COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – When the Colorado Rapids travel to CenturyLink Field on Saturday to face the surging Seattle Sounders, it will mark a return home for Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson.
“Seattle is a special place in my family’s life,” Hudson told Pro Soccer USA this week. “I grew up there as a young kid all the way up to my adult life. All my family used to talk about is what a great time they had in Seattle.”
Born in Seattle, Hudson spent his childhood in the Emerald City while his father, Alan Hudson, played for the original Sounders of the North American Soccer League.
“I remember Anthony sitting on my knee a few times whenever we had a get together. We had a really wonderful winning team,” recalled current Sounders ambassador Alan Hinton, who coached the Sounders from 1980-82. “Anthony was always a bright kid. He was always happy running around at practice.”
Alongside NASL poster boys Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer, Alan Hudson was one of the star faces of the NASL, long before the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, David Villa and Kaká brought big names to Major League Soccer.
Superb image of Stoke City Manager Bill Asprey welcoming Alan Hudson back to the Victoria Ground back in 1984. #StokeCityFC #SCFC @stokefans @AlanHudson_10
[Credit- Stoke Sentinel] pic.twitter.com/V79nlKqCG9
— Football Back Then 
(@FootballThen) September 25, 2018
In the 1970s, Hudson was seen as England’s successor to World Cup winner Bobby Charlton. Making his international debut in a 2-0 friendly win over defending World Cup Champions West Germany at Wembley in March of 1975, Hudson’s performance earned praise from the opposition.
“Don’t forget one time, the coach of Germany [Helmut Schoen] said, ‘England have finally got a world-class player,’ and he was talking about Alan Hudson,” Hinton said.
After stints at some of England’s biggest clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke City, Hudson moved to the States to join the Sounders, where he became the club’s captain and best player.
“He was wonderful with the young guys and the young American players,” Hinton added.
Alan Hinton
Brian Schmetzer
One of those young Americans was current Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer. As a teenager entering the world of professional soccer for the first time, Schmetzer made a point to learn all he could from Hudson and the senior players on those early Sounders teams.
“Alan was one of the guys who helped me in many occasions,” Schmetzer said. “All of those guys and all of those experienced veteran players helped me not just by the words they said to me, but by their actions.”
What Schmetzer remembers most vividly about Hudson was his ability to play a possession-based style of football.
“He rarely lost the ball,” Schmetzer said. “He could keep possession and play; you had to fight like mad to get the ball off of him. Nowadays, possession is key, but back in those days, back in England, it wasn’t a possession game.”
The Guvnor; a man for all seasons. Alan HUDSON walked on water and glided on grass pic.twitter.com/d0NKrF3ckG
— Alan Hudson (Hud) (@AlanHudson_10) September 25, 2018
Unironically, it’s a style that Anthony Hudson has tried to implement this year, his first season managing the Colorado Rapids.
“He’s got a lot of his father in him,” observed Hinton.
In contrast to his father, who earned his reputation as a player, Anthony Hudson has forged his own path behind the touchline. But his first season as an MLS manager has come with its fair share of growing pains. The Rapids have just six wins in 29 matches this season.
Schmetzer is empathetic to the situations his fellow coach encountered during his debut MLS season.
“From afar, I think there’s a learning curve for people outside the U.S.,” he explained. “MLS is a different beast. I had the benefits of learning under [Sigi Schmid] and for seven years being an assistant coach. I was the beneficiary of getting to know the league, the players, and getting a running start.”
At the same time, the Sounders manager harbors a tremendous amount of respect for Hudson and the Rapids organization as his team preps for this weekend’s head-to-head clash.
Aug 25, 2018; Commerce City, CO, USA; Colorado Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson talks with midfielder Johan Blomberg (8) and defender Deklan Wynne (27) in the second half against Real Salt Lake at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
“[Anthony] has got his fair share of challenges, but if he finds the right mix of guys and he uses his tactics and his ability to motivate guys, he can be successful there,” Schmetzer continued. “Colorado has had some success. They won an MLS Cup in 2010. We played them in the Conference Championship a couple years ago. It’s a place where you can win.”
With Seattle getting points in 10 of its past 14 matches, including a 2-0 win over Colorado July 4, accomplishing a win this weekend will be a challenge for Hudson’s Rapids.
While eager to visit his old stomping grounds, the focus has been singular.
“We’re desperate to go there and get a performance,” he said. “We’re not going to go there and be afraid of a giant.”
The post Hudson homecoming: Rapids head coach returns home to face Seattle Sounders appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.
Original author: Marco Cummings and Andrew Harvey
