_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Hudson as manager ofNew Zealand in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Patrick Hudson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-03-11)March 11, 1981 (age 44)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Seattle, Washington, United States[3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Thailand (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| West Ham United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | West Ham United | ||
| 1998 | →Luton Town (loan) | ||
| 2001 | NEC Nijmegen | ||
| 2006–2008 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 10 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Real Maryland Monarchs | ||
| 2011 | Newport County | ||
| 2011–2014 | Bahrain U23 | ||
| 2013–2014 | Bahrain | ||
| 2014–2017 | New Zealand U23 | ||
| 2014–2017 | New Zealand | ||
| 2017–2019 | Colorado Rapids | ||
| 2020–2021 | United States U20 | ||
| 2023 | United States (interim) | ||
| 2023 | Al-Markhiya | ||
| 2024 | Al Arabi SC | ||
| 2025 | BG Pathum United | ||
| 2025– | Thailand | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Anthony Patrick Hudson (born March 11, 1981) is an English professionalassociation footballmanager who is the current head coach ofThailand.[4]
Hudson became one of the youngest coaches to earn theUEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching award in football, in 2012.[5]
Hudson has managed Bahrain and New Zealand, leading the teams to the2015 AFC Asian Cup and2017 FIFA Confederations Cup respectively. Hudson also became the youngest ever manager to lead a team inFIFA Confederations Cup history while managing New Zealand.[6]
In 2023, Hudson had briefly been the interim coach of theUnited States national team, before stepping down before the start of the2023 CONCACAF Nations League finals.
Hudson was born in Seattle on March 11, 1981,[3] to formerChelsea,Stoke City,Arsenal professional player andEngland internationalAlan Hudson.[7] Raised in England,[8] he attendedMillfield School.[9]
Hudson started playing in theyouth system atPremier League clubWest Ham United, before being loaned toLuton Town.[citation needed] After being released by West Ham, Hudson signed a two-year deal with Dutch First Division teamNEC Nijmegen.[citation needed] After six months, however, he asked to be released and returned home to England. He then moved to American lower division clubWilmington Hammerheads in 2006, ultimately appearing in 10 league games.[10][11][12]
In 2005, Hudson became player-assistant head coach ofUSL Second Division teamWilmington Hammerheads, having spent the previous two years working as an academy coach at AC Diablos SC.
On October 28, 2008, Hudson was named asReal Maryland Monarchs head coach at the age of 27.[10] He was the youngest professional manager (head coach) in the U.S. at the time.[13] In his first season as manager he led the club, which had finished bottom of the table in 2008, to fifth place and a Playoffs spot, their first visit to the post-season. Real Maryland were knocked out in the quarter-final after a 3–1 defeat by theCharlotte Eagles.[14] Hudson was also nominated for theUSL Second Division 2009 Coach of the Year Award.[7]
In the2010 USL Second Division, Real Maryland finished last,[15] having not won in their final ten games of the season. After overcomingReading United in the first round of the2010 US Open Cup,[16] Real Maryland were knocked out in the second round by theRichmond Kickers.[17] Hudson left Real Maryland at the conclusion of the 2010 season after two seasons in charge.[18][19]
After leaving Real Maryland following the2010 season, Hudson returned to the United Kingdom to take up a post coachingTottenham Hotspur'sreserves.[20]
In April 2011, Hudson, aged 30, was appointed manager ofConference Premier clubNewport County with seven games remaining of their 2010–11 season.[20] He arrived with a "glittering reference"[21] fromHarry Redknapp, who likened him to "a youngJosé Mourinho".[22]
Hudson took charge of Newport County for the first time in a 2–1 home victory overDarlington.[23] A further three wins and two losses followed as Newport County finished ninth in the2010–11 Conference Premier.[24] In July 2011, Hudson was working towards theUEFA Pro Licence with the English Football Association.[25] On September 28, 2011, with Newport having won only once in their first 12 games, Hudson was sacked,[26] despite new signingDavid Pipe stating "we've lost quite a few games lately but everyone is definitely behind the gaffer",[27] and senior players "contacting the press to let the fans know what the players think".[28][29][30] Following Hudson's departure, Newport Chairman Chris Blight was quoted as saying "We are a quarter of the way through the season and to be where we are, to Newport County Football Club is not what we expected or anticipated."[29]
