Bradley Carnell Named MLS Coach Of The Year

There was very little hype for the Philadelphia Union this season. After a disappointing 2024 season, and the team is moving on from long-time staples of the team, including head coach Jim Curtin. The expectation was that this would be a transition season for the Union. New Head Coach Bradley Carnell was included in those modest expectations for the team.

Not only did the team outperform those expectations, but they went on to have the best record in the whole league and took home the Supporters' Shield. They are just 3 wins away from the franchise's ever MLS Cup. And this performance has earned Bradley Carnell some personal hardware. The MLS named him the 2025 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach Of The Year.

This marks the 3rd time a Union Coach has won the award. Jim Curtin won it in 2020 and 2022. The award has existed since the inception of the MLS in 1996. They named it after Sigi Schmid in 2019 after the longtime MLS coach passed away. At the time, he was the winningest Coach in MLS History, but has since been passed by Bruce Arena.

This is actually the 2nd time Carnell earned a nomination. In 2023, Carnell's first season with expansion team St Louis City SC, he scored a nomination after leading the team to the best record in the Western Conference. A year later, St Louis won only 8 games and Carnell lost his job.

Now with the Union, Carnell led the Union to 22 wins, 66 total points, and of course, the Supporters' Shield, with the MLS Cup still in play.

The Union's next match is not yet known. They await the winner of Charlotte and NYFC. Those two teams face off tomorrow, and the winner will advance to play the Union sometime next week.