Philadelphia Union fire Bradley Carnell months after Supporters' Shield win
In October 2025, Bradley Carnell was celebrating the Supporters' Shield his Philadelphia Union team won for being the most successful side in the MLS regular season. Now he is back on the job market, having been fired Wednesday, May 27 with the Union sitting in last place.
Carnell oversaw a madcap match against Inter Miami earlier this week, the Union's final contest before MLS breaks nearly two months for the 2026 World Cup. Despite being ahead 2-0 after 10 minutes, the Union were level at 4-4 heading into the halftime break and ended up falling 6-4 to Lionel Messi and Co.
That was the eighth winless match in a row for the Union, with their only win in the first 15 matches coming against CF Montreal.
It's not the first sophomore slump of Carnell's managerial career. After leading expansion St. Louis City SC to the top of the Western Conference with 56 points in the 2023 campaign, Carnell was let go July 1, 2024 with the team wining just three of its first 20 games.
What other changes are the Philadelphia Union making?
In addition to Carnell's departure, the Union announced Jon Scheer as the sporting director. Scheer had been serving as the interim during an investigation into Ernst Tanner, who MLS investigated for allegations of inappropriate and insensitive comments.
The Union have a pair of players in the World Cup — Haiti's Danley Jean Jacques and South Africa's Olwethu Makhanya — but won't return to action until July 22 against the New York Red Bulls.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Philadelphia Union fire Bradley Carnell after rough start