On March 21, 2012, Hudson was appointed manager of theBahrain under-23 team.[31] He was brought in to coach the national under-23 and Olympic team byPeter Taylor, national team coach ofBahrain senior team. Hudson led Bahrain under-23 to the final of the2012 GCC U-23 Championship, eventually losing 2–0 toSaudi Arabia under-23.[32] Hudson then worked under Argentinian coachGabriel Calderón after Taylor's sacking on October 17, 2012.[33] Hudson signed a two-year extension as the Bahrain under-23 manager in June.[34]
On August 13, 2013, Hudson was appointed manager of Bahrain, succeeding Calderón.[35][36] Hudson first took charge of Bahrain in a 2–1 friendly loss toKuwait in September[37] followed by wins overMalaysia andYemen in November, which secured Bahrain qualification for the2015 Asian Cup. Hudson was listed as a potential candidate as coach ofDenmark in October.[38] Hudson led the Bahrain U23 team to their first title at the2013 GCC U-23 Championship, beating Saudi Arabia in the final.[39] This was the first official gold medal the Bahrain U23 national team have won in their history.[citation needed]
In January 2014, Hudson led Bahrain to a third-place finish at the2014 WAFF Championship.[40] After 0–0 draws againstOman andIraq, Bahrain made the semi-finals of the tournament due to adrawing of lots. Bahrain lost their semifinal 1–0 toJordan,[41] and earned their third-place finish via a penalty shootout after 0–0 draw against Kuwait.[42] In February 2014, Hudson signed a two-year contract extension as Bahrain manager.[43] On July 27, 2014, Hudson resigned as manager of Bahrain.[44]
In August 2014, Hudson was appointed manager of theNew Zealand national football team.[45][46] After resigning from his position with Bahrain, Hudson moved to New Zealand for the full-time role which also includes responsibilities in overseeing the programme of the country's age-group representative sides.[45] BothNew Zealand national under-20 football team andNew Zealand national under-17 football team made history by making into knockout stages of their respective World Cups in the same cycle for the first time.[47][48][49][50] Hudson's first game in charge of the national team was a 3–1 defeat away toUzbekistan in September 2014.[51]
In 2015, All Whites defeatedOman in a 1–0 victory.[52] Hudson also took the coachingreins of theNew Zealand U23 who won all three of their pool games and their semi final without conceding a goal in theirOceania Olympic Qualifiers at the Pacific Games in July 2015, but were disqualified (and had their semi final win overturned) for fielding an ineligible player due to an administrative error from the national body.[53][54] This incident led to Hudson losing players for selection for his preparation for his matches againstMyanmar andOman[55] as the national body continued their detailed review of the internal processes and eligibility information for all players.[56]
In January 2016, Hudson hit out on the national body over lack of games as the national body failed to find a fixture against suitable opposition for the All Whites in the March FIFA window.[57] Hudson's squad assembled for the first time for the year in May, for a two-week training camp in Australia, ahead of the2016 OFC Nations Cup hosted in Papua New Guinea. Despite having to change the team due to national body's "administrative error" losing players who were no longer eligible,[58] as well as a lack of matches organised from the national body, the All Whites won the2016 OFC Nations Cup, winning four matches with the final being won via a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw against Papua New Guinea, conceding one goal throughout the competition, from a penalty, in the process.[59] New Zealand's victory saw them crowned Oceania champions making New Zealand the most successful national team in the competition's history, having won the tournament five times, and also saw them qualify for the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.[60] In September 2016, Hudson appointed formerHull City,Crystal Palace,Leicester City,England Under-21 and stand-inEngland managerPeter Taylor as his assistant coach.[61] When appointed Peter Taylor praised the progress made by the All Whites under Hudson.[62]
In October 2016, after two away games against Mexico and USA (a 2–1 loss and a 1–1 draw, respectively), former All Whites' captainRyan Nelsen said the team had gone up a level under Hudson and he had "never seen New Zealand teams play this way".[63] Hudson was also linked to the manager's position atDerby County[64] andNorwich City[65] and reportedly turned down job forMK Dons.[66] Hudson denied that he was approached by Derby County, stating there had been "no approach or contact between him and Derby".
