U.S. Soccer names B.J. Callaghan new interim coach of men’s national team

B.J. Callaghan will coach the men’s national team during this summer’s CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments, replacing Anthony Hudson, who has served as the team’s interim manager since January.

Callaghan has served with the USMNT since 2019, joining the program as the strategy analyst before being elevated to an assistant coach. He is the longest-serving member of the technical staff.

The U.S. has been without a full-time manager since Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired following last year’s World Cup in Qatar, where the team reached the round of 16. Berhalter remains a candidate for the permanent job that Matt Crocker, the team’s sporting director, said he hopes to fill by the end of summer.

Callaghan will call up his first roster in the next week, ahead of the Nations League semifinals June 15 in Las Vegas.

“I understand the responsibility of the job and am honored to have the opportunity to build upon the progress this group has made the last four years,” Callaghan said in a statement. “Together we have built a strong culture and a great understanding of how we want to play, and we expect to continue to build on that progress.

“Our goal is clear: Defend both of our CONCACAF titles.”

The U.S. won both tournaments under Berhalter, who has the best winning percentage of any permanent manager in USMNT history.

Before joining the national team, Callaghan, 41, worked with the Philadelphia Union seven years, first with the Union Academy, then five years as a first team assistant coach to Jim Curtin. He played four seasons at Ursinus College and served as an assistant at Villanova.

Hudson, who took over for Berhalter as U.S. Soccer investigated, and cleared, Berhalter of any wrongdoing related to a 1991 domestic abuse incident, was 2-1-2 in his brief stint as manager. That stay included a Nations League win over El Salvador and a 1-1 draw with Mexico.

Hudson is leaving the national team for a new coaching opportunity, but exactly where that will be has not been disclosed. Hudson, 42, had previously managed national teams in Bahrain and New Zealand.