Hue Menzies facts for kids

Hue Alphanso Menzies, born on March 10, 1964, is a well-known football manager and former player. He is famous for leading the Jamaica women's national team to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was a huge achievement, as it was the first time a team from the Caribbean had ever qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Playing Career: Hue Menzies as a Defender

Hue Menzies played as a defender during his time as a football player. While he was in college, he played for the Hardin–Simmons Cowboys soccer team. This was from 1982 to 1985.

Later, in the mid-1980s, Menzies played professionally for two seasons. He was part of the Orlando Lions team in the American Soccer League. He also played for the Houston Dynamos.

Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Success

Early Coaching in the United States

Hue Menzies started coaching early in his life. In 1983, when he was still in college, he began coaching to earn some extra money. Later, while working in finance in New York, he coached youth soccer teams in his free time.

Menzies eventually left the finance world to coach football full-time. From 1993 to 1997, he coached the boys' soccer team at Abilene High School. He also taught there and coached cross country. For two years, he was an assistant coach for the Longhorns women's soccer team at the University of Texas at Austin.

Menzies also worked with the U.S. Olympic Development Program (ODP). He coached at national, state, and regional levels. After 15 years, he became an instructor for ODP coaches. He even served as an assistant coach for the U.S. women's national under-19 team. This included coaching at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand.

In 2004, Menzies helped start Lone Star Soccer Club in Austin, Texas. He was a director there. By the time he left for Florida, the club had 5,000 players. In 2008, he became the director of coaching for Central Florida United, a youth club. Since 2012, he has been the executive director of Elite Clubs National League club Florida Kraze Krush. This club has helped over 400 players get into U.S. colleges.

Menzies holds a special "A" coaching license from U.S. Soccer. He also has a national youth coaching license.

Coaching the Jamaica Women's National Team

In early 2015, Hue Menzies became the head coach and technical director for the Jamaica women's national team. This happened after the team did not qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. He decided to help the women's football program as a volunteer advisor. He was asked to help by Cedella Marley, the daughter of the famous musician Bob Marley. She helps support and fund women's football in Jamaica through the Bob Marley Foundation.

Before Menzies joined, Jamaica's senior and youth women's teams had never qualified for a major international tournament. He first led the team in November 2015 for Olympic qualifying matches. Jamaica lost two close matches and did not advance. After this, the national team was put on hold for two years.

Menzies was contacted again in February 2018. He was asked to prepare a team for the World Cup qualifying rounds. Jamaica won their first two matches with big scores. They then drew 2–2 against Haiti, finishing first in their group. In the final qualifying round, Jamaica won all four of their matches. They beat teams like Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba. This success qualified them for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship.

The Road to the World Cup

At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, the Reggae Girlz (as the Jamaica team is known) were in a tough group. They played against strong teams like Canada and Costa Rica. They lost to Canada but then had a big upset win, beating Costa Rica 1–0. Goalkeeper Sydney Schneider played a key role in this victory. In their last group match, Jamaica won 9–0 against Cuba.

Because of their strong performance, Jamaica finished second in their group. This meant they moved on to the semi-finals. There, they faced the United States, one of the top teams in the world. Jamaica lost this match 0–6.

However, they still had a chance to qualify for the World Cup in the third-place play-off against Panama. The winner would go to the World Cup. Jamaica took the lead with a goal from Khadija Shaw. Panama equalized, sending the game into extra time. Jamaica scored again through Jody Brown, but Panama equalized once more. The match went to a penalty shoot-out. Menzies brought in goalkeeper Nicole McClure just for the shoot-out. She saved two shots, helping Jamaica win 4–2 on penalties!

This amazing win meant Jamaica qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup in France. They became the first Caribbean nation to ever compete at the Women's World Cup. After this success, Menzies was named the 2018 women's football coach of the year by CONCACAF.

Menzies worked hard to improve women's football in Jamaica. He believed players needed to train and play regularly with clubs, not just in short camps. He helped many players join clubs in Europe and colleges in the U.S. This helped them develop their skills and become more independent.

For the World Cup, Jamaica was in Group C with Australia, Brazil, and Italy. Just before the tournament, the players signed contracts for the first time. They received a monthly salary. Menzies was also to receive money, after coaching for free since 2015. However, the team still had to raise money for expenses due to a limited budget from the Jamaica Football Federation.

Menzies resigned from his role as manager of the Jamaica national team in December 2019. He mentioned financial problems and issues with the federation as reasons for his departure.

Coaching NJ/NY Gotham FC

On August 13, 2022, Hue Menzies was appointed as the interim head coach of NJ/NY Gotham FC. This team plays in the National Women's Soccer League. He took over after the previous coach, Scott Parkinson, left the role.

Personal Life: Hue Menzies' Journey

Hue Menzies was born in Brixton, London, England. When he was four years old, in 1968, he moved to Jamaica with his family after his parents divorced. Jamaica was his mother's home country, and he grew up there. He went to Alpha Primary School and Priory High.

In 1980, at the age of 16, he moved to the United States. He later received a college scholarship to attend Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. After his playing career, Menzies went back to school. He earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from New York University. He then worked as an analyst in investment banking at Merrill Lynch in New York City for six years. Later, he became an algebra teacher at Abilene High School in Texas.

Today, Menzies lives in Orlando, Florida. He is also an American citizen.

Awards and Achievements

Managerial Honours

Jamaica Women

• CONCACAF Women's Championship third place: 2018

Individual Awards

• CONCACAF Women's Football Coach of the Year: 2018