Bradley Carnell makes first statement as Union head coach in 4-2 win in opening game

We were all wondering how the Union would look with a new manager for the first time in 11 seasons, the start of 2025

The first game under Bradley Carnell was an unbridled success! Philly pressed their way to a 4-2 win in Orlando. The Lions were one game away from playing in MLS Cup last season and were heavy favorites against Philadelphia in this season’s opener. The hosts did strike first, but the Union held firm in their style of play and scored four unanswered to shock Orlando City.

Let’s look at how Philly played a nearly perfect game to start the 2025 season and how Bradley Carnell’s system will fit this young and hungry underdog of a team!

Carnell has this Union team buzzing

It was amazing to see this version of Philadelphia go out and play the way they did in the opening game of 2025. The expectations are lowered, the roster has been rebuilt to a certain extent, and a new gaffer is at the helm. Philly pressed and pressed, and it didn’t work right away. They went down a goal in the 8th minute, but that didn’t deter them. A tying goal in the first half, and three unanswered goals in the second half secured all three points in week one. The club is buzzing.

The players seemed to believe that they could actualize the gameplan to perfection even after a setback. It’s still very early, but the buy-in seems to be there for the players. They know what they need to do: Press, press, press. In doing so, they want to create a 60/30/10 breakdown of goals (we’ll get into that later.) If the team does this, they’ll be able to make statements like they did in Orlando, even though it’s only one game, and just three points.

A relentless press

Philadelphia has ascribed to a high-pressing style for the past half-decade. When Ernst Tanner came in, the Union shifted to this style of play. Jim Curtin did his best to implement it, but he was never really an energy-drink soccer type of guy. This led to the change at the coaching position, and now Carnell has shown just how this press is supposed to look.

Fast-paced, relentless, players moving into unusual positions to win the ball. This is what we saw from Philly in their first match against Orlando. The team was committed to playing this car-crash of a style, and at times it made the team look foolish; as they got scored on inside of the first 10 minutes of the game. However, the team was able to pull off scoring four goals, some from the press, and a few others from a possession that was started with a press. This brings us to the 60/30/10 philosophy.

60/30/10 approach

Bradley Carnell spoke about how he likes his teams to play in this Red Bull-esque style of play, and when asked about how he wanted his teams to attack he brought up the 60/30/10 approach. What this means is that he wants 60% of the team’s goals to come from counter-attacks that were primarily started from the team’s press. 30% of the goals are meant to come from set piece opportunities, and 10% from possessing the ball outright and finding a goal.

This style may sound extreme, because it is, but if the team is bought into executing it, then the math will likely work out this way. Many say that playing this way kills the beautiful game, in that it means a team doesn’t want to play with the ball. Instead, wants his Philly side to be quick in their press and decisive in their attacks to create fast moments where the game can be spun on its head. This is what they did to Orlando in the first 20 minutes of the second half, as they scored three goals in the timeframe.

3 Points: Statement Made

Carnell likely swayed some skeptical Union fans on the night of his first win after the match. He was asked by a reporter what kind of statement he thought he made in his first match as Union head coach. His response was simple: three points! He deflected the moment and talked about what really mattered; some would say he’s keeping the main thing, the main thing. Wins and points are all that matter; statements are not as important as the play on the field and the final result.

Once again, it’s way too early to tell if this style of play, and this statement that was made by Carnell, will be enough to make this Union side successful. However, this start, the implementation of this Red Bull style of play, along with the 4-2-2-2 formation, did astoundingly well in its first real test for the Union. The next week will see Philly’s home opener against rival FC Cincinnati. Another huge test for Philadelphia, who will hopefully have two of their newer players, Bruno Damiani and Indian Vassilev available to play.

Let’s see if this statement is repeated in week two. Who knows, maybe this will be the snowball that starts an avalanche of points for the Union this season.