Josh Tudela
Joshua “Josh” Tudela (born March 13, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player, coach and businessman from Evansville, Indiana. A midfielder, Tudela starred at North High School before becoming an All-American and two-time NCAA national champion at Indiana University. He was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy with the 20th overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft and spent three seasons with the club.
Tudela’s soccer career eventually came full circle when he returned to the Evansville area and became involved in youth soccer development, including helping establish Tudela Futbol Club.
Early Life in Evansville
Tudela was born in Evansville, Indiana, on March 13, 1984, into a family with deep connections to soccer and the Evansville community.
His father, Fernando Tudela, played soccer in his native Bolivia and later at Purdue University. Fernando became an important figure in Evansville-area soccer, coaching at North High School and working with youth players in the region. He also became well known locally as the longtime owner of Evansville’s Cross-Eyed Cricket restaurant.
Josh began playing competitively in Evansville with the Evansville Flame, where his father and Pedro Millan were involved in his early development.
Growing up in Evansville presented challenges for an elite young soccer player. Tudela later recalled that the city had relatively few major youth tournaments, meaning serious players frequently had to travel to places such as Tennessee and Michigan to find stronger competition.
That began changing as Evansville’s youth soccer infrastructure grew. Tudela participated in the early years of the Veterans Invitational Tournament, which gave local players an opportunity to face higher-level competition without leaving Evansville.
North High School
Tudela attended North High School in Evansville, where he became one of the area’s outstanding high school soccer players.
Playing for the North Huskies, Tudela developed into a prolific offensive player.
As a senior, he reportedly recorded:
31 goals and 14 assists
and led the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference (SIAC) in scoring.
He finished his North High School career with approximately:
80 goals and 62 assists.
Tudela was recognized as his team’s MVP, Best Offensive Player and Most Dedicated Player during his high school career.
His performances in Evansville ultimately earned him an opportunity to join one of the most prestigious college soccer programs in the United States.
Indiana University
Tudela continued his career at Indiana University, becoming a key member of the powerhouse Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer program.
After redshirting in 2002, Tudela made his collegiate debut in 2003.
He couldn’t have picked a much better year to begin.
2003 National Championship
Tudela appeared in 22 matches and made 15 starts during the 2003 season.
He recorded one goal and five assists and played an important role as Indiana advanced through the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers won the 2003 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship, giving the Evansville native a national championship during his first season on the field.
Tudela was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team.
Back-to-Back National Champions
Indiana did it again in 2004.
Tudela started all 24 matches for the Hoosiers and contributed five assists.
Indiana captured its second consecutive NCAA championship, making Tudela a two-time national champion after only two playing seasons.
Big Ten Player of the Year
Tudela’s individual reputation continued growing.
In 2005, he earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
His senior season in 2006 became the best individual year of his college career.
Tudela served as a team captain and started all 22 games.
He was named:
Big Ten Player of the Year
and earned:
NSCAA Third-Team All-American honors.
He was also selected to the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s most prestigious individual award.
Indiana coach Mike Freitag praised Tudela’s work rate, technical ability and understanding of the game.
Tudela completed his Indiana career with 11 goals and 17 assists, starting 83 of the 90 matches in which he appeared.
During his career, Indiana compiled an overall record of 64-14-15.
His IU résumé included:
- 2003 NCAA National Championship
- 2004 NCAA National Championship
- 2003 Big Ten Championship
- 2006 Big Ten Championship
- 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year
- 2006 NSCAA All-American
- Indiana University team captain
It made Tudela one of the most accomplished soccer players to emerge from Evansville.
Major League Soccer
Tudela’s performances at Indiana attracted the attention of Major League Soccer.
Following his senior season, he was invited to the 2007 adidas MLS Player Combine.
On January 12, 2007, Tudela was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft.
He was the:
20th overall selection.
For a player who had grown up playing youth soccer in Evansville, it represented his arrival at the highest level of professional soccer in the United States.
