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Jeff Carlisle, American football reporter
The NFL announced Tuesday that Anthony Hudson will be leaving his position as interim head coach of the US men’s national team to take on a new role, and will be replaced by USMNT assistant BJ Callahan.
Sources confirmed to ESPN and As First reported by Keith Costigan.
Callahan will coach the USA men through both the CONCACAF Nations League and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“BJ has been an integral part of the USMNT over the past four years as this young team has grown and developed,” USSF Athletic Director Matt Crocker said in a statement.
“Working alongside Anthony Hudson for the past five months, we are confident he is ready and ready to lead this group in the summer tournaments.
“We are grateful to Anthony for the tremendous work he has done and wish him well in the future.”
Callahan has served as an assistant coach for the USMNT for the past four years, initially serving as a strategic analyst before being promoted to assistant coach ahead of the 2021 Nations League.
He is currently the longest serving member of the USMNT Technician Team.
Prior to his time with the USMNT, he was with the Philadelphia Union for seven years, first with the Union Academy for two years and then spent five years as a first-team assistant coach to Jim Curtin.
Callaghan played four seasons at Ursinus College and served as an assistant at Villanova.
“I understand the responsibility of the job and I am honored to have the opportunity to build on the progress this group has made in the past four years,” Callahan said in a statement.
“Together, we have built a strong culture and a great understanding of how we want to play, and we expect to continue to build on this progress.
Our goal is clear: to defend both CONCACAF titles.
The American Men has been without a manager since Greg Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022 amid an investigation into a domestic violence incident from 1992 involving him and his wife, Rosalind.
The incident was revealed to NFL Football by Danielle Reina, mother of USMNT forward Geo Reina, in response to Berhalter’s comments at a leadership conference in which he implied that an unnamed player—later identified as Geo Reina—had been fielded. Almost home from the tournament due to his poor reaction to his lack of playing time in Qatar.
A subsequent US Soccer investigation found that Gregg and Rosalind Berhalter accurately portrayed the incident, and that Gregg Berhalter was free to be hired by the USSF.
A NFL spokesperson confirmed to ESPN last week that “nothing has changed” regarding Berhalter’s nomination.
Last week, Crocker said the NFL hopes to have a full-time manager in place by summer’s end.
But the fact that a second interim director has been named will raise questions about the approach to taking this long to fill the managerial position on a permanent basis.
“We believe this decision is critical not only to the next three years but also to the legacy this coach will leave in the future of the program,” Crocker said last week about the hiring process. “We intend to be thoughtful and accurate in our assessment and selection.”
Hudson left after spending five months as interim manager and two years as a USMNT assistant. He supervised the American team for five games, compiling a record of 2-1-2.
This mark included wins against Grenada and El Salvador in the CNL that advanced the United States to the semifinals, where they will face Mexico on June 15.
“I want to thank US Soccer for the opportunity to be part of such an amazing team of players and staff,” Hudson said in a statement. “It has been an honor to represent the national team, a team that I really admire and enjoy. The group is in good hands with BJ, and I am excited to watch and support the team as they continue to grow and reach the heights that we do. Everyone knows they are capable of it.”
Callaghan said he would draw on his experience as an assistant during previous tournaments in order to help the United States retain the CNL title and the Gold Cup. His coaching staff has not yet been determined.
“I learned a lot from playing these competitions with the team during the previous tournament, in addition to the three World Cup qualification periods,” he said.
“There are two high-profile Nations League games and then you immediately have to switch up your approach with a different roster mostly when it comes to navigating the Gold Cup in a 30-day period.
“I have strong experience in both competitions and understand the unique challenges that exist in both. We will rely heavily on the solid relationships with our players to help us defend both titles.”
USMNT and Fulham player Tim Ream said: “First of all, congratulations to Anthony and we wish him all the best in his new opportunity.
“The messages, the goals and the ideas remain the same, with a new voice at the top. It is a familiar voice that we all feel comfortable with and have been around for years. We are in a good position to win another Nations League and we need to be ready from day one of camp to get the job done.”
