Major League Soccer's expansion franchise St. Louis City SC makes its regular-season debut on Saturday, and in Carolyn Kindle the club has a female figurehead with an uncommon combination of leadership roles.
The self-described soccer newcomer is President, CEO and part of the nine-strong majority female ownership group who shelled out a reported $200 million in expansion fees to make St Louis City the 29th MLS team.
Kindle, who also leads a majority female ownership group, told Reuters it was an "epic journey" from launching the expansion plan in 2018, after previous attempts to bring a men's professional club to the soccer-mad city fell through.