Gregg Berhalter’s absence for the U.S. men’s national team’s January window will force one of his assistants to serve as head coach on an interim basis.
Anthony Hudson will serve as USMNT interim head coach for the upcoming January training camp and pair of friendlies against Serbia and Colombia, U.S. Soccer announced Wednesday. The USMNT hosts Serbia at Banc of California Stadium on Jan. 25 before taking on Colombia at Dignity Health Sports Park on Jan. 28.
Berhalter, whose contract expired on Dec. 31, is the focus of a current investigation launched by U.S. Soccer in regards to a domestic violence incident involving Berhalter and his current wife Rosalind back in 1991.
Hudson, 41, was hired as head coach of the USMNT Under-20 side in January 2020. He later became an assistant coach under Berhalter in 2021, a role which he has continued to serve in heading into 2023.
Hudson also previously served as head coach of the Colorado Rapids from 2017-19, as well as the New Zealand men’s national team. His staff will include assistant coach B.J. Callaghan and current USMNT U-20 head coach Mikey Varas.
The January schedule will be the USMNT’s first matches suffering elimination at the Round of 16 stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Berhalter led the USMNT to a second-place finish in Group B, posting a 1-0-2 record against England, Wales, and Iran.
They don’t even need to address Greg because his contract is up. They can just announce Greg served through his previous contract and they have hired XYZ to be the new coach.
If there is a temporary coach, then obviously Greg does not have any current legal affiliation with USSF. He’s already technically out the door.
More on Hudson please? I’ve never heard of him. How did he do with the u-20s? Good player buy-in? Record with previous gigs? Playing style, etc
International coaching experience- Bahrain senior/U23s, New Zealand senior/U23s, coached both countries in multiple competitions & WCQs for Asian & Oceanic regions. Coached the Rapids in the MLS, had the worst record in franchise history as a coach. (*Club coaching success & international success are hard to compare. International success doesn’t mean they’ll be good club coaches and club success doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be good international coaches). The pandemic hit in 2020 when Hudson was appointed U20 coach, so there won’t be available stats. He def would’ve coached some immense talent, tho! (‘02s- Reyna, Busio, Uly Llanez, Taylor Booth, Cole Bassett, Tolkin, Yow, Kayo, Hernandez-Foster, Bello, w/ 03’ Scally & Pepi the next birth year behind the previous names.)
Thank you!
he had 8 wins 9 ties 26 losses in his last job as colorado’s coach for a season and a half. his record is uniformly losing as a senior NT or pro coach. his only success has been at U23 which jobs he held simultaneously with the NT failures.
This appears to be nothing more than a revenge plot by Gio’s mother, who was a college roommate of Berhalter’s wife at NC in the 1990s and remains upset at Gio’s lack of playing time in Qatar. I think this is a very petty move by Danielle Reyna, considering how long ago the incident happened, and the pair obviously reconciled. The Reynas may get their wish and push Berhalter out, but now how does Gio navigate this episode with his US teammates going forward? I think the Reynas should have put this behind them and moved on, as Gio i snow in a more difficult position.
“as Gio i snow in a more difficult position.”
Hardly. If Gio plays like we all know he can then Gregg, who will still be the manager will crawl on him stomach to get him to play for the USMNT.
If Gio doesn’t then it doesn’t matter to USMNT fans anyway does it?
Anthony Hudson. I can’t believe I’m older than some of the US coaches now. I graduated high school before this guy. I’m just glad, I don’t use my teenage knowledge of the sport from back then and apply it to my watching of the game now. That would make me close minded and truly lonely in understanding.
Earnie Stewart is saying Berhalter is still a candidate for the USMNT job while the investigation is on going? Hmmm….
2Tone,
“Stewart is saying Berhalter is still a candidate for the USMNT job”
He has to say that.
The investigation could theoretically find Gregg as innocent as a new born babe. If that happens and Earnie has already said ” Fuck Gregg, he can kiss my ass on his way out the door!” then there might be some litigation possible.
Regardless, Earnie and the USSF don’t seem to be in urgent mode yet searching for a USMNT manager. The investigation may be a good excuse to be taking their time finding a new manager.
My sincere HOPE is that US Soccer does the smart thing and handles this thing with grace and aplomb and lets everyone save face and move on. For a variety of reasons Gregg clearly needs to go – this soap opera involving Gio, the fact that second-cycle coaches are rarely effective, and the fact that this is going to get thrown in his face by everyone who hates him as the USMNT coach. The optics of this are terrible and it’s going to look bad for the USMNT if they fire him over a smear job for an incident 31 years ago. But it’s also going to look equally bad if they keep him because then they’re sending a message they’re indifferent to domestic abuse.
So Gregg’s gotta go, but HOW he goes is all-important. I’d personally bring him back for a month or two…and let him negotiate his next gig as the serving USMNT coach, which saves Gregg’s face and career and also prevents US Soccer from absorbing the reputational damage of “cancelling” him, which is how many would perceive a firing. This also allows a future USMNT coach to call up Gio should Gio still suit his plans…with the awareness that the Reynas are obviously some savage helicopter parents and that path leads to more potential drama and Gio himself obviously is prone to sulking if his number isn’t called.
Also obviously Gregg and the Reynas’ friendship is clearly over, but I’d say both families have taken a sufficient beating over this that there’s no point in humiliating either of them further. And also, incidentally, saves US Soccer a further black eye.
This whole thing started because something in-house did not stay in-house. I wouldn’t compound it by throwing more fuel on the fire. It’s not going to get fixed with still more public mudslinging.
There’s an old saying that you should keep business and family separate.
While not true in every case, this situation is a good example of why it is sometimes a good idea to keep that old saying in mind.
Amen to that.
I just think this reinforces the notion Gregg needs to find his next gig, but I’d strongly prefer US Soccer didn’t roast his career in the process. We do that, it’s going to make it a whole lot harder to find a quality replacement.
quozzel,
The USSF wants this to go away as fast as humanly possible.
Notice how it’s Gregg who keeps breaking the Code of Silence.
He’s the one who did the unnecessary provocation at the LeaderShip party and he’s the one who broke this latest “alleged blackmail” with a tweet in what seems like an attempt to get his version out before anyone else.
The firstest with the mostest.
We now have Gregg’s statements and Danielle’s and Claudio’s statements.
Which means, as far as I’m concerned, we can all move on with the rest or our lives.
How good is Kai Wagner really? And would he be a good left back for Jesse at Leeds? You get the impression that Leeds are one or two solid players from stabilizing their relegation escape team.
He is already out of contract. Essentially US Soccer doesn’t need to save face. They just don’t rehire him.
Right. Don’t throw him under the bus quickly. Drag out a hiring process for 30-45 days, hope GGG gets a new gig. If not, then ok. Make the new hire after this (hopefully, dear god) dies down.
This is 2022.
USSF have to do some kind of investigation , take some kind of action to CYA.
Remember, they already took a lot of flak for the hiring process w Gregg in the first place . I expect they will do what damage control that they can . Whatever they come up with, they will at least have covered the USSF asses vs potential litigation..
The thing that strikes me most is that a lot of this is about deeply personal conflicts between a lot of old, close friends ( Earnie, the Reyna’s, McBride, Gregg and his wife). Oh and Earnie and McBride just happen to be Gregg’s boss.
I’ve criticized the USSF for being an incestuous old boys club but I never thought I would get such emphatic confirmation.
My experience with that sort of thing is that outsiders might be advised to stay as far away as possible from what looks like a very deeply personal conflict.
I’ve had to fire a good friend and it’s never great.