Former Bafana Bafana defender Bradley Carnell has achieved a monumental coaching milestone by being named the Major League Soccer (MLS) Coach of the Year for the 2025 season. This prestigious recognition follows a spectacular turnaround at Philadelphia Union, which saw his side finish the regular season at the summit of the overall league standings.
A Remarkable Transformation In Philadelphia
Carnell, who earned 42 caps for South Africa during his playing career, took over the reins at Philadelphia Union in January 2025. He inherited a team that had finished a disappointing 23rd in the league standings the previous year. Under his leadership, the club underwent a dramatic resurgence, accumulating a league-high 66 points in the 2025 season.
This 29-point increase over the 2024 total stands as the largest single-season improvement among all MLS clubs, surpassing the next closest club, Chicago Fire, by six points. The transformation demonstrates Carnell's immediate and profound impact on the squad's performance and mentality.
The 48-year-old coach guided the Union to a club-record 20 wins in the regular season, showcasing exceptional form and tactical effectiveness. Remarkably, the team lost only a single home game throughout the campaign and entered the MLS playoffs riding an impressive 16-game home unbeaten streak.
History-Making Achievements
Carnell’s success in 2025 is not an isolated incident; it confirms his standing as one of the MLS’s most effective contemporary managers. He was named MLS Coach of the Week four times during the season and has made history as only the third coach in MLS history to lead multiple clubs to at least 55 points in his debut season with the team. He previously accomplished this extraordinary feat with St. Louis CITY SC during their inaugural 2023 season, where he was also a Coach of the Year finalist after topping the Western Conference.
Beyond the league, Carnell also steered the Union to the semi-finals of the 2025 US Open Cup, where they were narrowly defeated by the eventual tournament winners, Nashville.
The MLS Coach of the Year award is determined through a voting process involving MLS club technical staff, players, and media members. Carnell secured the majority of the votes, receiving 37.78 per cent, ahead of fellow finalists Jesper Sørensen of Vancouver Whitecaps and Mikey Varas of San Diego FC. His victory celebrates a year of significant overachievement and tactical brilliance in North American soccer.
Source: Official MLS Coach of the Year announcement and voting results (November 7, 2025).