Aceh – Indonesia, The 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup final brings together the Indonesian national team and Thailand at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Monday (10/5/2026). This match also features an intriguing duel between two English managers, John Herdman and Anthony Hudson.
Herdman, who currently manages Indonesia, expressed his excitement about facing Hudson, the Thailand head coach who was previously part of the United States coaching staff. The two had previously gone head-to-head when Herdman was still managing the Canadian national team.
“I’m excited. It will be nice to shake his hand in the technical area and watch two Englishmen battle it out tactically. It’s going to be great,” Herdman said during a press conference following Indonesia’s 9-2 victory over Bangladesh at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Thursday (10/1/2026).
Herdman is no stranger to Hudson. Prior to managing Thailand, Hudson served as an assistant coach for the United States national team under head coach Gregg Berhalter.
Hudson held that role from July 2020 to January 2023. During that same period, Herdman was still in charge of Canada.
The two sides met three times during that era. Across those three encounters, Herdman recorded one win, one draw, and one defeat against the United States.
Now, that shared history adds color to the narrative leading up to the final. Herdman realizes that Hudson is familiar with his tactical approach.
“He knows how I play. He studied Canada when we faced the United States in many matches,” Herdman said.
However, Herdman is not solely focused on his duel with Hudson. He also views Indonesia’s journey in this tournament as an ongoing team-building process.
The 51-year-old manager believes the Garuda squad still needs time to build team chemistry. According to Herdman, his players have only trained together in six sessions so far.
He considers tournaments like the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup an essential opportunity to accelerate the team’s development.
“I have led teams to two Olympic medals. I know how a team develops through a tournament. It takes time. Chemistry will form,” Herdman stated.
In his view, Indonesia’s progress has been evident over the last two matches. Herdman noted that his team demonstrated different traits when facing varying match situations.
“In the second match, we saw the grit to keep a clean sheet. In this match, we saw the drive to score goals,” he said.
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