South African named best coach in Major League Soccer

Former Bafana Bafana fullback Bradley Carnell has been named Coach of the Year in Major League Soccer after his Philadelphia Union side finished the regular season in top place.

Named Philadelphia coach in January, Carnell took a team that finished 23rd in the overall league standings last year to a league-high 66 points in 2025.

Among all MLS clubs in 2025, Philadelphia had the largest points increase from 2024 (+29), which was six more points than the next-closest club (Chicago Fire, +23).

The 48-year-old Carnell, capped 42 times by South Africa, set a club record with 20 wins in the regular season, losing a single home game, and is currently riding a 16-game home unbeaten streak through the regular season and into the MLS playoffs. Carnell was named MLS Coach of the Week four times in the 2025 season and has become the third coach in MLS history to lead multiple clubs to at least 55 points in his debut season with the team, having previously done so with St. Louis City in 2023.

In addition to their success in the MLS, Philadelphia advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 US Open Cup, falling to the eventual winners Nashville.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Carnell served as coach for St. Louis City SC during the team’s inaugural 2023 season. He was named a finalist for the Coach of the Year that season after leading the expansion side to top place in the Western Conference.

Previously, Carnell also served as interim coach at New York Red Bulls from March 2017 to January 2022.

The MLS Coach of the Year is voted for by MLS club technical staff, players, and media. Carnell got 37.78 per cent of the vote ahead of fellow finalists Jesper Sørensen of Vancouver Whitecaps and Mikey Varas of San Diego FC for the award.