Tag: Anthony Hudson

USMNT player ratings: Pulisic dominates in Grenada rout

The USMNT’s big names sure played like it Friday night

The U.S. men’s national team was supposed to handle Grenada with ease, and it turns out that’s exactly what they did.

Returning to CONCACAF Nations League play for the first time since June 2022, the USMNT steamrolled the Spice Boys, scoring early and often in a 7-1 victory.

Just knowing the scoreline, even a person that didn’t see the game could probably divine some of the ratings here. Christian Pulisic was dominant from kickoff, Weston McKennie conjured up two goals, and Alex Zendejas marked his becoming cap-tied to the team with a goal. If you’re a USMNT fan, it was a fun Friday night.

With that in mind, our ratings for a game that was never particularly close:

Folarin Balogun confirmed in Orlando, not confirmed as a USMNT player

Balogun is on vacation, the international decision might take him a minute

Is Folarin Balogun going to suit up for the U.S. men’s national team?

The question remains open, but of late has heated up significantly. USMNT Twitter flew into an uproar on Wednesday after Balogun posted photos of himself in Orlando, though it wasn’t entirely clear when the photos were taken or why he posted those photos.

Coming on the heels of a cryptic Balogun Instagram post last week after he was not called up by England, and interim USMNT coach Anthony Hudson admitting the federation was “in open dialogue” with the 21-year-old, things were bound to ramp up further. Fans wanting the Reims marksman to commit to the USMNT, as opposed to his options with the Three Lions or Nigeria, filled the rest of the information in with assumptions that he’s already made up his mind.

Things reached a fever pitch when the Orlando Magic confirmed Balogun was in town on Thursday, sharing photos of the striker with a “Balogun 9” Magic jersey ahead of their tipoff with the New York Knicks.

Speaking to reporters later on Thursday from Grenada ahead of the USMNT’s Nations League match against the Spice Boys, Hudson cautioned that no commitments had been made, and in fact nothing much else has happened.

“He’s out here having a little bit of a break, and some training, and we’ve had some discussions. Now it’s about him just enjoying the rest of his trip,” said Hudson. “I think it’s good because it’s been an opportunity for us just to share about our program and who we are, and what we do. And again, hope we get the chance to speak with him again. It’s been good to me, and I know a few of the guys have spoken to him as well.”

Christian Pulisic, who Hudson said will captain the team with Tyler Adams (hamstring) unavailable in this window, backed that up, but said that he wasn’t on the list of people blowing up Balogun’s phone.

“I haven’t really spoken to him personally,” said Pulisic. “I know some of the guys that know him from previous teams or whatever have reached out to him and spoken to him. From our side, we’d love to have him.”

Balogun Watch will continue with breathless updates, whether he’s announcing which national team he’ll be scoring goals for or just checking out the sights at Epcot Center.

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USMNT ‘really believe’ recalls for Dike, Pepi will spark Nations League success

The USMNT striker job is still very much up for grabs

The World Cup didn’t mark the end of the U.S. men’s national team’s search for an every-game starter at center forward.

The USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League roster saw some notable recalls and changes, but few caught the eye like interim manager Anthony Hudson bringing Ricardo Pepi and Daryl Dike in for a pair of games that he referred to as “must-win” while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

“We’ve obviously not seen Ricardo or Daryl for for some time,” said Hudson. “We’re really pleased they’re both coming in. They’ve been away for a while, and we really believe that these two guys can help us in this camp.”

The choice to leave Pepi out of the USMNT squad at November’s World Cup was a surprise to many, with Gregg Berhalter calling on Jesús Ferreira, Haji Wright, and Josh Sargent instead. Dike, meanwhile, suffered a significant quadriceps strain in August that kept him off the field until three days after Berhalter’s 26-man roster was announced. None of that World Cup trio will be in the USMNT’s camp for March fixtures against Grenada and El Salvador.

At the World Cup itself, Wright was the only out-and-out striker to score (and it was one of the strangest goals of the entire tournament), Ferreira played just 45 minutes, and some of the minutes at the No. 9 position went to Gio Reyna.

Having to rely on Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah as the team’s chief goal threats isn’t by any means unworkable, but it’s no accident that the USMNT has kept the door open when it comes to forwards, whether the players are in the pool or not. Folarin Balogun would be a target for recruitment no matter how well things were going for the USMNT, but as long as no one has seized the starting job on a more regular basis, there’s added pressure to find a solution.

Club form for Pepi, Dike keeps Hudson’s attention

Pepi has been a menace in the Eredivisie, leading Groningen in goals and making the league’s February team of the month. For his part, Dike has five goals in his last 11 league appearances for West Brom, including three game-winners to help his side’s hopes of making the promotion playoffs in the Championship.

In other words, both have done what’s in their power to stay in the frame for the USMNT, and per Hudson — who said that he and other USMNT staff members had gone to Europe to watch both players in person — the recalls are exciting news.

