Anthony Hudson looked set to lead the U.S. men’s national team through the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup as interim head coach.
But that’s the thing with the “interim” title — it is impermanent by its very nature and if something better comes along, you really can’t blame any temporary boss for jumping at it.
That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday when Hudson departed for a “new opportunity” just a couple weeks before the Nations League semifinal against Mexico.
In stepped assistant B.J. Callaghan as the USMNT’s second interim head coach this year, with the 41-year-old set to lead the team as it aims to defend both of its continental titles.
Callaghan is a name that likely wasn’t familiar to many fans outside of the die-hards, so who is the man that will coach the USMNT this summer?
Rising through the Philly ranks
New Jersey native Callaghan played four seasons at Ursinus College, about an hour outside Philadelphia. He then coached at various youth clubs in the Philadelphia area before returning to college as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s and then Villanova University.
It was during his time at Villanova that Callaghan connected with Jim Curtin, who would eventually become the head coach of the Philadelphia Union.
Callaghan joined the Union’s academy as a coach in 2012 and when Curtin was elevated to head coach in 2014, he brought Callaghan up with him as an assistant.
“He was someone I called in right away,” Curtin told The Athletic. “A lot of people tend to go with maybe guys who you formerly played with or did a favor for someone. But I did it in a way where I chose a person I trusted and I knew had a high soccer IQ and could help facilitate the messages we wanted to get across… And he has been the most important guy in my development as a coach, to be honest.”
Moving to U.S. Soccer
Callaghan’s reputation for developing players with the Union, including current USMNT members Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Zack Steffen and Auston Trusty, saw him join the national team’s staff in 2019.
First working as the strategy analyst, Callaghan was later promoted to assistant coach ahead of the 2021 Nations League and Gold Cup.
Callaghan is currently the longest-serving member of the USMNT technical staff, and he’ll now get a big — and unexpected — chance to coach the senior side at two important tournaments this summer.
“B.J. has been an integral part of the USMNT staff during the last four years as this young team has grown and developed,” U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said. “Working alongside Anthony Hudson these last five months, we are confident he is prepared and ready to lead this group in the summer tournaments.”
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