Carnell: Ex-Bafana Bafana star lands MLS head coach job at St Louis City
Ex-Kaizer Chiefs defender Bradley Carnell has been appointed head coach of Major League Soccer expansion franchise St Louis City SC.
The 44-year-old will be St Louis’ first-ever head coach ahead of the club’s inaugural MLS season in 2023.
He arrives in Missouri from New York Red Bulls where he was assistant to Gerhard Struber.
“I am grateful to be a part of the St. Louis CITY family, a team where I can help build something special in a city that is already so passionate about soccer,” Carnell told the club’s website.
“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. “I am looking forward to establishing a team that reflects St. Louis – one that’s diverse, hardworking and community-led. I am thrilled to help create the future of the sport in an incredible soccer city.”
We got our guy 💪
— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) January 5, 2022
Welcome to the Club, Bradley Carnell – the first-ever head coach of St. Louis CITY SC! #stlCITYsc x #TheFutureIsNow pic.twitter.com/RJ3hjFgEjJ
This is the 44-year-old’s first job as head coach, having previously been an assistant to Giovanni Solinas at Free State Stars as well as understudying Augusto Palacios and Muhsin Ertugral at Orlando Pirates.
A 14-game spell as interim head coach at New York Red Bulls was a big role he has handled in his managerial career before ending up at St Louis.
St Louis sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel described the South African as having been a “top candidate” for this job.
“We can honestly say that we got our top candidate for the club’s first head coach position, and wanted to get him on board early given the integral role he’ll play in building our first team,” Pfannenstiel said.
“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. His experience as a player and coach set him apart, and I am confident that he will help us to build a very competitive team for our inaugural 2023 season.”
During his playing career, Carnell turned out for Bidvest Wits, Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United.
He played in the Bundesliga during a 12-year spell in Germany where he was coach at VfB Stuttgart by current Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick.
Thank you, Bradley Carnell.
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) January 5, 2022
Best of luck with @stlCITYsc, @Bradzc. pic.twitter.com/BM2UBi8oa1