In March 2017, Hudson led the All Whites into the Round 3 Play-Off Final by securing top spot in Group A of the third stage of Oceania World Cup Qualifiers.[67] During the All Whites' preparation for World Cup Qualifiers against Fiji, Tommy Smith, senior player, praised the professionalism of the national team's set-up.[68] Hudson made an inaccurate statement regarding the statistics of the All Whites records. Hudson's statement, "losing one game in two years" and "scoring 26 goals, conceding 5", was in fact including the New Zealand U23's record, games he has coached in his campaign for New Zealand, and taking the All Whites' two-year run from after their March 31, 2015, match against South Korea.[69][70]
In June 2016, Hudson led the All Whites to2017 FIFA Confederations Cup as the lowest ranked team, 95th at the time, in the tournament. Their first match was against the hosts Russia, where they were beaten 0–2.[71] Their second match against Mexico was a close one as they took the lead, but their efforts ended in a 1–2 loss, thus earning their early exit along with Russia.[72] Despite the exit, Portugal's manager, Fernando Santos, praised New Zealand as a "team that can surprise anyone" after their performances against Mexico.[73] In the end, New Zealand finished Group A with a third defeat to European champions Portugal.[74] In spite of this, Hudson was praised from overseas press, including Portugal and South Korea[75] as well as from New Zealand captainWinston Reid, and playerRyan Thomas for constant "improvements" of the trainings and the environment.[76][77]
In September 2017, New Zealand won the OFC Final against Solomon Islands. The All Whites won the home-and-away tie on an aggregate score of 8–3 to win the OFC Qualifiers and qualify for theInter-continental play-offs qualifier against the fifth-ranked nation from South America, Peru.[78] This match represented New Zealand's first home match to be played against a "top-100 nation" in the last three and a half years,[79] unprecedented for any international team.[80][81]
In November 2017, Hudson took his team into two-legged intercontinental playoff againstPeru, world's 10th ranked team at the time, for a place at the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. After a 0–0 draw in Wellington, Peru beat New Zealand 2–0 in Lima, qualifying for the World Cup on aggregate over the two legs. Hudson later announced his resignation as All Whites coach after not qualifying for the World Cup, despite a desire from NZ Football chief executive Andy Martin for him to stay.[82][83] Following Hudson's departure, Martin described Hudson as one of the best coaches NZF has had and he would leave behind a professional standard that NZF had never had before.[84]
As part of a High Performance Sport NZ programme, Hudson also spent time with All Blacks' coaches,Steve Hansen and long-time assistantWayne Smith, as well as Crusaders coachScott Robertson.[85][86][87] Hudson has close relationship with Hansen as All Blacks previously shared time with him and the All Whites.[88]
On November 29, 2017, Hudson was announced as the new coach of theColorado Rapids inMajor League Soccer.[89] At 36, Hudson became the youngest head coach in Colorado Rapids' history,[90] as well as the youngest head coach in the 2018 MLS season.[91] In his first season in charge, Hudson led the Rapids to nine consecutive losses across all competitions,[92] including a loss to lower divisionUnited Soccer League sideNashville SC in theU.S. Open Cup.[93]
On May 1, 2019, the Rapids announced that they had relieved Hudson of his duties following comments made in the media post the Atlanta United game where he was quoted,
"We are fighting at the bottom with a bottom group of players and we have to find a way to pick up results whilst also being a team that tries to play a certain way. And we just have to find that balance.The only way it's going to be a quick fix is if you wave a magic wand at it and throw lots of money at it. Clearly we're not doing that. I'll go back to this: Every single game we go into, whether it'sNani, whether it's[Wayne] Rooney, whether it's[Lucho] Acosta — every single week there are players in this league making a difference and the gap in quality is huge … There are teams with a lot more quality than us. And that's what we're competing against. And no one talks about it.
