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Anthony Hudson has departed the U.S. national team to accept a head coaching position with a club in the Persian Gulf, multiple sources with knowledge of the decision tell The Athletic. Sources were granted anonymity as they are not authorized to speak publicly on Hudson’s future.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that Hudson was stepping away from his role as interim head coach of the USMNT for another job. BJ Callaghan was named interim head coach.

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Hudson’s contract was set to end on Aug. 1, and it seemed clear he was not going to be considered for the full-time position. 

Hudson initially joined U.S. Soccer in 2020 as head coach of the U-20 side, then was elevated to an assistant on Gregg Berhalter’s senior staff in January 2021. He was part of the USMNT’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign as well as winning the inaugural Nations League final plus a Gold Cup title in 2021.

The USMNT was eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. After the tournament, Berhalter’s contract expired. Hudson stayed on as interim manager, leading the group through the January camp, March Nations League wins over Grenada and El Salvador then a draw with Mexico in a friendly in April.

During Hudson’s time as interim manager, dual-nationals Folarin Balogun and Alejandro Zendejas officially committed to the United States. Brandon Vazquez was welcomed into the group despite being eligible for Mexico as well. Vazquez said in April his commitment to the USMNT was “basically done.”

Moving to a Gulf club would not be the first time Hudson worked in the Middle East. He spent three years coaching Bahrain from 2011-14, first with the country’s under-23 team and then with the senior team.

Prior to joining U.S. Soccer, Hudson had also managed the New Zealand national team and was head coach of the Colorado Rapids for a season and a half. He memorably gave a quote that, “we are fighting at the bottom with a bottom group of players” after his final game in charge of Colorado before the club parted ways with him.

He spoke with The Athletic about how the experiences with Colorado helped to shape him as a manager.

“It was like a real kick to my ego and I think I needed it,” Hudson said. “The suffering that comes from getting fired in another country, it’s like, s—, where do you go from here now? You have to really look at yourself. I looked at the way I was, I think I was very ego driven, in the sense of I wanted to keep progressing, I was determined to do well, but it was all out of ego. And I think what that does is it affects how you coach.”

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Now, after a few months as interim manager, Hudson will look to return to club soccer — and without an interim title in front of his name.

(Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

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