Union introduce new coach Bradley Carnell

The Philadelphia Union announced today that Bradley Carnell will be the team’s new head coach, after the team parted ways with Jim Curtin in November.

“We’re very convinced when we were starting the discussions about the abilities of [Carnell] bringing us back on track, bringing us back to a winning team, making the most out of our resources,” said Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. “And out of the discussions, I’m really convinced that we have the right person sitting in this room.”

Carnell, joining on a two-year contract, becomes the fourth head coach in the Union’s history. His previous stint was at St. Louis CITY SC for 62 regular season games, with a 22-15-25 record. Tanner said that the team narrowed over 100 applications down to 10 finalists.

“It’s an exciting project. It’s a wonderful project to be part of, a wonderful team to be proud of,” Carnell said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to the way that Ernst and the development of this club, the philosophy of this club, getting back to the ways that define us, defines the players, defines the style, defines the community. I’m not just looking ahead, but also looking back at certain points … and make us something different, edgy and difficult to play against.”

Here are the basics to know about the Union’s new boss on the touchlines.

• He’s 47 years old, from Johannesburg, South Africa.
• He played as a defender for 18 years, for teams in South Africa and Germany’s top two flights, including Kaizer Chiefs, Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach.
• He earned 42 caps with Bafana Bafana, the South African men’s national team, playing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
• After retiring as a player, he began coaching in South Africa, then served as an assistant manager, then interim head coach, for the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls won the 2018 Supporters’ Shield while Carnell was assistant manager. 
• Carnell became St. Louis’ inaugural head coach in 2022 and led the team to a Western Conference title, becoming the first expansion franchise in league history to clinch a conference championship in its first season.  
• St. Louis suffered a sophomore slump, and Carnell was fired in the middle of his second season. “It was an honor to set up that team, coach that team, have the successes that we did,” Carnell said Thursday. “Even in 2024, I would say we were still competitive, extremely aggressive, to the core of who I stand for and the identity that we played with. Some results got away from us here and there, but I use these all as learning opportunities.”
• He went on to join the Canada men’s national team as an assistant coach very briefly in September 2024.

The Union starts its regular season on Feb. 22 at Orlando (Fla.) City.

The post Union introduce new coach Bradley Carnell appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.