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U.S. Soccer has chosen former Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson to lead the USMNT U-20s, a decision that left many of us—including former players—very confused.
Former player of Hudson’s...and he’s not the only one as many have reached out to me perplexed at this move. At some point our country needs to reward success and not failure....right? #USMNT #USSF https://t.co/AuhvLhFHyU
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 8, 2020
The official announcement calls Hudson’s 12-year managerial career “impressive” and Earnie Stewart, U.S. Soccer Sporting Director, said “We’re excited to bring Anthony on-board to lead our U-20 Men’s National Team as it prepares for this summer’s Concacaf Championship. We’ve enjoyed great success with the U-20s over the last few cycles and the team has been instrumental in advancing players to our senior Men’s national team. We believe that Anthony’s experience in the international game and at the club level make him a great choice to continue that success.”
Perhaps the main reason that Hudson was hired is his success with youth teams over his career, though it’s a very small sample size:
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Hudson said he’s “very proud to be joining U.S. Soccer. It’s a really exciting time with the game’s rapid growth in this country and especially with so many talented young players coming through the ranks. I can’t wait to work with them and help develop these players into contributors at the highest level.”
Cole Bassett gets called up to Hudson’s first training camp
The U.S. National Team Training Camp is taking place right now at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Hudson has called up 24 players, including Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett. This will be Bassett’s first experience at the U-20 camp.
Of the roster, 12 players earned professional minutes in 2019. Seventeen are based at U.S. clubs while the other seven play internationally.
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The training camp concludes with two friendlies against Mexico on January 16th and 18th, and then the U-20s will be looking to defend their title in the Concacaf U-20 Championship. The group won in 2017 and 2019 and will take on Costa Rica, Jamaica, and St. Kitts and Nevis in the group stage of the summer tournament.