THURSDAY, 10 AM ET: Hudson was officially named the new U-20 USMNT coach on Wednesday morning.
“We’re excited to bring Anthony on-board to lead our U-20 Men’s National Team as it prepares for this summer’s Concacaf Championship,” said U.S. sporting director Earnie Stewart in a statement. “We’ve enjoyed great success with the U-20s over the last few cycles and the team has been instrumental in advancing players to our senior Men’s National Team. We believe that Anthony’s experience in the international game and at the club level make him a great choice to continue that success.”
Hudson will hold his first training camp with the U-20 MNT this week at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. as he begins to prepare the team for this summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship, where it will face Costa Rica, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis in the group stage.
The US is the confederation’s two-time defending U-20 champion, winning its first two confederation titles in 2017 and 2018. In his role, Hudson will oversee all aspects of the U-20 MNT program and also manage the integration and programming of U-18 and U-19 MNTs to maximize the evaluation and movement of players between the age groups for training camps and matches during the World Cup cycle
"I’m very proud to be joining U.S. Soccer,” Hudson said. “It’s a really exciting time with the game's rapid growth in this country and especially with so many talented young players coming through the ranks. I can’t wait to work with them and help develop these players into contributors at the highest level."
WEDNESDAY, 3:30 PM ET: A familiar face could be returning to the US soccer landscape.
According to the Washington Post's Steven Goff, US Soccer is set to appoint former Colorado Rapids boss Anthony Hudson as U-20 men's head coach. The U-20s would be his first job since being let go by the Rapids in the beginning of May.
In little more than a season with the Rapids, Hudson compiled an 8-26-9 record in regular season play. During the time, teenagers Cole Bassett and Sam Vines became first team regulars.
Hudson, 38, would take over from Tab Ramos, who left his post with the U-20s to take charge of the Houston Dynamo. He had been with the program for the last four U-20 World Cups, including three successive quarterfinal finishes.
Prior to his time with the Rapids, Hudson spent three years managing the New Zealand national team, leading the team to a 2018 World Cup qualification playoff. He also spent one year as head coach of Bahrain.
He became the youngest manager of a professional team in the US in October 2008, when, at the age of 27, he was named head coach of the Real Maryland Monarchs in the old USL-2. He managed Tottenham’s reserves in 2010 and coached English Conference Premier club Newport County in 2011 before taking over Bahrain’s U-23s in March 2012. He took over the Middle Eastern country’s senior national team in August 2013.
