Anthony Hudson named USMNT head coach for January friendlies
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jan 4, 2023
Anthony Hudson will serve as head coach of the U.S. men’s national team for its upcoming January training camp in Carson, California.
Hudson will be joined by fellow World Cup assistant coach B.J. Callaghan and U.S. U-20 men’s head coach Mikey Varas in running the team for the friendlies against Serbia Jan. 25 in Los Angeles and Colombia Jan. 28 in Carson.Hudson joined the national team staff in 2020 as U-20 men's head coach, but the U-20 program was shut down after one camp due to Covid-19. Hudson, who previously coached Bahrain, New Zealand and the Colorado Rapids, was later named an assistant to the men's national team.
Hudson, 41, was born in Seattle, where his father, Alan Hudson, was playing for the NASL's Sounders, and raised in England, His short playing career ended with the Wilmington Hammerheads in 2008.
• SA Confidential: Anthony Hudson on being the son of a superstar dad, his own playing career, and the importance of caring (2020)
No decision has been announced regarding the future of Gregg Berhalter, who took the USMNT to the 2022 World Cup, where it reached the round of 16. His contract as USMNT head coach ended Saturday, the last day of 2022.
Berhalter is under investigation for an incident when he was a freshman at the University of North Carolina in 1991 involving his then-girlfriend (and now wife of 25 years) Rosalind Santana. He revealed on Tuesday that someone contacted the federation during the World Cup with information about the incident to "take me down."
Citing multiple sources, ESPN reported on Wednesday that former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna — a youth, prep and U.S. teammate of Berhalter — sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup, threatening to reveal sensitive details about Berhalter's past. Reyna's son, Gio, was a member of the U.S. World Cup team but played a limited role during the tournament.
ESPN reported that Reyna and wife, Danielle — a former teammate and roommate of Berhalter's wife at UNC — first gave specifics about Berhalter's past to a federation executive on Dec. 11, the same day remarks Berhalter made five days earlier at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in New York were published in edited form by Charterworks.
(The remarks were supposed to be “explicitly off the record," according to the federation.)
Those remarks shed new light on some of the issues he faced during the USMNT's run to the round of 16 at the World Cup, including being "ready to book a plane ticket home" for a player media later identified as Gio Reyna.
Both Danielle and Claudio Reyna issued statements to The Athletic. Danielle Reyna confirmed that she called Earnie Stewart, U.S. Soccer's sporting director and a teammate of her husband's on three World Cup teams, on Dec. 11 and enraged that her son "was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so much worse at the same age."
She added that she "did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don’t know anything about any blackmail attempts, nor have I ever had any discussions about anyone else on Gregg’s staff — I don’t know any of the other coaches." In a separate statement, Claudio Reyna backed his wife, adding he expressed his frustration about Gio's situation during the World Cup to Stewart and USMNT GM Brian McBride — another of his former World Cup teammates — but did not "threaten anyone."
The federation opened an independent investigation into the 1991 incident. It stated it was also investigating behavior by unidentified individuals toward federation staff based on information that has emerged since the investigation began.
Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos
Wow. How does GB remain aftrer this ? How does Gio reamin after this ?
So now parents are resorting to blackmail coaches over a 30 year old incident involving his wife of 25 years in order to get their kid on the pitch. I was a big Reyna supporter up to this. I don't care if I ever see him in a USA uniform again.
Nasty business.
Well, now we see where Gio gets his attitude. Mommy and daddy go crying to former teammates at the Federation when there immature "Professional" doesn't like what he hears and pouts and then quites on his teammates. Wow, what great friends they are. They don't like their son's treatment so they try to ruin their "good friend". Absolutely pitiful!
This situation is painfully familiar to anyone who has been involved in youth soccer in this country.
The Reyna clan a disgrace all of them. They need to get out of the picture period. What a bunch of cry babies. You wonder where the kid got it from? Now you know the rest of the story.
Berhalter is a clown. What decent coach would ever tell a player, before the WC, that he will not be playing a role? If he's not good enough, call in another player. If he is, at a minimum you keep your options open. No way we take Berhalter into the next WC cycle, with the tremendous opportunity we have. Bye Felicia.
GB's problem is that he discussed a player with people outside of USSF. This is literally a boss dicussing an employee's private information with others.
That people are upset about GB's misconduct is understandable. I say "misconduct", because no competent ethical coach would do that. It is a professional standard regardless of what USSF's rules are about discussing the team with others.
All this other garbage that has people enraged is diversion. Nothing is ever "off the record". Reporters publish and people share "secrets". With a friend, with a spouse, with reporters even. Very rare is a person who can actually keep a secret. Like a unicorn.
GB's social media messages are downplaying this as something having nothing to do with his conduct as a coach. I expect he has an agent and an attorney working this gaff for him.
People should ignore the distractions and focus on the problem. A coach discussing team business with outsiders. Plenty of speakers talk about their experiences all the time without revealing any confidential information. There was no reason for GB to do what he did. He isn't an immature teen. He decades past that.
Wow ... "Helicopter" parents arriveat the Pro & National Team level. Really?!? it'ssad state of affairs and i gotta ask myself, why am paying attention to this soap opera.
Like Mommy like son. Does either of them know how to behave? Berhalter came clean and, if Rosalind took a pass and has remained joined to him for 25 years, the least US Soccer can do is support and hang ith him through the next WCup cycle.
Very disappointed in mom and dad sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. The epitome of helicopter parents. It was revenge on their son not getting playing time at the WC. US Soccer needs to cut ties with Claudio after this. The fact that Gregg and his wife have been together for 25 years puts this incident in the 'nobody's business' category. Classless act by the Reyna parents.
Why don't we all make a list of all the stupid shit we all did when we were 18? I know I could easily top Greg in severity and number.
And the next time I'm unhappy about my playing time, I'll be sure to go to my Mommy and ask her for help. I hope Gio is embarrassed by his mother's actions. If he's not, it's a comment on his generation.
Yet another "only in America". How many other national team coaches in the world have been attacked by a players Mommy?
For me, this is an embarrassment especially when I have to face my foreign friends and defend it.
What Claudio and Danielle did is 100% inexcusable. They used their priviledged connections within U.S. Soccer, something no other national team parent would have, as revenge because comments Gregg made, which were supposed to be off the record, were made public.
What Gregg did in that speech, reveal the Gio incident (without naming names) was also wrong. He should've known that trascripts of the speech, even if they were supposed to be off the record, could leak to the media/public. He made a bad choice by telling that story (even without names), BUT, it was a MISTAKE. What Claudio and Danielle tried to do, cast bad light on Gregg, and maybe get him fired, is horrendous and not a mistake. It was a purposeful attempt to get back at an old friend, even if it damaged his reputation and got him fired.
HOWEVER, Gio should not be lumped in with his parents. He's not the 1st or last young, 20-year old who's displayed bad attititude and quit on this team. HOWEVER, he paid for his transgressions in the team meeting and lack of playing time in the first couple of WC matches. He's young and he'll learn from this significant mistake he made. He should be given a second chance and the grace from everyone to show he's changed. Anyone that tries to lump Gio with his parents inexcusable actions, guilt by association, is also 100% wrong. Give the kid the break he deserves.
I can't believe the Reyna's did this. Claudio was the original "Captain America." Now i think that he has severely damaged his esteemed reputation in this country and hopefully with US Soccer.