The former goalkeeper now works as a sports director in the USA. He is convinced that the Grasshoppers will benefit from the new cooperation.
“The power in the club is enormous”: Lutz Pfannenstiel gives Los Angeles FC an excellent certificate.
Melinda Meijer/ISI/Getty
The MLS soccer club Los Angeles FC takes over the Grasshopper club. Were you surprised when you heard about the American involvement in Switzerland?
Not really, I had already heard something ringing. I know John Thorrington, the general manager of LAFC, very well; we played together in England at Huddersfield over twenty years ago. Since then we have stayed in close contact and we have a similar view of football.
What does Los Angeles FC stand for in Major League Soccer?
It is a very well-run club with extremely professional structures. It has already achieved great success in the few years of its existence, becoming champion in 2022 and reaching the final again last season. This shows that the sporting competence is high. And LAFC is a well-oiled marketing machine with spectacular charisma. The colors black and gold are perfectly chosen, Los Angeles as the City of Angels is the ideal location. In addition, the owners include numerous well-known business people, some of them billionaires, but also people from the US sports world with the best connections.
You started in the MLS a year ago with your club St. Louis City SC. Was LAFC a role model for you?
From a sporting perspective, definitely, but in most other areas we have a different philosophy. Los Angeles FC is a superstar club with owners like NBA legend Magic Johnson, incredible financial resources and a vision to conquer the entire football world. In St. Louis the situation is different.
Where did you feel this most?
When I started over three and a half years ago, there was nothing here. No ball, no staff, no stadium. I had a laptop and lots of ideas. Building a new club was very exciting and for me the most exciting project in professional football. That’s why I decided to move here; I could have also gone to Italy or England. Every personnel decision in sports operations goes over my desk. Our first season went well, we immediately won our conference and set several records for a new team. We work sustainably and regionally, are networked with the schools, have a strong youth movement, and don’t bring in extremely expensive star players.
Why not?
The football clubs in the MLS are all excellently organized, but each serves its own niche. The differences are considerable between metropolises like Miami, Los Angeles or New York and locations like Kansas City, Cincinnati or St. Louis. In Los Angeles you always have to present prominent names.
For example, the Italian European champion Giorgio Chiellini, who recently ended his career and will now work as a scout at LAFC.
📰 Legendary defender and former #LAFC player Giorgio Chiellini will remain with LAFC as a Player Development Coach.
— LAFC (@LAFC) January 16, 2024
Or the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who won the World Cup with France and will now play in Los Angeles after his outstanding career in Europe. I am convinced that LAFC will continue to field an incredibly good team because those responsible will manage to create a strong mix of glamour, talent and mentality. The team also plays attractively; anything else would not work in Los Angeles with this huge competition in the sports and entertainment sector.
You praised LAFC boss John Thorrington. What makes him special?
Even as a footballer he was intelligent and had a good feel for situations. That’s how he is as a sports director. Smart, structured, smart. He managed to construct a functioning structure with an independent culture in Los Angeles. That wasn’t easy because the demands were very high from the start. Not only because of the influential, wealthy owners, but also because there is a long history of successful football clubs in Los Angeles. There was also already a popular MLS franchise, the LA Galaxy. But LAFC managed to become number 1 in the city in a short time.
The audience expects a perfect show. How difficult is it for LAFC not to neglect the sporting part?
LAFC is marketing, it is showtime, it is about entertainment, as always in US sports, but at the same time the club is also doing well on the pitch and is a model club in terms of sport, for example when it comes to training opportunities. Successfully mastering this tightrope walk is an art. And it shows how well the owners and the various decision-makers in the club harmonize. Business is going well, and in the sporting area the club stands out with a remarkable recruiting process. The squad has footballers from all over the world, and the network is particularly good in Central America and South America.
Is LAFC the largest soccer club in the USA?
The system is a little different than in Europe; the balance is also significantly higher because of the salary cap. Judging by its charisma and business model, LAFC is definitely a top franchise. The power in the club is enormous, and LAFC also has the attractive prospect of becoming an important player globally.
How important is it for US soccer clubs to have partners in Europe?
It is a development that will continue. Chicago, with the Swiss sports director Georg Heitz, also works with FC Lugano, for example. Of course it’s interesting because this way you not only have a foothold in European football, but you can also break new ground when it comes to transfers.
Almost a year ago, LAFC also entered into a joint venture with FC Bayern Munich. How do you rate this collaboration?
This also proves how big people think and act in Los Angeles. Thanks to the partnership with Bayern Munich there are connections to South America and Asia, LAFC wants to establish itself as a brand all over the world. And because the football world is growing ever closer together, this can work. Bayern have thought very carefully about who they want to work with in the USA. Football is on the rise here, the young players are very athletic, it’s an attractive market with a lot of talent that can be trained even better. In addition, Bayern can now send their own young footballers to Los Angeles for further development.
And soon to Switzerland to the Grasshoppers.
For example. There is a trend in international football to form partnerships because they create exciting opportunities. For a top international club like Bayern, it is also important for marketing reasons to be present in the USA, South America and Asia. Los Angeles is the hotspot par excellence in this regard.
FC Bayern and @LAFC have announced a new joint venture to assist with the development of young talent ⤵️
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) March 13, 2023
The Grasshoppers, like other European clubs, have recently had bad experiences with foreign owners. And in the end, American investors are also interested in making money. Do you think LAFC will have enough patience with GC, especially since the new stadium in Zurich won’t be in place for years?
I am convinced of that. The collaboration is designed for the long term. The LAFC carefully considered the purchase of GC, examined the books in detail and calculated everything precisely. Nothing is left to chance. Switzerland is an interesting market, especially since it is easier to reach the European Cup than in other countries. And as I said: LAFC is extremely potent. GC will also be able to benefit from marketing, stadium entertainment and athletic training, to name just three aspects. Don’t forget: Football has become really strong in the USA in recent years, and this development continues unabated.
The MLS is booming, the 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, the US national team is young and talented, Lionel Messi has sparked euphoria in Miami. And yet the MLS is still sometimes laughed at. Does that bother you?
Yes. The MLS is no longer a traditional league. In my opinion, it is already just behind the top 5 leagues in Europe in terms of sport. In addition, the growth potential is still considerable. Here in St. Louis, all home games for the next two years are already sold out.
What role does Swiss goalkeeper Roman Bürki play in your team?
He is by far the best goalie in the league and was outstanding last year. Given his potential, he could still be between the posts at a top European club. As a former goalkeeper, I can judge that well. We are very happy that he enjoys the sports culture and life in the USA.
Happy birthday, RB1!! 🥳 🎊 pic.twitter.com/qqWvifN3u6
— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) November 14, 2023
In use all over the world
fcr. · The German Lutz Pfannenstiel is the only professional footballer to have played on all six continents: for 25 clubs in 13 countries. He later worked as a scout, trainer and goalkeeper coach, among other things. He was an international expert at the DFB and a coach trainer at FIFA. As a TV expert, he worked for BBC, ZDF and SRF. From 2011 to 2018, Pfannenstiel was employed by the Bundesliga club Hoffenheim as head of international relations, after which he was a member of Fortuna Düsseldorf’s sports board for two years. Since the summer of 2020, the 50-year-old has been the sports director of the MLS franchise St. Louis City, which started playing very successfully last year.