USA interim Anthony Hudson committed to staying in charge for ‘as long as I’m asked to’
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US interim head coach Anthony Hudson plans to continue giving his all for the national team until he is told to stop.
The temporary boss has no idea when that will happen, or even who that someone will be, as the USA Soccer Federation’s search for the person to hire the next permanent coach is just beginning.
Hudson took charge of his first game this week, a 2-1 friendly loss to Serbia, following the expiration of Gregg Berhalter’s contract and the bombshell revelation from Gio Reyna’s parents that the former head coach kicked his wife in 1991 with an investigation still ongoing. .
USA interim head coach Anthony Hudson vowed to leave the team ‘in a good place’
Former American trainer Gregg Berhalter made public that he kicked his wife Rosalind during a fight in 1991
His short-term appointment seems a little longer now, but Hudson keeps his focus on the near future, starting with the Americans’ friendly against Colombia on Saturday.
He also won’t say if he expects to be a candidate for the full-time position.
“My goal is to keep preparing the team for as long as they ask me to,” Hudson said Friday after the final practice of Team USA’s annual January camp in Southern California.
Jonathan Gomez (left) and Paxten Aaronson (right) head out for training ahead of the upcoming friendly
“I really didn’t expect any of this, how this has evolved.
“When we get (home), I’ll focus on the next window, and if they still ask me to do the next one, I’ll prepare for that one.
I will continue to do everything I can. This is a really special team. I know how important this pick is and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it’s in a good place for whoever comes in. Whatever it is”.
Hudson’s first game in charge ended in loss to Serbia on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Sporting director Earnie Stewart resigned Thursday, less than a week after the announced departure of male general manager Brian McBride.
USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone said the establishment of a new hierarchy, starting with a new Athletic Director, who will be in charge of hiring the next coach, could take many months to work out.
All Hudson knows for sure is that he will be in charge of two CONCACAF Nations League games in March. Given the current chaos about him, the Seattle-born Englishman’s tenure seems highly likely to extend to the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, which begins in June and concludes on July 16 at nearby SoFi Stadium.
Hudson, who has coached the Colorado Rapids and the New Zealand and Bahrain national teams, is publicly taking it all in stride.
“My focus is for as long as it is, just keep doing everything I can to progress the team and get it ready, starting in March, and that’s it,” he added on Friday. “Obviously it seems like a fluid situation, but that’s my approach right now.”
US defenseman Walker Zimmerman praised Hudson’s work ahead of his second game in charge
Hudson became Berhalter’s assistant in 2021 and has led the January camp with an eye to the future despite his uncertainty about his own role.
With a roster full of relatively inexperienced prospects and only five World Cup players, he made eight players debut in the United States in Wednesday’s loss.
“Anthony has done a great job in this camp,” defenseman Walker Zimmerman said.
‘The staff continue a process, so it makes it easy for us to understand those principles, but it’s been phenomenal. It’s not an easy job for him, but so far he’s doing an amazing job in this field.’
Jesús Ferreira prepares to get down to work on the training ground ahead of Saturday’s game
The January camp concludes with a potentially spirited display: The LA Galaxy’s home stadium is likely to be packed to watch the Americans take on a Colombian team featuring Los Angeles FC star Chicho Arango on Saturday.
Despite the small window with his players, Hudson feels good about both the ideas and the camaraderie that has been fostered. Hudson has stuck to Berhalter’s philosophical ideas on attacking play, ball possession and defence.
“Going forward, we have a very clear game idea,” Hudson said.
“Whoever is in this seat and has this kind of game idea naturally wants to keep evolving and moving forward, so that’s the plan for us. In March, we have maybe three days in training camp before the first game, so it’s very difficult to make changes anyway. That’s the way we’re looking at it.