Saint Louis Scott Gallagher appoints Steve Trittschuh as Academy Director

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Saint Louis Scott Gallagher announced the appointment of Steve Trittschuh as the youth club’s new Academy Director.

Trittschuh joins Saint Louis Scott Gallagher after previously spending 2020 as the Head Coach of Saint Louis Football Club for the 2020 USL Championship season. In his year of managing Saint Louis FC, he guided the team to a 7-5-4 record finishing second in the group and winning the club’s first playoff match in club history, a 1-0 victory over Hartford Athletic in the first round of USL Championship playoffs.

“When I was approached after the USL season to take the position as Academy Director, I had no hesitations,” said coach Trittschuh. “This academy and club have so much history and respect that it was a no brainer for me. The club has produced so many players for college, professional and national teams that I was proud to keep helping players attain whatever their goals are. Through all of my connections in the game we will continue to have that pathway for players.”

Prior to managing Saint Louis FC, Trittschuh managed the Colorado Switchbacks FC during the 2015-2019 seasons. He was appointed the club’s first head coach in 2015 and led the team to a 14-10-4 record and league second-best 53 goals scored as they finished third in the USL Championship Western Conference.

During his second year in charge, he saw similar success as the team finished third in the USL Championship Western Conference with a 14-9-7 record in 2016. The team would barely miss out on the playoffs in 2017 as they finished 12-12-8. In his last two seasons with Colorado Springs, Trittschuh compiled a record of 15-28-8.

“Many of us have followed Steve’s playing and coaching career since his days as a player at SIUe. To now see him in his new role as the Academy Director is exciting for the players and their families,” said SLSG Technical Director Dale Schilly. “Steve has played at all levels in this country, playing internationally in Europe and representing the USA in the Olympics and World Cup. His coaching experience includes coaching at the youth, academy and professional levels. Coach Trittschuh’s experiences align perfectly with our academy tradition of developing top performers capable of playing at the highest collegiate levels and professionally. Additionally, having coached Steve in college and knowing him for 30+ years, he fits perfectly into the St. Louis Scott Gallagher family and will contribute to our culture. I am extremely excited to have him on our staff working with our players and staff.”

Trittschuh was born in Granite City, Illinois and attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he was inducted into the SIUE Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. He began his professional career for the St. Louis Steamers in 1987 and would represent the United States in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics before signing with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Trittschuh played for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and then signed with Czechoslovakia club Sparta Prague, where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal in a season culminating with a league championship. He would also become the first American to play in the European Cup, the predecessor to the UEFA Champions League. Stints with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, St. Louis Ambush and Montreal Impact would follow before Trittschuh signed with the Colorado Rapids in 1996. He made 98 appearances and scored 11 goals for the club before finishing his playing career at the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001.

In total, Trittschuh made 317 club appearances and scored 39 goals while also making 37 international appearances with two goals scored, before starting a coaching career as an assistant with the Colorado Rapids in 2002.

“We are extremely excited to have Steve leading our Academy,” said MO Boys Club Director Brad Davis. “He comes to us with a tremendous amount of experience at the highest levels of soccer in the US both from a coaching and a playing perspective. He checks all the boxes from the soccer standpoint, but more importantly, from a personal standpoint. He is someone that will fit in perfectly to the culture and tradition that we are continuing to build upon.”