Major League Soccer

Joao Klauss, new MLS Designated Player for 2023 season after signing with St Louis City

By Hector Garcia

Center forward João Klauss arrives from Hoffenheim of the German Bundesliga, after spending time with several clubs in Europe in recent seasons.

Center forward João Klauss arrives from Hoffenheim of the German Bundesliga, after spending time with several clubs in Europe in recent seasons.

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One year away from its MLS debut, St. Louis CITY SC continues to shape what will be its expansion squad for the 2023 season by announcing forward João Klauss as its first Designated Player.

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The 25-year-old Brazilian is currently on loan at Sint-Truidense V.V. in Belgium from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim of the German Bundesliga. Klauss will join St. Louis in July 2022 on a three-and-a-half season deal, with an option to extend for an additional year.

Joao Klauss is an old acquaintance

Klauss previously played for Hoffenheim when Lutz Pfannenstiel - sporting director of St. Louis CITY SC - was at the German club.

"Klaus is a player I have known since his youth and have followed his career," said Pfannenstiel. "In fact, Hoffenheim's director of soccer - Alexander Rosen - and I played a very important role in bringing him to Germany at the time. He has a tremendous ability to score goals and generate chances for his teammates. Those strengths will surely help our team. His prime is not yet here, and we're excited to help him maximize his potential".

João Klauss has completed 10 first-team appearances for Hoffenheim and spent most of the last five years on loan at HJK Helsinki in Finland, where he won a league title and was the league's top scorer (21 goals). He then scored another 24 goals in various competitions with Linzer ASK (LASK) in Austria. In Belgium he played for Standard Liège and Sint-Truidense V.V., scoring 7 goals in total in the Belgian Pro League.

Bradley Carnell's words:

"As a coach, it's always good to have a quality forward on your team and Klauss is a player who is also willing to do the dirty work defensively," felt head coach Bradley Carnell. "We are excited to welcome Klauss to St. Louis and help him make this city his home."

This is St. Louis CITY SC's third signing, following the announcements of the contract signings of Bosnian winger Selmir Pidro and Czech midfielder Tomas Ostrak.

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