Ray Hudson: ‘I was in love with America before I even came to the United States’

The magisterial football commentator opens up about his long, strange American trip and the steady rise of soccer in the US

Ray Hudson will always be a Geordie, but America claimed his heart long ago.

As a kid growing up in Tyneside, Hudson, was drawn to the pop culture of the United States, its movies and television. He loved Motown, but he also loved listening to his father, who worked for Ford Motor Company, share stories about Michigan and the Great Lakes region.