Could Anthony Hudson be the next permanent USMNT head coach?

Anthony Hudson may be just four games into his stint as interim head coach for the U.S. men’s national team but the former assistant to Gregg Berhalter has already made a good impression on and off the field. 

A 7-1 victory over Grenada was followed by a 1-0 win against El Salvador to make it two wins from two for Anthony Hudson in his first competitive games in charge. There have also been promising signs that Folarin Balogun will commit to representing the USMNT after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

Speaking on the In Soccer We Trust podcast, former USMNT player Heath Pearce was vocal in his support for Hudson saying, “Just give him the job.” However, when asked about Hudson on ESPN Herculez Gomez said “there are good things that he’s done. He’s done very well in recruitment but he is not the man to take you to that next level.”

Hudson will likely get more time as interim boss with U.S. Soccer still without a sporting director or general manager, so he has time to prove to the doubters that he is the man for the job.

Anthony Hudson’s career so far

Hudson was born in Seattle but started his playing career at West Ham United where he also spent time on loan at Luton Town. He then joined the Dutch side NEC Nijmegen before moving back to the USA to play for the Wilmington Hammerheads. He also worked as a player-assistant coach for the Hammers.

His playing career was cut short as he became the head coach of the Real Maryland Monarchs when he was just 27. This followed a period back in England where he coached Tottenham Hotspur’s reserves and Newport County.

International football was his next port of call as he managed Bahrain and New Zealand. He then returned to the US where he became coach of the Colorado Rapids. However, he was fired after two years with a record of eight wins, nine draws and 26 defeats in MLS.

U.S. Soccer was his next employer where he initially started as the men’s national under-20 soccer team before becoming Berhalter’s assistant with the USMNT and now caretaker head coach.

Should Anthony Hudson get the USMNT job?

Hudson has worked in the U.S. Soccer system since 2020 and it might be right for them to promote from within when it comes to their next manager. Many successful international coaches have followed a similar path.

Joachim Low was assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann with Germany before taking the manager’s job and going on to win the World Cup. Southgate was England’s U21 coach before taking charge of the senior squad and leading them to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final.

In an interview with ESPN, when asked about the USMNT, Christian Pulisic said, “we’re not in a phase where we need a complete rebuild. We don’t need a bunch of new guys coming in. We have a strong core: a lot of people have seen that. We need to carry on.”

Pulisic backed Berhalter in this interview and Hudson would continue the work that the former USMNT head coach had set in place. Berhalter could still be considered for the job but Hudson has a good opportunity to prove himself whilst U.S. Soccer is still in a state of limbo.