US Soccer Director Leaves At Horrible Time Before World Cup
While the team hasn't played very well, it's still an exciting time for US Soccer. There is a boatload of talent, a fairly recent and somewhat exciting hire for head coach in Mauricio Pochettino, and they're the host nation for this summer's World Cup. There may never have been a better time to be involved with the sport.
Apparently, the US Soccer director disagrees. Matt Crocker has helmed the federation for a long time, but he's stepping away to take a job in Saudi Arabia. This is part of an interesting trend for sports, but it's a bad time for the US to lose their top soccer leader.
Matt Crocker leaves US Soccer
Matt Crocker, who is not a native American, previously worked with English Football Association and was involved at Southampton. He took the US Soccer job in 2023, replacing Earnie Stewart, who'd left to take over at PSV Eindhoven. Though the years from 2023-2026 were not terribly fruitful for the USA, they were wildly important.
Crocker oversaw the Gregg Berhalter situation following the 2022 World Cup. He oversaw the beginning of preparation for the World Cup on home soil. He hired Mauricio Pochettino in an attempt to get the team back on track.
Now, he's gone with the World Cup mere months away. He often spoke about his job as a long-term one, but as it turns out, it wasn't. Granted, he did not plan this move, and it's viewed as one he can't really pass up for a variety of reasons.
Experts don't expect this to have a terribly large impact on the team at the World Cup. Crocker's work was on a much higher level. He tried to increase youth participation and grow the game behind the scenes, developing players. What those players do on the field in a few weeks has little to do with Crocker. It's a bad look, though.
Statement
Matt Crocker provided a statement. "It has been a privilege to be part of U.S. Soccer during such an important period for the sport in this country,” said the outgoing director. “I’m grateful for the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with across the Federation, from our coaches and players to our technical and administrative staff. I’m proud of what’s been built together and confident the team in place will continue to move the game forward and drive success on and off the field.”
The Federation noted that "Chief Operating Officer Dan Helfrich will provide executive oversight and support across the Federation’s sporting operations, working closely with Assistant Sporting Director Oguchi 'Gooch' Onyewu, and Head of Development for the Women’s Youth National Team Tracey Kevins and the broader sporting leadership team, ensuring continuity."
Saudi Arabia?
We can speculate the reasons all day long. There is certainly some controversy over it. However, Saudi Arabia is a big player in the sports world now. The country has been slowly making inroads over the last few years, and they've secured some big sporting wins.
Poaching US Soccer director Matt Crocker before the World Cup is significant. LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed circuit, still has some top talent in Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm. Saudi soccer teams signed Neymar Jr. and Ronaldo. These are not inconsequential or insignificant moves.
The stated reason is so that the country can move away from its dependency on oil, economically speaking. Whatever the reason, they're here to stay in the sports world, even in America, and getting Crocker is just the latest piece of evidence of that fact.
It is likely that his role with Saudi Arabia will be similar to what he was doing in the USA, though many of the details have not been revealed yet.