“Ricardo, I understand the disappointment that he had missing out on the World Cup. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like, for a young player to go through that,” said Hudson on the Groningen striker. “He’s someone that we value. He did an amazing job for us in the last cycle… I think slowly now he is really finding form, finding confidence, and he’s been doing well. So we’re looking forward to him coming back in camp, and reintegrating him into the squad.”

Hudson said that Dike’s injury came at “an unfortunate time” last year, and said that his performances at both West Brom and his previous club Barnsley merit serious USMNT consideration.

“With Barnsley, I think when he went there, they were fighting relegation, and he had a massive part to play in scoring goals and getting them up to then pushing for [the promotion] playoffs,” explained Hudson. “He’s done really well, and then obviously he’s moved to West Brom. He had an injury, but again, he’s doing well.”

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Hudson: USMNT in ‘open dialogue’ with Balogun

The 21-year-old striker is flying high on loan with Reims

U.S. Soccer is in “open dialogue” with Folarin Balogun, according to U.S. men’s national team interim coach Anthony Hudson.

The Arsenal striker has been a revelation this season on loan with Reims, scoring 16 goals in Ligue 1.

Balogun’s performance in France has led to plenty of speculation over his future, both for club and country.

The New York-born striker is eligible to represent the USMNT, Nigeria and England, and has played for both the U.S. and England at the youth international level.

Most recently, Balogun has been involved in England’s U-21 setup, while he reportedly turned down a senior call from Nigeria this month.

Hudson told reporters on Wednesday that he and U.S. Soccer officials have been in communication with the on-demand striker, though he would not elaborate any further.

“With Flo, all I’ll say is that there is open dialogue with him and his team, and that dialogue is continuing,” Hudson said. “That’s all I can say on that one.”

Hudson spoke in general terms about the federation’s efforts to recruit dual-national players, which paid off this week when Alex Zendejas committed to the USMNT over Mexico.

“It’s been really important to make sure we’re doing all we can to engage with [dual-nationals] and if there are any out there that can help the team, we need need to connect and engage … and try to encourage them,” Hudson said. “We need to show them what we’re doing, and hopefully get guys to come and commit to us.”

U.S. Soccer’s recruiting efforts could, however, be hampered by the absence of a permanent USMNT head coach and general manager, as well as a U.S. Soccer sporting director.

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone has said she hopes to have a sporting director in place before the start of the World Cup in July, which would be followed by a permanent USMNT head coach.

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Gio Reyna back in USMNT squad for CONCACAF Nations League

Amid all the turmoil, Reyna is back in the USMNT fold

Amid all the turmoil surrounding him away from the field, Gio Reyna will be joining up with the U.S. men’s national team later this month.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is on interim coach Anthony Hudson’s roster for the USMNT’s upcoming CONCACAF Nations League group matches against Grenada and El Salvador.

The call-up comes just two days after U.S. Soccer announced the findings of an investigation into an ugly series of events involving former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, his wife Rosalind, and Reyna’s parents Claudio and Danielle.

While expected — controversies aside, Reyna is clearly one of the most talented players in the entire USMNT pool — the call-up is still some rare good news for the 20-year-old. After being stuck on the bench for three straight games at club level, Reyna came on early in Dortmund’s Champions League clash with Chelsea, but was criticized in the German press for his performance.

The following weekend, even with three other attacking midfield options unavailable due to injury or illness, manager Edin Terzić started Donyell Malen and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in their Revierderby battle with Schalke. Reyna ended up playing only the final 11 minutes of a 2-2 draw.

Explaining Reyna’s inclusion, Hudson told U.S. Soccer’s website: “As I’ve said before, the situation during the World Cup was handled as a group, there was a positive response from the player, and we all moved forward.

“Clearly it became a bit more complex in the months since the World Cup, but as far as we’re concerned Gio is a part of our program. He’s a good guy and a top talent and he is evaluated like any other player. We made the roster decisions based on what gives the team the best opportunity to win these games, and we brought him in because we think he can help us do that.”

Speaking to reporters after the roster came out, Hudson added that within the USMNT staff, they felt the off-field issues were “separate” from Reyna. “He’s determined to come back in and do well and help the team,” said Hudson.

Full USMNT back together

Reyna wasn’t called in for the USMNT’s January camp, but it had nothing to do with off-field scandal or his battle for playing time at Dortmund. Rather, that camp fell outside of the FIFA window, so he (like the rest of the team’s European-based contingent) wasn’t available to participate.

The CONCACAF Nations League, however, is built into FIFA’s competition calendar, obliging clubs to release players. As such, Reyna will join up with the group that faces a March 24 match against Grenada in St. George’s, as well as March 27’s clash with El Salvador in Orlando.

While the USMNT will be heavily favored in both games, a loss at Exploria Stadium would eliminate them from June’s Nations League finals. A loss at Grenada would also position El Salvador to win Group D with a draw in Florida, as the three-team round robin format leaves little margin for error.

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