Hudson's comments were related to his team being the only team in the league with one marquee player, goalkeeperTim Howard, whereas other teams had two or three marquee players.[94]
Hudson has since explained that he has cleared things up with the players, they understood what he meant and that his comments came out wrong, especially since there's a cultural difference in how England managers talk.[95]
After Hudson was relieved of his duties, the Rapids named assistant coachConor Casey as his interim replacement. Hudson ended his tenure in Denver with an 8–26–9 record as the statistical worst coach in Rapids history at the time.[96]
In January 2021, Hudson joined theUnited States national team as assistant to managerGregg Berhalter.[97]
Under their leadership, theUnited States national team defeatedMexico 3–2 after extra time in thefinal to become the first champions of the 2021CONCACAF Nations League on June 6, 2021.[98]
TheUnited States national team was then also crowned champions of the2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final on August 1, 2021, after defeating Mexico 1–0 before a sold-out crowd atAllegiant Stadium inParadise, NV.[99]
After qualifying for the2022 FIFA World Cup following a 2–0 loss to Costa Rica in the final match of CONCACAF qualifying at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica,[100] theUnited States national team's run at the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar ended after the Netherlands defeated the US 3-1 in theround of 16.[101]
On January 4, 2023, Hudson was named interim manager of theUnited States national team, following the expiration of previous managerGregg Berhalter's contract withU.S. Soccer. In a press release, the federation announced that Hudson would be responsible for selecting and managing the roster for the January 2023 camp and associated friendlies againstSerbia andColombia.[102]
TheUSMNT qualified for the2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup following their 7–1 win over Grenada in Group D of League A of the 2022-23CONCACAF Nations League.[103]
Hudson stepped down from his interim position on May 30, 2023, and departed the US Soccer organization to take an undisclosed new opportunity.B. J. Callaghan was named as his replacement, maintaining the interim tag.[104]
Hudson signed withQatar Stars LeagueAl-Markiyah SC at the start of the 2023/24 season. After three league matches, Hudson moved into a technical advisory role, leaving his position as manager by mutual consent with the club. As of April 2024, he became a free agent.[105]
In September 2024, Hudson signed withQatar Stars LeagueAl Arabi SC,[106] replacing Younes Ali as Al Arabi's head coach, and starting his Al Arabi stint with anOoredoo Stars League (OSL) game against Al Ahli atAl Thumama Stadium on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in a 3–3 draw.[107]
In February, 2025, Hudson became a new head coach of the club replacing an interim coachSupachai Komsilp. His first match will beASEAN Club Championship againstTerengganu FC from malaysia.
On 22 October 2025, Hudson was appointed byFootball Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) as the head coach ofThailand national team, following the sacking ofMasatada Ishii.
Apart from his native English, Hudson also speaks Spanish.[108]
During the end of his soccer career and the start of his management career, Hudson sought out help fromAlcoholics Anonymous which aided him to quit in 2005. Hudson has been sober since and has volunteered in prisons and hospitals in the US, UK, and New Zealand, helping people with drinking problems.[109]
In May 2019, Hudson founded the Forgotten Dogs Foundation, aimed at helping homeless dogs find a safe haven. The foundation holds soccer clinics and tournaments as fundraisers.[110]
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Real Maryland Monarchs |  | 1 October 2008 | 30 June 2010 | 45 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 028.89 | |
| Newport County |  | 1 April 2011 | 28 September 2011 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 027.78 | |
| Bahrain U23 |  | 21 March 2012 | 1 August 2014 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 060.00 | |
| Bahrain | | 13 August 2013 | 1 August 2014 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 025.00 | |
| New Zealand U23 |  | 1 August 2014 | 23 November 2017 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 075.00 | |
| New Zealand | | 1 August 2014 | 23 November 2017 | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 033.33 | |
| Colorado Rapids | | 29 November 2017 | 1 May 2019 | 46 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 017.39 | |
| United States (interim) | | 4 January 2023 | 30 May 2023 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 040.00 | |
| Al-Markhiya |  | 1 July 2023 | 22 October 2023 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 040.00 | |
| Al Arabi SC | | 19 September 2024 | 11 December 2024 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 045.45 | |
| BG Pathum United |  | 3 February 2025 | 4 April 2025 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 058.33 | |
| Thailand | | 22 October 2025 | Present | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Career Total | 197 | 65 | 49 | 83 | 032.99 | ||||
Real Marylands
Bahrain
Bahrain U23
New Zealand
United States (assistant)
Media related toAnthony Hudson (association football player) at Wikimedia CommonsInternational tournaments | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
Managerial positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
