Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union has announced the appointment of Bradley Carnell as the team's fourth head coach. Carnell, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, previously led CITY SC to win the Western Conference in 2023 with a record of 17-12-3. This achievement marked them as the first expansion team to win the conference during the regular season.

"Bradley has the attributes we were looking for in a head coach and the necessary experience to commit us to returning to our identity as a team," said Philadelphia Union's Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. "With knowledge of MLS and international markets, he is tactically astute and aligned with our sporting strategy. His approach emphasizes high-pressure play while organizing a structured defense. Additionally, he shares the club's vision for player development. We are confident he will bring a clear sporting philosophy that elevates the team and delivers a competitive season. We look forward to welcoming him to Philadelphia."

Carnell expressed his enthusiasm about joining Philadelphia Union: "I am honored to be named head coach of Philadelphia Union, and I would like to thank the Union ownership group and Ernst Tanner for their trust in me," said Carnell. "Philadelphia is an incredible city built on communities of hardworking and passionate people who truly love their soccer. I am excited about this opportunity to build on an already solid foundation and aim to help elevate the Union organization to the next level that our fans and city can be proud of."

At 47 years old, Carnell brings ten years of professional coaching experience, including eight seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS). Most recently, he spent two seasons coaching St. Louis CITY SC after being appointed as their first head coach in January 2022. He recorded a mark of 22-15-25 over 62 regular-season matches with St. Louis leading the Western Conference and ranking third in the league with 62 goals during their 2023 campaign.

Before joining St. Louis, Carnell served as Assistant Coach and Interim Head Coach with New York Red Bulls from March 2017 until January 2022. As Interim Head Coach from September 5th to November 19th, 2020, he had a record of 6-3-5 over fourteen matches leading New York into its eleventh consecutive postseason appearance; as Assistant Coach helped guide Red Bulls toward winning Supporters' Shield back in 2018.

Carnell began his coaching career managing men's soccer at University Johannesburg (2012–15) before serving assistant roles at Orlando Pirates (2016–17) & Free State Stars (2015–16).

A former defender himself played professionally eighteen years spanning clubs such VfB Stuttgart Borussia Mönchengladbach Karlsruher SC Hansa Rostock Supersport United among others also representing South Africa internationally making forty-two appearances featuring prominently World Cup AFCON tournaments early-mid '00s.