B. J. Callaghan
{{Short description|American soccer coach (born 1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = B. J. Callaghan
| image = B. J. Callaghan Revolution Nashville 6.25.25-056.jpg
| caption = Callaghan in 2025
| full_name = Brian Joseph Callaghan II{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce44/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: USA |publisher=FIFA |page=31 |date=18 December 2022 |access-date=31 May 2023}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|7|1}}{{cite book |location=Chicago |url=https://player.flipsnack.com/?hash=RkU5RjY1NUJEQzkremNsNmlzOXh1Mw%3D%3D&p=8 |title=2022 U.S. Men's National Team Media Guide |chapter=2022 USMNT Coaching Staff |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |page=8 |year=2022 |access-date=May 31, 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531010757/https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/zcl6is9xu3/zcl6is9xu3_print.pdf |archive-date=May 31, 2023}}
| birth_place = Ventnor City, New Jersey, United States
| position = Goalkeeper
| currentclub = Nashville SC (head coach)
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1999
| youthclubs1 = Holy Spirit Spartans
| collegeyears1 = 1999–2002
| college1 = Ursinus Bears
| manageryears1 = 2003
| managerclubs1 = Ursinus Bears (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2004–2005
| managerclubs2 = Saint Joseph's Hawks (women; assistant)
| manageryears3 = 2006–2007
| managerclubs3 = Villanova Wildcats (women; assistant)
| manageryears4 = 2008–2012
| managerclubs4 = Villanova Wildcats (assistant)
| manageryears5 = 2014–2019
| managerclubs5 = Philadelphia Union (assistant)
| manageryears6 = 2019–2024
| managerclubs6 = United States (assistant)
| manageryears7 = 2023
| managerclubs7 = United States (interim)
| manageryears8 = 2024–
| managerclubs8 = Nashville SC
}}
Brian Joseph Callaghan II (born July 1, 1981) is an American professional soccer coach who is currently serving as the head coach of Nashville SC.
Playing career
Callaghan played collegiate soccer at Ursinus College, making 250 career saves, fourth in school history at the end of his final season.{{cite web |url=https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/ursinuscollege.sidearmsports.com/documents/2021/8/17/Record_Book.pdf |title=Ursinus College Men's Soccer Career Records (updated through 2019 season) |publisher=Ursinus Bears |access-date=May 31, 2023}}
Coaching career
After graduation, Callaghan coached at his alma mater and at the club level before joining the staff at Saint Joseph's and later Villanova, where his grandfather, Jack Kraft, had served as the men's basketball head coach in the 1960s and 1970s and led the Wildcats to the 1971 national championship game. From 2005 to 2010, Callaghan served as an assistant coach with the Wildcats before being promoted to associate head coach in 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2023/05/five-things-to-know-about-usmnt-head-coach-bj-callaghan|title=Five Things To Know About USMNT Head Coach B.J. Callaghan | U.S. Soccer Official Website|website=www.ussoccer.com}}
While at Villanova, Callaghan met Jim Curtin, a Wildcats standout from 1997 to 2000 who was serving as a volunteer assistant. Following Curtin's eventual hiring by the Philadelphia Union as a member of the club's academy staff, Callaghan came on board in 2012 while continuing to serve at Villanova. He left Villanova to became a full-time member of the Union in 2013 following Curtin's promotion to the first team as an assistant coach, and later was one of Curtin's initial hires following the latter's appointment to interim head coach and later to permanent head coach after the firing of John Hackworth.
Callaghan remained with the Union through 2018, before joining the U.S. men's national team as an assistant coach and strategy analyst under Gregg Berhalter in January 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2019/01/us-soccer-names-initial-members-of-us-mnt-technical-staff |title=U.S. Soccer Names Initial Members of U.S. MNT Technical Staff |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |date=January 16, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2023}} After Berhalter's contract expired at the end of 2022, Callaghan stayed with the program following Anthony Hudson's promotion from assistant coach to interim head coach.