Los Angeles Galaxy
Tudela joined the Galaxy during one of the most significant periods in the club’s history.
The same year Tudela arrived, the Galaxy signed international superstar David Beckham.
That placed the Evansville native inside one of the most heavily publicized teams in American soccer.
Tudela made nine MLS appearances during his rookie season, starting all nine.
He also spent a short period on loan with the California Victory.
During the 2008 preseason, Tudela scored for Los Angeles against Sydney FC during the Pan-Pacific Championship in Hawaii.
He continued appearing for the Galaxy through the 2009 season.
Overall, Tudela made 23 regular-season MLS appearances for Los Angeles.
The Galaxy waived him in July 2009 as the club made a roster move to add veteran forward Alecko Eskandarian.
International Trials and Later Playing Career
Following his Galaxy career, Tudela explored opportunities overseas.
In 2010, he traveled to Europe and had trials with Steaua Bucharest in Romania and Cracovia in Poland.
He later returned to professional soccer in the United States.
Tudela signed with the Los Angeles Blues of USL Pro for the 2011 season, appearing in 19 matches and scoring one goal.
Coaching
Following his playing career, Tudela moved into coaching and player development.
He worked with Beach Futbol Club in Southern California before joining Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as an assistant men’s soccer coach in 2012.
He spent three seasons with the VCU program.
Eventually, Tudela returned to the city where his soccer career had begun.
Return to Evansville
In 2014, Tudela returned to his hometown and helped establish Tudela Futbol Club in the Evansville/Newburgh area.
The move represented a homecoming.
As a young player, Tudela had needed to travel outside Evansville to regularly find elite competition and development opportunities.
After playing for one of America’s greatest college programs and reaching Major League Soccer, he returned home and became involved in developing the next generation of Evansville-area players.
That connection also continued a family tradition.
His father Fernando had already spent years coaching soccer in Evansville, including serving as head boys soccer coach at North High School from 1997 through 2001 and working with the Indiana Olympic Development Program.
The Tudela Family and Evansville
The Tudela name extends beyond soccer in Evansville.
Fernando Tudela became a longtime local restaurateur after acquiring the Cross-Eyed Cricket in 1989.
In 2015, Tudela Family LLC purchased the historic Washington Hotel building in Downtown Evansville, at the intersection of Main and Third streets.
The building was renovated and became home to Comfort by the Cross-Eyed Cricket, extending the family’s presence in Evansville from athletics into downtown business and redevelopment.
For Josh Tudela, Evansville therefore remained an important part of his life long after his professional playing career ended.
Evansville Legacy
Josh Tudela represents one of the strongest examples of an Evansville youth soccer player advancing to the highest levels of the American game.
He began playing locally with the Evansville Flame.
He became a star at North High School.
From Evansville, he advanced to Indiana University, where he won two NCAA national championships, became an All-American, captained the Hoosiers and was named Big Ten Player of the Year. Indiana University’s records show that Tudela finished his career with 11 goals, 17 assists and 83 starts while helping the Hoosiers to a 64-14-15 record.
He then became the 20th overall selection in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, joining the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Perhaps most fittingly, Tudela eventually returned to Evansville and became involved in developing soccer players in the same community where his own career had begun.
His career connects several generations of Evansville soccer—from his father’s coaching, through Josh’s North High School career and rise to Indiana University and Major League Soccer, and finally back to youth development in Southwestern Indiana.
Quick Facts
Full name: Joshua Tudela
Born: March 13, 1984
Birthplace: Evansville, Indiana
High school: North High School
Position: Midfielder
College: Indiana University
NCAA championships: 2003, 2004
Major college honor: 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year
All-American: 2006 NSCAA Third Team
MLS Draft: 20th overall, 2007
MLS club: Los Angeles Galaxy
MLS appearances: 23
Later professional club: Los Angeles Blues
Evansville youth club: Evansville Flame
Evansville-area coaching/development: Tudela Futbol Club
Father: Fernando Tudela