Marko Mitrović Promoted to USMNT Role Amidst Interim Twist
The U.S. Men’s National Team head coaching saga has been in the headlines for a couple of months ever since the post-World Cup falling out between Gregg Berhalter and the family of Gio Reyna, and it took another unexpected twist this morning when U.S. Soccer announced that interim boss Anthony Hudson was leaving his position. Hudson had been set to lead the team in the CONCACAF Nations League and CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer, but now his time in Chicago has come to an abrupt end as he moves on to a new position elsewhere. Assistant coach B.J. Callaghan will now take over the interim role.
In the midst of this, former Chicago Fire assistant coach Marko Mitrović has been appointed as Callaghan’s assistant. Mitrović, who was the #2 to Veljko Paunović in Chicago from 2016 to 2019 after winning the U-20 World Cup with Serbia a year prior, has been the U.S. U-19 National Team coach since last year. As U-19 coach, Mitrović has called upon a handful of Chicago-based players, most notably Sergio Oregel, who has been a regular contributor for that team. The 44-year-old Serb joined Hudson’s senior team staff for a camp this Spring and will now be a part of Callaghan’s team for the summer.
Sporting Director Matt Crocker stated earlier this week that the permanent head coach will not start until after the Gold Cup, though he did decline to confirm our report that ex-Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch was close to an appointment. While he remains the frontrunner, Marsch, or whoever ends up being the coach should the situation change, won't be officially hired until after the summer tournaments, so it's no surprise that he would not yet confirm it. Crocker officially starts his position full-time on August 2nd.
Callaghan's staff will, therefore, lead the team through both summer tournaments, with the Nations League roster headlined by new-recruit Folarin Balogun set to be announced this Thursday. The Gold Cup will kick off on June 24th in Chicago, when the USMNT takes on Jamaica at Soldier Field.
