The Philadelphia Union announced today that Bradley Cannell will become the team's new head coach. She broke up with Jim Curtin in November..
“We were very confident when (Carnell) began discussions about his ability to get us back on track, back to a winning team and make the most of our resources,” said Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. “And through the discussions, I was really confident that we had the right person sitting in this room.”
Cannell, who joined on a two-year contract, becomes the fourth coach in union history. His previous career was at St. Played in 62 regular season games for St. Louis CITY SC, compiling a record of 22-15-25. Tanner said the team narrowed down more than 100 applications to a final 10.
“It's an interesting project. This is a great project to be part of a great team to be proud of,” said Carnell. “I’m looking forward to Ernst and the development of this club and getting back to the philosophy of this club – what defines us, defines our players, defines our style and defines our community. I'm not just looking forward, I'm looking back to a certain point… It makes us something different, sharp and difficult to deal with.”
Here are the basics you need to know about the Union's new boss on the touchline.
- He is 47 years old from Johannesburg, South Africa.
- He played as a defender for 18 years for two top teams in South Africa and Germany, including Kaizer Chiefs, Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach.
- He played in 42 matches for the South African men's national team, Bafana Bafana, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
- After retiring as a player, he began coaching in South Africa and then served as head coach and interim manager with the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls won the 2018 Supporters' Shield during Carnell's time as assistant manager.
- Cannell became St. Louis' first head coach in 2022, leading the team to the top of the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season and becoming the first expansion franchise in league history in its debut season.
- St. Louis suffered a sophomore slump, and Cannell He was fired midway through the second season.. “It was an honor to build that team, coach that team and have the success we had,” Carnell said Thursday. “I would say that in 2024 we are still competitive and ultra-aggressive towards who I stand for and the core of the identity we played with. “There are cases here and there where we don’t get results, but we use them all as learning opportunities.”
- He joined the Canadian men's national team as an assistant coach for a very brief period in September 2024.
Philadelphia finished last year's regular season in 12th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Cannell said he was in line with the club's philosophy on developing players, whether they were young rising stars or not. Cavan Sullivan, 15 years old Or a veteran on a senior team roster.
“This is the core and my DNA in terms of development,” he said. “And I’m not talking about development, like the young players on the (Union II) team. There is clearly still room for development with our seasoned experts.”
The Union opens the regular season on February 22 in Orlando City, Florida.
2025-01-02 20:53:27
Philadelphia Union Introduces New Head Football Coach Bradley Cannell
