for the Suburban Journals. To say he brings a depth of knowledge to his new Reedy Press book about City SC, Year One, is an understatement. Yet even that background couldn’t fully prepare Lange for the excitement of MLS’ first season in St. Louis — and just how mad the city went for soccer.
Lange recently joined us to discuss his favorite moment of that 2023 season, whether the Cardinals should be worried and more. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What made City SC’s year one such a banger?
I think there were several reasons. Not just the fact that they won a lot of games and finished first in the conference, but the whole vibe around the experience, selling out every game. The attitude of the crowd — they're all into it and excited and chanting and cheering. And the fact that St. Louis has been waiting so long to have a professional soccer team at the first division level, which is Major League Soccer. You know, we call ourselves the original soccer capital of the United States, but we didn't have a team in Major League Soccer because we had nobody at the top end willing to invest in it. And that all changed with Jim Kavanaugh from World Wide Technology and then the Taylor family at Enterprise.
Should the Cardinals be worried?
I don't think so. I mean, the Cardinals have been here forever, and they have a very dedicated fan base that goes back a century or more. I mean, they obviously need to win. But I think these teams can coexist. They're really different things with different fan bases.
Who was your favorite player to watch in 2023?
I think the one moment that really struck me was when the young kid from Pattonville High School, Miguel Perez, scored a goal right after he turned 18 and graduated from high school. He certainly wasn't the best player on the team. But that moment when he scored and the whole crowd just went crazy for the kid, I think that kind of encapsulated the whole joy of that season in that one moment.
Do you think City SC can replicate the success they saw in 2023 now that expectations are heightened?
Well, it's gonna be interesting to see how they approach the season because they're not only playing in the MLS regular season, but they're playing in the League Cup, which happens in July and August. They're also playing in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which starts this month. Are they going to try and do well in all three competitions? Are they going to try and focus on one thing? I think maybe last year, they got caught up in trying to finish first, instead of just making the playoffs, and I think they kind of ran out of gas towards the end of the season. And Kansas City was certainly a better team at that point in the season when they played in the playoffs. So I think their focus this year is gonna be really interesting.
What's something you learned while you were working on the book that surprised you?
You know, I knew that Roman Bürki was a good goalkeeper, but when I went back and rewatched all the games over and over again, he really stood out. I mean, the saves he made were just otherworldly. There was one game where the guy thought he had a goal and Bürki made a save and the guy just fell to the ground to his knees, he was so astounded. I think the fact that the players in the league voted him as the toughest goalkeeper to beat says a lot.
So you went back and rewatched all the games?
We have season tickets. I saw them in person or watched the games on TV when they were out of town. But I wanted to go back and watch because you forget things, right? Like the joy of Miguel Perez scoring a goal or the saves Bürki made or Eduard Löwen’s tremendous goal from 40 yards out on a free kick. You know you remember those moments, but seeing them actually happen and watching them again and again really tells you what a good team and what a great season they had.
How did you become a soccer writer?
In the mid 70s, I was in college at SIU Edwardsville and St. Louis had a weekly newspaper chain called the Journals — West County Journal, South County Journal. They had a very comprehensive sports section and covered local sports I wrote for them. I also worked in SIU’s sports information department as a student, and at that time, SIU was one of the best teams in the nation. It was basically SIU and Saint Louis University in the top five every year. So I got to know a lot of the players and the coaches. I started at the Globe Democrat in 1976 and I became the soccer writer. And the timing was good because the indoor Steamers started in 1979. They sold out every game the first couple of seasons. So it goes all the way back to then, and I also coached at the youth level for 12 years. So I've been around soccer for a long time.
This must have been a really exciting year for you personally.
It sure was. To remember what I had seen, we had a professional team here called the Stars playing in the North American Soccer League outdoors. And the NASL at that time was the best league in the country, but the Stars played a lot of their games at Francis Field at Wash U, and in those days Francis Field was not in good shape. In fact, I remember part of the concrete stands were condemned, and the football team also used the field, so it was not in the best shape. It wasn't exactly wide enough for games, either, and you got people like Pele coming in here to play, and you're like, ‘Wow, what, what must he think, winning the World Cup and he's playing at Francis Field?’
So seeing this new stadium and the money that's been invested in it, and all the effort that's put into it really was a wonderful thing to see.
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