April 15 – US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker is leaving the job after less that three years in the role and with two months to go to the home-hosted 2026 World Cup.
Crocker, who built his reputation at Southampton and then with England’s national teams set-up from 2013-2020, is moving to a similar position at the Saudi Arabia football federation.
In an announcement by US Soccer, CEO JT Batson said:“Matt helped guide important steps across our sporting organization, and we’re grateful for his contributions. We will continue building the right structure for the future, and we’re well positioned to make the decisions needed in the short, medium, and long term.”
Chief operating officer Dan Helfrich, assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu, and women’s youth national team head of development Tracey Kevins, will take over Crocker’s responsibilities interim.
Crocker joined US Soccer while it was going through a crisis with the management of its men’s team following the lapsing of Greg Berhalter’s contract over the spat with the Reyna family over Gio Reyna’s treatment at the World Cup and subsequent Berhalter comments.
Crocker rehired Berhalter to replace interim BJ Callaghan (whose Nashville team are currently pulling up trees in the MLS and Concacaf Champions Cup) and then replacing him with Mauricio Pochettino in 2024 after the US’s abject performance in the 2024 Copa America.
The success of Pochettino’s tenure will ultimately be measured by how the US fare this summer. To date in the 16 games under Pochettino, the US have won 10, drawn once, and lost seven with the last two losses being against Belgium and Portugal last month.
A major success has been Crocker’s hire of Emma Hayes from Chelsea at the end of 2023, after an unsuccessful showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Hayes lead the USWNT to Olympic gold in 2024 and a reshaped team and programme are one of the favourites for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
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