Bradley Carnell and Alejandro Bedoya say the Ernst Tanner investigation hasn’t distracted from the Union’s playoff push

"On a professional level, I want to say that I’ve never personally experienced anything like what’s been reported in my time with Ernst," the Union's manager said Friday.

Union manager Bradley Carnell (right) with sporting director Ernst Tanner earlier this year.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Nov. 21, 2025, 1:40 p.m. ET

Union manager Bradley Carnell said at his weekly news conference Friday that he has “never personally experienced” the discriminatory behavior alleged against sporting director Ernst Tanner.

“I’d be remiss to not briefly to address the reports that surfaced earlier this week and the subsequent announcements from the club,” Carnell said of the allegations published by the Guardian. “First of all, on a professional level, I want to say that I’ve never personally experienced anything like what’s been reported in my time with Ernst. But as an organization, we fully recognize the seriousness of the situation, and that’s as far as I’ll go to discuss the topic that’s ongoing during this investigation.”

Asked if the investigation has been a distraction to the team this week as it prepares for Sunday’s Eastern Conference playoff semifinal against New York City FC (7:55 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes, Apple TV), Carnell said it has not been.

“The players have been amazing,” he said. “Over the last three weeks, 20 days [since the Union’s last game], whatever it’s been, [they] have been incredible. And then, obviously, we were informed about the situation, but for the players on the ground and the day-to-day organizational operations, we haven’t skipped a beat. The train is moving, and the players are engaged and excited about the prospect of playing on Sunday.”

Longtime captain Alejandro Bedoya said the same.

“Yeah, of course everybody knows what’s happening on the outside, but the team is focused on this weekend’s game,” he said. “And we control what we can control as players, and we’re focused on that.”

Sunday’s game will be Danley Jean Jacques’ first action at Subaru Park since his Haiti team qualified for next year’s World Cup for the first time since 1974.

Jean Jacques missed Tuesday’s clinching game because of yellow card accumulation, which unintentionally gave him a bit more rest before Sunday. Carnell said the midfielder is “fit, he’s healthy, he’s strong, he’s happy with the emotions of qualifying for a World Cup.”

It also will be goalkeeper Andre Blake’s first game since Jamaica’s heartbreaking failure to finish the job on home turf. Friday was Blake’s 35th birthday, and Carnell said the Union held a celebration to lift his spirits.

“I think ’Dre carried Jamaica on his back — he made some crucial saves, he kept them in the game, he made big, big plays,” Carnell said. “We’re celebrating his birthday and making sure he has all the mojo around him, and the good feeling of being back around our group. I think he’s excited to hopefully have a good experience on Sunday and lead his team to a winning game.”

Bedoya praises the USMNT, and former teammate Mark McKenzie

The mood was much happier around the Union’s facilities when the U.S. men’s soccer team was in town last week.

It was an especially proud moment for Bedoya, who played 66 times for his country including at the 2014 World Cup. And the Americans’ results this month added to the good feelings, a 2-1 win over Paraguay at Subaru Park last Saturday and a stunning 5-1 rout of Uruguay on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.

“I think you’re slowly seeing, and based on all the quotes and what the guys on the team have been saying, it’s Poch’s team now, and he’s definitely put a stamp on it,” Bedoya said, referring to U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino. “I think it took a little bit — and it takes time, right? To change a little bit of the culture inside and out — but you have to be pleased with the effort and the intensity and the way the guys played. Especially with kind of new faces back in the team, and different guys being put in different positions.”

Bedoya noticed, as many people did, how Pochettino took exception to being asked Tuesday night about winning that game without many “regulars” — not just absent stars like Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams, but a lineup with nine changes from the starters vs. Paraguay.

Pochettino was adamant that he doesn’t believe in such a hierarchy, even if the valid part of asking about winning with so much rotation got lost in the moment.

“When you instill a certain culture, and you talk about putting your stamp on a team with your principles [and] the philosophy, whichever player comes in and takes a certain role, they already have a good understanding of what it takes and what’s expected out of them,” Bedoya said. “So it was great to see some of these other guys come in and perform very well. And you have to say, I mean, whenever you beat a national team like Uruguay, 5-1, there’s a lot to get excited about and a lot of optimism.”

Bedoya also praised former Union teammate Mark McKenzie, who wore the captain’s armband for the first time against Uruguay.

“That was awesome — I texted him on the side after the game, being happy for him,” he said. “Knowing him from his early years here in Philly, I mean, the guy was always mature beyond his years … It just shows the trust and the faith that Pochettino has in him, which is amazing, and he’s been playing well in Europe since he left, especially now at Toulouse [in France], getting a good run of games.”

After Tuesday’s game, McKenzie called being captain “a huge honor, a real blessing, [and] also a great moment because it shows the level of trust that the group has in me, but also Mauricio and the staff.”