João Klauss

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Klauss and the second or paternal family name is de Mello.

João Klauss de Mello (born 1 March 1997), sometimes known as just Klauss, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club St. Louis City SC.

João Klauss

Klauss with LASK Linz in 2020
Personal information
Full name	João Klauss de Mello
Date of birth	(1997-03-01) 1 March 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth	Criciúma, Brazil
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	St. Louis City
Number	9
Youth career
2006–2010	Internacional
2010–2011	Juventude
2011–2016	Grêmio
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2020	TSG Hoffenheim II	27	(6)
2018	→ HJK (loan)	33	(21)
2019–2020	→ LASK (loan)	42	(15)
2020–2022	TSG Hoffenheim	4	(0)
2021–2022	→ Standard Liège (loan)	39	(7)
2022	→ Sint-Truiden (loan)	8	(2)
2022	St. Louis City 2	4	(4)
2023–	St. Louis City	46	(15)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 October 2024

Early life

João Klauss de Mello was born in Criciúma, Santa Catarina. He began his career with Internacional in Porto Alegre, joining the club at the age of nine. Klauss moved with his mother to Porto Alegre after his parents separated. Both parents supported his football career from early on. At the age of 13, he was released from Internacional's youth program and moved to Juventude in Caxias do Sul. After a year, he moved back to Porto Alegre and joined the Grêmio's youth academy.^[1]

Club career

Klauss with HJK in 2018

Klauss signed for his first European club in January 2017, when he moved to TSG Hoffenheim in Germany. He initially struggled with the cultural change. He played 17 matches and scored four goals for Hoffenheim II in the Regionalliga Südwest.

He was loaned to HJK in March 2018.^[2] On 8 April, he scored in his debut in the Veikkausliiga against Ilves.

On 8 January 2019, Klauss was loaned out to LASK until 30 June 2020.^[3] On 31 January 2022, Klauss joined Sint-Truiden on loan.^[4]

Klauss joined Major League Soccer side St. Louis City SC in July 2022, following his loan at Sint-Truiden. He was the club's first designated player.^[5] On February 25, 2023, the opening match of the MLS season, Klauss scored the final goal in a 3–2 victory over Austin FC, the first win in St. Louis's franchise history.^[6] On June 14, 2025, Klauss scored the first hat trick in CITY SC club history in a home match against LA Galaxy.

Personal life

Born in Brazil, Klauss is of German descent through his father, and Italian descent through his mother. He holds an Italian passport.^[7][8]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 October 2024^[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II	2016–17	Regionalliga Südwest	7	1	–		–		–		7	1
	2017–18	Regionalliga Südwest	17	4	–		–		–		17	4
	2020–21	Regionalliga Südwest	3	1	–		–		–		3	1
	Total		27	6	–		–		–		27	6
HJK (loan)	2018	Veikkausliiga	33	21	3	2	6[b]	1	–		42	24
LASK (Loan)	2018–19	Austrian Bundesliga	14	3	2	1	–		–		16	4
	2019–20	Austrian Bundesliga	28	12	4	3	13[c]	5	–		45	20
	Total		42	15	6	4	13	5	–		61	24
TSG Hoffenheim	2020–21	Bundesliga	4	0	1	0	5[d]	0	–		10	0
Standard Liège (loan)	2020–21	Belgian First Division A	19	5	5	1	–		–		24	6
	2021–22	Belgian First Division A	20	2	3	1	–		–		23	3
	Total		39	7	8	2	–		–		47	9
Sint-Truiden (loan)	2021–22	Belgian First Division A	8	2	–		–		–		8	2
St. Louis City 2	2022	MLS Next Pro	4	4	–		–		–		4	4
St. Louis City	2023	MLS	19	10	0	0	–		2[e]	0	21	10
	2024	MLS	27	5	–		2[f]	0	–		29	5
	Total		46	15	0	0	2	0	2	0	50	15
Career total			203	70	18	8	26	6	2	0	249	84

1. Includes Finnish Cup, Austrian Cup, DFB-Pokal, Belgian Cup
2. Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Four appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, nine appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
6. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup

Honours

HJK

• Veikkausliiga: 2018

St. Louis City SC

• Western Conference (regular season): 2023^[10]

Individual

• Veikkausliiga Player of the Year: 2018
• Veikkausliiga Top scorer: 2018
• Veikkausliiga Striker of the Year: 2018^[11]
• Veikkausliiga Breakthrough the Year: 2018^[12]
• Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2018^[13]
• Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: August 2018,^[14] September 2018^[15]