ABOUT US

Steve Rusnack- Owner/Operator/Editor In Chief- Though I only played soccer as a child, I have always been a fan of the sport. Growing up, I was lucky enough to watch the Steamers, Storm, and Ambush play at the old St Louis Arena. But soon after, except for the World Cup, my soccer interests faded. I rediscovered soccer in the early 2000s, and my love for the sport was rekindled, taking the place of baseball as my favorite. I was a season ticket holder of AC St Louis and became members of the St Louligans supporters group and the national American Outlaws. I volunteered for game day operations for the Athletica and wrote Press Releases/Match Recaps for Piasa. I was a big fan of St Louis FC during their era, and I'm excited for St Louis City SC to finally bring MLS to St Louis. My team across the pond is Arsenal.  

Joe Chambers- Editor/Contributor- My soccer fan background: I played high school soccer for Tower Grove in the early 90s, but really grew into a hardcore fan in the early 00s with the USMNT's great run in the 2002 World Cup. Like many U.S. fans, I followed European teams first, watching clubs like Rangers on the old Fox Sports World network. The internet message boards at BigSoccer.com led me to other local fans, and by the time of St. Louis' failed MLS expansion bid of 2009, I was all in. That MLS bid didn't work out, but many of us became fans of second-division club AC St. Louis and the St. Louligans supporters group was born. As a St. Louligan, I've proudly supported any local club at any level, especially as a fan of the USL's Saint Louis FC, and now I'm excited to finally have a team in the top division in the U.S.. (My plan is to be the only fan in the City supporters section whose second-favorite team is Athlético Bucaramanga.)

Jordan Durlester- Contributor - I am a St. Louis transplant having been born and raised in the SF Bay Area (with stops along the way in Arizona and Chicago). I began playing soccer when I was 5 and continued competitively up through high school. I also spent my high school years coaching youth boys and girls outdoor and futsal. I am a diehard Arsenal supporter, with only a casual interest in MLS until our club came about. Outside of soccer, I love spending time with my wife and two daughters, and I do data strategy work professionally.

Matt Baker- Contributor- I am in my mid 30s, a husband to a fantastic wife, a father to two amazing girls and at the highest level, I'm just a fan of the beautiful game. My love for soccer doesn't go back as far and hard as others though. I played through age 5 but as a kid with asthma, soccer wasn't the easiest sport to play as I grew. I found the game again through FIFA with my best friend in high school where I first became a fan of Arsenal through Thierry Henry and the Invincibles. Fast forward to the late 2000's when David Beckham moved over to the Galaxy and that's when my interest in MLS really started up alongside following the USMNT. During the early-mid 2010s my love for soccer exploded, molding me into the person I am today through the USWNT and their amazing run in 2015, followed by being a yearly season ticket holder for STLFC, joining the St. Louligans in the 2nd season of their run, and now immersing myself in as much soccer and supporter culture as possible. I helped grow excitement for the #MLS2STL movement, which led me again to more friends in the STL soccer community, and then everything came together through #MLS4THELOU and that CITY Red club we know and are loving today. Whether it is playing indoor, showing up in person to events and games or talking about it online, soccer and most specifically St. Louis CITY SC is always at the forefront of my mind and sharing the experiences with my family, friends, and friends I have yet to meet is something that will always drive me.

Michael Haffner- Contributor- For this proud St. Louis city resident, soccer began at a young age. On the field, I played on club teams throughout grade school and indoor teams at Concord (now, Vetta Sports) before dislocating my knee and ending the "glory days." Off the field, I grew up cheering for Mark Moser and Daryl Doran in the 90s era of the St. Louis Ambush before cheering on local teams like AC St. Louis and St. Louis FC - even traveling to Louisville to watch their final match. And when not supporting our local talent, the team across the pond that I root for is the Tottenham Hotspurs because I'm a glutton for punishment. Over the years, I have written and edited content for a wide range of projects. I have served as a Managing Editor of a movie news website, wrote articles for a variety of publications and outlets including ALIVE Magazine, and have served as a Copywriter for award-winning marketing agencies in St. Louis.

Andy Croley- Contributor- I am proud to bring some flavor with tailgating recipes and related stories to the City SC Report. My soccer life began in the coaching ranks. During my time as a high school teacher, I spent 14 years coaching high school and club girls soccer in Maryland and Oregon. While in Oregon, I was also the club head coach for Hillsboro Soccer Club for a short period of time. (If you have watched Little People, Big World, you may have seen me coaching in an early episode.) I was also a season ticket holder for the Portland Timbers. Our family moved to St. Louis in 2013 and we began rooting for the team located just minutes from our home -- STLFC. I enjoy attending and watching the Men's and Women's National Teams games, rooting for Arsenal, and traveling to various MLS games. In my spare time, I am creating new content for my Bones & Brews BBQ YouTube Channel.

Keith Smith- Contributor- So a little about who I am. I played soccer as a kid so I have been a soccer fan my whole life. I started becoming even more of a fan around 2010, while I was in college. It has been more recently, the last couple months, that I got involved with the The City SC Report. I am currently writing articles and tracking stats for St. Louis CITY SC's U16 and U17 Academy teams for The City SC Report. Some of my favorite teams are: St. Louis CITY SC (of course), Chelsea, FC Barcelona, U.S. Men's and Women's National teams, Brazil's (yes that's right I said Brazil lol) National team. Until St. Louis CITY SC starts play I am following a few MLS clubs including Inter Miami CF, Columbus Crew, and Sporting KC (ouch this one even hurts to say).

Ryan Pulliam- I grew up a Cardinals fan in the 80's listening to Jack Buck & Mike Shannon on the radio - 2 hours north of St. Louis. I was introduced to soccer at Quincy University where I was team manager & many friends played. After moving to St. Louis, my live music journey (760+ shows) led me to an Arsenal game in London -- and I have been a fan since. I've long cheered on redevelopment projects through out St. Louis and the St. Louis CITY SC project is a fantastic continuation. You will often find me downtown walking around the 30+ acre project taking videos/photos for my for-fun instagram account, St. Louis Stars. Proud to be part of the St. Louligans, The Thieves, and the City SC Report. 

Jake Henry- Soccer is in my DNA. My father played D1 for SIUe. While I wasn't fortunate enough o be like him, I'm making my own soccer dream come true covering CITY for the CITY SC Report. 

Jason Goodbody- My familiarity with the game is grounded in youth soccer up until high school where I switched to what this community might consider a lesser version of football. After a stint as a half-decent goalkeeper playing in college intramurals (impressed yet?), I played in the Air Force against much better talent in the form of tiny colleges and university travel club teams. My soccer experience was capstoned with a decade of coaching both my boys through their youth soccer club experience. All this to say that I am considered as nothing more than an amateur professional soccer fan, just teetering on the edge of false confidence and unearned certainty about this beautiful game. And now we begin.