When Saint Louis FC announced local product Tim Leonard as one of the club’s first assistant coaches in September 2014, the former Saint Louis University captain called the selection “a dream come true.” Now, just days after the club’s front office appointed Leonard Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season, Leonard is as dedicated as ever to guide the club to success.

“From the appointment to assistant coach to today, my mentality hasn’t changed a whole lot,” Leonard said this week. “I’m in this for the players, for the organization. I’m in it to take the team as far as they can go. My passion and my intensity hasn’t changed a whole lot from day one, but obviously the responsibility side has changed.”

The Saint Louis front office named Leonard Interim Head Coach Monday after relieving Dale Schilly of his managerial duties. General Manager Jeremy Alumbaugh said he expects the move to “energize the team and give us the push necessary to make the playoffs,” after the club turned in a string of underwhelming results over the past eight weeks.

Having amassed a record of just 1-4-3 since late June, the club’s brass felt the time was right to make a coaching change. Leonard’s extensive experience both as a player and a coach made him the obvious choice to take over.

Prior to joining STLFC as an assistant in 2014, Leonard gained significant experience as a player and coach over the past two decades. Leonard came up through the city’s youth ranks and played for the famed St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club, which eventually led to him donning the blue and white of SLU. Leonard not only captained the Billikens during the school’s Final Four run in 1997, he led the team in goals and assists during the 1996 season, earning team MVP honors in the process.

Leonard’s achievements at SLU gave him the opportunity to play professionally in the A-League, where he played several seasons for both the Nashville Metros and Hersey Wildcats – then led by current Rochester Rhinos Head Coach Bob Lilley in his first head coaching position.

Leonard then transitioned to coaching, and spent several years coaching with Irvine Strikers SC academy before returning home to become the academy director at his boyhood club, St. Louis Scott Gallagher.

“When I look back on my days in the USL and my days in college, I’ve been fortunate to play for some really great coaches,” said Leonard. “From Joe Clark at SLU to Bob Warming, to Bob Lilley to guys that I’ve really had a good base of what’s right what’s wrong, how to go about it. I’ve been around it long enough that I think the transition has been pretty smooth so far.”

In just a matter of days, Leonard has taken to his role as head coach. Despite his reservations for taking over for his friend Schilly, Leonard is focused on tweaking aspects of the team’s game that he feels need improving.

“I’ve been using the word bittersweet a lot when I talk about it,” he said. “It’s a guy I have worked for for a while. It’s bittersweet to take over in the manner that I did.

“I think issues that we’ve had have been slow starts, conceding soft goals and not creating enough chances. Those three things have kind of been our focus. Our main focus is starting games with more intensity and trying to maintain that intensity for longer periods of time, and then just playing with a little more freedom in the front third, front half of the field. Kind of giving guys the opportunity to create and see how that translates on Sunday.”

The first test for Leonard and STLFC comes this weekend when the club travels to Kansas City to take on the Swope Park Rangers, a club that not only holds a game in hand on Saint Louis, but sits one point higher in the standings in ninth place. The game has serious playoff implications for both teams.

Even with the pressure the game brings, Leonard is confident. He recognizes what is at stake, but also firmly believes in the team and its preparation.

“Preparing like we would for any normal game,” he said. “I just got done watching video of their last game. Obviously, going into it we know that the season series is tied, and that is something that I’ve reiterated with the guys. We basically have three of those that are extremely important between Oklahoma City, Swope and Tulsa. Those are big, big rivalries to win. This is a huge game for us not just in the short term, but obviously in the long term of getting ourselves into the playoff picture.” 

Adding to the pressure of Saturday’s game and the club’s push for the playoffs is the fact that the club is still looking for a permanent manager. Upon naming Leonard the Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season, Saint Louis’ front office also affirmed it would begin a worldwide search for looking for a permanent head coach immediately, and that it would give consideration to Leonard based on his performance.

For Leonard, the club’s managerial search isn’t something that he is worried about. He is on a mission to clinch a playoff spot. 

“I look at this opportunity as a day-to-day opportunity, an opportunity for the next seven games,” said Leonard. “My focus is purely on doing the best in the next seven games that I possibly can, and that I can pull every ounce out of these guys in the next seven games. After that, it’s out of my hands. It’s not something I think about. It’s not something I want to think about. All I want to think about right now is winning on Sunday and then moving on to the next game, so I can’t let what the future holds get into my head at this point.”

Heading into the last seven games on the season, one thing is certain: Leonard is ready to give his all to help the club achieve its goal of making the playoffs. He’s a St. Louis guy through and through, and he’s prepared to put in the work to help the club achieve its goals as long as he is there.

“I’m gonna fight every minute for the guys,” he said. “I’m gonna fight every minute for the badge, and I’m gonna fight every minute for the supporters. In these seven games, for 90 minutes you’re going to see me fighting with every ounce of energy that I have to get these guys motivated to win games. I think that’s all the fans, the supporters and the office can ask. That is what I’m gonna do.”