Bradley Carnell was named as the first head coach in St. Louis CITY SC’s history ahead of their historic, inaugural 2023 season. Carnell has significant experience as a player and coach and brings invaluable knowledge and expertise in Major League Soccer (MLS), most recently serving as an assistant coach and interim head coach at New York Red Bulls.
The Johannesburg, South Africa native began his professional playing career with Wits University and Kaizer Chiefs, before moving to Germany’s Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The former defender also featured for Karlsruher SC and Hansa Rostock before finishing his playing career back in South Africa with Supersport United.
Carnell was also a regular for the South African national team, making 42 appearances for the Bafana Bafana between 1997 and 2010, which includes three starts in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and four starts in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2002 in Mali, including a quarterfinal appearance against the host.
After retiring as a player in 2011, Carnell served as the head coach of the University of Johannesburg men’s team before holding roles as an assistant coach at both Orlando Pirates and Free State Stars in South Africa. In 2017, Carnell was appointed as an assistant coach of the New York Red Bulls and was later named as interim head coach in September 2020. As interim head coach, Carnell guided the team to a sixth-place finish in the MLS Eastern Conference and was the only interim head coach in the MLS to guide his team into the postseason that year, extending the Red Bulls playoff run to 11-straight seasons. Following his stint as interim head coach, Carnell returned to his role as the Red Bulls assistant coach, and helped the team qualify for the MLS playoffs in 2021.
