American football broadcaster Heath Pearce says former All Whites coach Anthony Hudson has done enough to be given the United States national coach’s role on a permanent basis.
“Just give him the job,” says Pearce, who won 35 caps for the United States as a defender between 2005-2012.
Main photo: Heath Pearce … says Hudson has earned the role of head coach.
Hudson (41) has been in temporary charge of the US team after US Soccer initiated an independent investigation into an allegation against former manager Gregg Berhalter.
Berhalter stood down in December after publicity broke about an historic assault involving him and his girlfriend, who he later married. US Soccer has now to decide whether Berhalter or another candidate will get the role.
Hudson had been Berhalter’s assistant since 2021, and after serving as head coach of the national U-20 side.
Since then, as interim head coach, Hudson has led the United States to qualification for the finals of the CONCACAF Nations League after latest wins against Grenada (7-1) and El Salvador (1-0).
Speaking on the In Soccer We Trust podcast, Pearce did not hesitate to say he thought Hudson deserved his chance in charge.
Heath Pearce: ‘Just give him the job’
Meanwhile, another former international and football pundit, Herculez Gomez, was more cautious.
“There are good things that he’s done. He’s done very well in recruitment but he is not the man to take you to that next level,” Gomez told ESPN.
Gomez, who played 24 games for the US national team, said he found it hard to believe the best coach for the role was someone who had coached New Zealand and had then lost his job as a coach in Major League Soccer.
Herculez Gomez: ‘He is not the man …’
Hudson was the head coach of the New Zealand national team from 2014-2017.
After a spell managing MLS side Colorado Rapids, he became the United States U-20 head coach in 2020 and then became an assistant to Berhalter with the full squad in 2021.
Hudson: ‘I haven’t thought about it’
Hudson says he hasn’t considered taking on the job permanently.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Hudson told a media briefing.
“I’m just taking it a camp at a time, and it’s a unique situation. I will just take it — again — a day at time. I explained before about it, that I’ll do my best, and I feel I have enough experience to know how to do the right thing now for these games and also have one eye on to do what’s right for the team for the long term.
“I feel I have the experience and capability to do that, but that’s all I’m doing. I’m just doing my job. I say to myself every day when I say to people, laugh to people around me, ‘It’s just a day at a time.’ So we’ll see how things play out.”
READ MORE: Former All Whites coach Anthony Hudson ‘attracting international interest’ >>>>
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