Anthony Hudson, who stepped down as New Zealand coach after the All Whites' failure to reach the World Cup, has been hired to coach Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids.

Hudson led the All Whites to an intercontinental playoff for a World Cup berth, but fell 2-0 to Peru over the two-legged tie with a 2-0 defeat in Lima in the second leg.

In the wake of that defeat, the 36-year-old Englishman said he had decided not to continue with the New Zealand team after three years at the helm.

By that time Hudson, who previously coached Bahrain and Tottenham Hotspur reserves, had already been linked to the Rapids in media reports.

On Wednesday he was named the eighth coach in Rapids history.

"This is a very special moment for the Rapids," the team's sporting director and interim general manager Padraig Smith said in a statement.

"In Anthony, we believe we've hired one of the most promising young talents and we're extremely grateful for the support shown by the Kroenke family and the KSE executive team who remain committed to our goal of bringing another MLS Cup to Colorado."

The Rapids, based in Denver, won the MLS Cup in 2010, but in 2017 they finished third-from-bottom in the 22-team league.