Yesterday, it was announced by NJ/NY Gotham FC that Hue Menzies will serve as Interim Head Coach for the second half of their 2022 campaign. This news comes no more than two days after a club statement was put out about parting ways with Scott Parkinson.
Parkinson, who first joined the club in late August of last year, produced a disappointing 4-0-8 record for the first half of the 2022 season in addition to a 1-3-2 record in the 2022 Challenge Cup Group stage, where Gotham failed to reach the playoffs. Alongside 2021 games, Parkinson only saw a win percentage of 29.63%.
About Hue Menzies
Menzies joins the NWSL with over thirty years of coaching experience. Notably, he was named manager of the Jamaica women’s national football team in 2015 and went on to become the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Coach of the Year after securing a spot in the 2019 Women’s World Cup with the Reggae Girlz.
His first coaching stint came in 1983 as a means to earn money, later gaining experience in the local youth soccer scene in Texas. From 1993 to 1997, he coached the boys’ team at Abilene High School and later served as an assistant coach for the University of Texas women’s soccer team.
By the earlier 2000s, Menzies got involved with coaching for the U.S. Olympic Development Program (ODP) that spanned almost two decades, building his resume nationally alongside working with the United States women’s national U-19 squad in 2004.
He later directed two clubs in Austin, Texas—Warriors Soccer Club and Lone Star Soccer Club (which he co-founded), coached Central Florida Kraze and since 2012, earned served as the executive director of Florida Kraze Krush based outside of Orlando. His work has seen over 5,000 players enrolled in his programs in Texas alongside over 400 Floridian players in the collegiate game.
Making (Black) History
Menzies is the second Black head coach (interim or permanent) to join the National Women’s Soccer League after Seb Hines was named Interim Head Coach for the Orlando Pride earlier this summer after Amanda Cromwell was placed on administrative leave.
According to Jenna Tonelli, Gotham states that Menzies is the first Black coach in the NWSL “to be directly hired into this role”.
With this in mind, Menzies joins a team with the highest amount of Black players in the league, with nine active players in total. Three of those players (Purce, Onumonu, and Dorsey) are on the executive board of the Black Women’s Player Collective while five (Cudjoe, Johnson, Freeman, Smith, and Richardson) are members. Defender Ellie Jean was signed to a one-year contract with a one-year option earlier this year and is currently playing in her first NWSL season.
“Hue is a soccer lifer and a true professional with a track record of success when it comes to building programs and developing players…I’m confident Hue will help our players reach their potential this season while we continue our coaching search.” — A statement from NJ/NY Gotham FC General Manager, Yael Averbuch West
