USMNT news: Hudson departs, Pulisic to Juventus, Balogun’s options

Today’s USMNT news includes the surprise revelations of Anthony Hudson’s departure, Christian Pulisic has been linked with Juventus and we look into Folarin Balogun’s transfer options. 

USMNT news: Anthony Hudson departs

The USMNT’s interim head coach Anthony Hudson has left the organization. It was expected that he would remain in charge until after the Gold Cup. However, according to Tom Bogert “Hudson has departed the federation to accept a head coaching position at a club in the Middle East.”

Hudson has done a very good job of steadying the ship after Gregg Berhalter’s unceremonious departure. The interim coach won both of the Nations League games he had and under his tenure, Folarin Balogun decided to switch from England to represent the Stars and Stripes.

U.S. Soccer revealed that “B.J. Callaghan will serve as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments. Callaghan has served as assistant coach of the USMNT for the last four years.”

Now U.S. Soccer has replaced an interim head coach with another interim. It will be expected that the process of appointing the next permanent manager will speed up.

USMNT news: Christian Pulisic to Juventus

Christian Pulisic made a late cameo appearance against Newcastle United on the final day of the Premier League season. It is expected that that will be his final appearance for the Blues.

ESPN has reported that “Juventus are leading the race to sign Christian Pulisic, with Chelsea prepared to offload the United States forward for a £20 million fee this summer.”

A move to the Old Lady would be a spectacular one. We could see Pulisic reunited with his USMNT teammate, Weston McKennie, who is returning to the club following his loan spell at Leeds.

However, Pulisic must choose to play for a club that has a system that suits him. Under Massimiliano Allegri, Juve favors playing with wing-backs. The American does not suit this formation, so must find out what role he would play at the club before committing his future to it.

Juventus have also been hit with a 10-point deduction in Serie A this season. Therefore, they will not be in the Champions League for the next campaign.

USMNT news: Folarin Balogun’s transfer options

Folarin Balogun has just one game left for Stade de Reims this season which is against Montpelier this weekend. The forward who has been on loan at Reims from Arsenal will then have to decide on where to play his soccer next season with a number of clubs interested.

Transfer expert Ekrem Konur tweeted that “AC Milan, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Marseille and AS Monaco are race to sign Arsenal’s 21-year-old striker Folarin Balogun. ”

A move to Serie A by joining either of the Milan clubs would be tempting as they are the two most glamorous teams mentioned. RB Leipzig would also offer the opportunity for Balogun to play in a new league. Staying in France by joining Marseille or Monaco could be seen as a bit of a sideways step.