Things are starting to feel a bit more real for St. Louis CITY SC.
The club on Wednesday announced the hiring of Bradley Carnell as CITY’s first head coach, the latest personnel move for the Major League Soccer expansion franchise as it sets sights on taking the field in 2023. The 44-year-old Carnell spent the past five seasons serving on the New York Red Bulls’ staff, working under three different head coaches in that span.
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There are still roughly 13 months before Carnell’s team officially kicks off its inaugural season at the soon-to-open (and yet-to-be-named) stadium in Downtown West. In the meantime, here are six things to know about the club’s first coach:
1. He’s a native of Johannesburg, South Africa
Carnell rose through the ranks of his country as a defender, playing for local clubs Bidvest Wits FC and Kaizer Chiefs before moving on to Bundesliga sides VFB Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany. Carnell was also a regular on his national team, logging 42 appearances for his home country between 1997 and 2010, including three starts in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
2. He was the club’s top target in its coaching search
That’s according to Lutz Pfannenstiel, St. Louis CITY SC’s sporting director, who cited Carnell’s experience domestically and abroad as key factors in his appointment. “We knew it was important to have someone who understood the ins and outs of the MLS, as well as the international market, and Bradley has all the attributes we were looking for,” Pfannenstiel said in a statement.
3. He has previous MLS head coaching experience … sorta.
After the Red Bulls ousted head man Chris Armas late in the 2020 campaign, Carnell took over the coaching duties on an interim basis and guided the squad to the postseason. During Carnell’s 14-game run, the Red Bulls responded with six wins, three draws, and five losses.
4. He was a top pupil in Pfannenstiel’s class
According to ESPN, Carnell learned some of the intricacies of the position from Pfannenstiel, who taught him during a three-week coaching seminar through the German Football Federation. “Lutz’s vision matches my ambitions of building a competitive team through the heavy use of data, technology, and a keen focus on individual player development,” Carnell said in a statement.
5. He was linked as a possible candidate for Manchester United’s staff last month
Rumors swirled in early December that Carnell was a fit to join United as an assistant under Ralf Rangnick, his mentor from the Bundesliga. “Several clubs have shown interest in his talents, so we knew we had to move quickly to bring him to St. Louis,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, CITY’s president and CEO.
6. He and Pfannenstiel are aligned on the club’s playing philosophy.
CITY’s architects want the club to play an aggressive brand of soccer that will pressure opposing defenders into making mistakes in their half of the field. “As a player, he embodied the intense, counter-press and quick transitional play that will define CITY’s style of play and as a coach, works tirelessly on and off the pitch to develop those abilities in players,” Pfannenstiel said. “… Bradley and I speak a common language.”