On May 30, 2023, U.S. Soccer announced that Callaghan would succeed Hudson as interim head coach of the men's national team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/usmnt-coaching-change-b-j-callaghan-named-interim-coach-ahead-of-nations-league-as-anthony-hudson-departs/|title=USMNT coaching change: B.J. Callaghan named interim coach ahead of Nations League as Anthony Hudson departs|date=May 30, 2023|website=CBSSports.com}} In June 2023, U.S. Soccer re-appointed Berhalter as head coach and announced that Callaghan's stint as interim head coach will conclude after the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.{{Cite web |date=June 16, 2023 |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2023/06/gregg-berhalter-chosen-to-lead-us-mens-national-team-to-2026-fifa-world-cup|title=Gregg Berhalter Chosen To Lead U.S. Men's National Team To 2026 FIFA World Cup |website=www.ussoccer.com}} He made his debut as head coach on June 15 against rivals Mexico in the semi-finals of the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. The United States won 3–0 and Callaghan became the first U.S. coach to win on their debut against Mexico since David Gould in 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification.{{cite news |last=Bonn |first=Kyle |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Who is USMNT coach? BJ Callaghan new men's USA soccer national team manager for Nations League, Gold Cup |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/usmnt-coach-bj-callaghan-usa-soccer-national-team-manager/vq87cyeylsqdnv4wfbb7h545 |work=The Sporting News |accessdate=June 21, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Goff |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Goff |date=June 16, 2023 |title=Christian Pulisic scores twice to lift U.S. to contentious win over Mexico |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/16/christian-pulisic-united-states-mexico/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |accessdate=June 21, 2023}} The team went on to defeat Canada in the tournament final three days later.{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=Andy |date=June 20, 2023 |title=USMNT defeats Canada, wins second-straight Nations League title |url=https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2023/06/20/usmnt-vs-canada-video-highlights-analysis-recap-nations-league-final/ |publisher=NBC Sports |accessdate=June 21, 2023}}
On July 3, 2024, MLS club Nashville SC hired Callaghan as their head coach.{{cite press release|url=https://www.nashvillesc.com/news/nashville-soccer-club-appoints-usmnt-assistant-coach-bj-callaghan-head-coach|title=Nashville Soccer Club Appoints U.S. Men's National Team Assistant Coach B.J. Callaghan As Head Coach|publisher=Nashville SC|date=July 3, 2024|access-date=July 3, 2024}} He is the club's second head coach in franchise history after Gary Smith, who was fired on May 16 and replaced by an interim coach. Callaghan will join Nashville SC on July 22 to prepare for the 2024 Leagues Cup.{{cite news |last=Shames |first=Jacob |date=July 3, 2024 |title=Nashville SC hires BJ Callaghan, US Men's National Team assistant, as coach |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nashvillesc/2024/07/03/bj-callaghan-hired-nashville-sc-coach-usmnt-mls/74092143007/ |work=The Tennessean |accessdate=July 18, 2024}}
Coaching statistics
{{Updated|match played 5 July 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Coaching record by team and tenure |
| rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="8"|Record |
|---|
| {{Tooltip|G|Games managed}}
!{{Tooltip|W|Games won}} !{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}} !{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}} !{{Tooltip|Win %|Winning percentage}} |
| United States (interim)
| May 30, 2023 | July 12, 2023 {{WDL|7|4|3|0}} |
| Nashville SC
| July 22, 2024 | present {{WDL|34|17|7|10}} |
| colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|41|21|10|10}} |
Honors
Personal life
Raised in Ventnor City, New Jersey, Callaghan played prep soccer at Holy Spirit High School.Tannewald, Jonathan. [https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/anthony-hudson-usmnt-bj-callaghan-20230530.html "Ex-Union assistant B.J. Callaghan to serve as interim USMNT coach this summer"], The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 30, 2023. Accessed May 30, 2023. "Top assistant B.J. Callaghan, a Ventnor native with many years of experience with the national team and the Union, will lead the program through this summer’s Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup tournaments.... The 41-year-old ex-goalkeeper played high school soccer at Holy Spirit, college ball at Ursinus, and worked on the coaching staffs at Ursinus, St. Joseph’s, and Villanova."
Callaghan graduated from Ursinus College in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business administration.https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-callaghan-134b29b/
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050311115130/http://sjuhawks.collegesports.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/callaghan_bj00.html Saint Joseph's coaching profile]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080610012423/http://villanova.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/callaghan_bj00.html Villanova women's coaching profile]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121020063241/http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/callaghan_bj00.html Villanova men's coaching profile]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20181029092450/https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/club/technical-staff Philadelphia Union coaching profile]
{{United States squad 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list =
{{United States men's national soccer team managers}}
{{Nashville SC managers}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Bj}}
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:American soccer coaches
Category:Holy Spirit High School (New Jersey) alumni
Category:People from Ventnor City, New Jersey
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:College men's soccer players in the United States
Category:Villanova Wildcats men's soccer coaches
Category:Philadelphia Union non-playing staff
Category:Ursinus College alumni
Category:American women's soccer coaches
Category:Soccer players from Atlantic County, New Jersey