St. Louis MLS expansion team hires Bradley Carnell as coach

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The new MLS team in St. Louis named Bradley Carnell as head coach on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old Carnell is a former defender who played in more than 300 professional games and made three starts in the 2002 World Cup for his native South Africa. He’ll lead St. Louis City SC when the team joins the league in 2023.

Carnell was named an assistant coach of MLS’ New York Red Bulls in 2017 and became interim head coach in September 2020, leading the Red Bulls to a sixth-place finish and a postseason berth. He returned to his role as assistant coach for the 2021 season after the Red Bulls hired Gerhard Struber.

St. Louis City SC will play in a new stadium under construction on the western end of downtown. The addition of Charlotte FC this year and St. Louis City SC will give MLS 29 teams.

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