Key Takeaways
- Former U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has left to take the same job with Saudi Arabia only weeks before the 2026 World Cup.
- TV pundit Alexi Lalas calls the move an “unnecessary own goal” that damages the image of American football.
- Crocker’s interim duties will be shared by Oguchi Onyewu, Tracey Kevins and Dan Helfrich until after the tournament.
Less than three months before the United States co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the federation has lost the man who shaped both the men’s and women’s teams.
Matt Crocker, appointed sporting director in 2023, resigned on Tuesday to accept the same role with Saudi Arabia, another World Cup finalist. The news drew a furious reaction from former national-team defender and FOX analyst Alexi Lalas.
Speaking on his podcast “State of the Union”, Lalas said the departure “looks insane” so close to kick-off. “Crocker brought in Emma Hayes and Mauricio Pochettino, he has driven every big call behind the scenes. Now, just when we need stability, he walks. The timing could not be worse.”
Crocker joined U.S. Soccer from Southampton, where he had been director of football operations. During his three-year tenure he hired Hayes to lead the women and lured Pochettino to take charge of the men, moves widely praised across the sport.
American fans have spent months defending the team’s poor form and off-field rows. Lalas fears this fresh upheaval will add to the mockery. “We already have enough angst and criticism. This is another own goal we did not need,” he said.
With most World Cup planning complete, Pochettino will still name his final 26-man squad on 26 May. Until then, Crocker’s workload will be split among deputy Oguchi Onyewu, women’s development chief Tracey Kevins and chief operating officer Dan Helfrich.
The federation hopes the hand-over proves a “small blip”, but Lalas warns the headlines will linger. “I hope it fades, yet right now it is a very strange look for U.S. Soccer,” he added.