After securing the Supporters' Shield, the Philadelphia Union's Bradley Carnell was named the 2025 MLS Coach of the Year. Carnell's impressive debut season included a club-record 20 wins and four Coach of the Week awards. The Union boasted the league's best defense, conceding just 35 goals, and achieved a remarkable turnaround despite a modest budget. With a third-lowest payroll in MLS at $13.4 million, the team thrived under Carnell's leadership, finishing with a league-best 66 points and a 29-point improvement from the previous year. Carnell's holistic approach to the attack, featuring 18 different players contributing 57 goals, and his willingness to rotate players, using 29 players in 25 different starting lineups, showcased his strategic prowess. The Union's defensive prowess, highlighted by two MLS Best XI players, Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner, with Glesnes as the runner-up for defensive player of the year, further solidified their success. As the Union awaits their Eastern Conference semifinal opponent, Carnell's strategic vision and leadership have been pivotal in their remarkable season, earning him the Coach of the Year title.
