Philadelphia Union land Former St Louis City SC Manager, Bradley Carnell, to take over their managerial duties
The Union announced this morning the hiring of Bradley Carnell to fill the void left after the release of Jim Curtin earlier this offseason. With it, the Johannesburg, South African native brings over a decade of coaching experience, of which eight of those years were spent in the MLS. From March 2017 to January 2022, Carnell served as an assistant coach with the New York Red Bulls and was a key assistant in their run to the 2018 Supporters’ Shield. For fourteen games in the fall of 2020, he served as their interim head coach, going 6-3-5 in the process, and helped guide them to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance. Carnell rose to acclaim in 2023 when he led the expansion St Louis City SC to the best record in the Western Conference (4th in the league) with a 17-12-5 record in their first year of existence. While flaming out of the playoffs in the first round, St Louis City had a +17 goals differential, the 3rd best in the league.
Bradley Carnell Has Big Shoes to Fill
St Louis City did come back to Earth in 2024 posting an 8-13-13 record and a -13 goal differential which led to Carnell’s firing and hence his availability to take on the role of Union Head Coach. Carnell, who by most standards it is fair to say is unproven as a head coach, will be only the second coach to lead this team in the past decade as he takes over for Jim Curtin. The Union had established themselves as a model franchise, but have hit some hard times with ownership’s refusal to spend money and players aging out of their primes. Even with a slight amount of inexperience, Carnell is a very suitable hire for this team and the position they find themselves in. While the expectations for 2025 are not all that high, it will certainly be interesting to see how a non-Curtin approach with the Union will look.
The last decade of Union soccer was all about raising the floor for the organization. They went from pushovers to perennial contenders, but a contender that wasn’t able to win it all. They now look to rebuild, but to rebuild with a team that expects to contend again soon. Carnell will hopefully help bring along some young, new faces for a team known for excavating talent in unexpected places. Maybe Carnell, a former pro who also debuted at sixteen can help bring along teenage sensation Cavan Sullivan in his time with the Union before he leaves for Manchester City. Bradley Carnell is a somewhat known commodity who takes over for a Union team that is currently braving some unknown times. Curtin’s longevity is not the norm in the MLS, but Carnell will carry the weight of expectation in the years to come with the Philadelphia Union. Curtin’s teams did fail to get over the hump. In a city that craves championships, Carnell will face the burden of paving the path to the Union’s first MLS Cup.
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