St. Louis MLS team fires coach Bradley Carnell in 2nd season

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis City has fired coach Bradley Carnell amid a disappointing second season for the MLS team.

The team announced the move on Monday two days after blowing a two-goal lead in a 4-3 loss to Vancouver. St. Louis City (3-7-10) is 12th in the 14-team Western Conference a year after becoming the first expansion team to win a conference regular-season title.

The team lost to Kansas City in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Technical Director John Hackworth will manage the team on an interim basis.

“Given Bradley’s many contributions to the club, this was not an easy decision,” St. Louis City Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said in a statement released by the team. “Unfortunately, based on our Year 2 results to date, we believe a coaching change is in the best interest of the club as we regroup and look to improve both our performance and our results.”

Carnell was hired as the team’s first manager in January 2022 and received a contract extension before this season.

St. Louis City faces San Jose on Wednesday night.

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