Key Takeaways
- Matt Crocker has resigned as U.S. Soccer sporting director to join Saudi Arabia with the 2026 World Cup only weeks away.
- Crocker hired Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes, but his exit is unlikely to disrupt the American squad’s final preparations.
- Former defender Oguchi Onyewu, Crocker’s deputy, is the early favourite to step up and take the vacant post.
United States soccer is hunting for a new technical boss after Matt Crocker quit on Tuesday to become Saudi Arabia’s sporting director, a bombshell move that lands just 60 days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on American soil.
Crocker, a Welshman who joined the federation in 2023, controlled every on-field strand of U.S. Soccer. He appointed both the men’s and women’s head coaches, shaped tactics across 27 national teams and guided the building of a $200 million training centre in Georgia. Leaving so close to a home World Cup has stunned staff and fans alike, especially as Saudi Arabia could meet the U.S. in the knockout phase.
His biggest calls were re-hiring Gregg Berhalter in 2023, then replacing him with Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino after a poor Copa América. Crocker also convinced Chelsea legend Emma Hayes to take charge of the women’s side; she repaid that faith by winning Olympic gold within four months. Those high-profile captures won him praise from California to Cardiff, and Saudi officials have now tempted him east with a lucrative long-term project centred on the 2034 World Cup.
Despite the sudden vacancy, day-to-day work with the senior men will not change. Pochettino and his back-room team have already picked training camps, warm-up opponents and the provisional squad list. “My staff and I remain fully focused on preparing our team for the World Cup,” the former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss said in a brief federation statement. Crocker’s role was strategic, not hands-on, so players are unlikely to feel any ripple.
The hunt for his successor is open. Leading candidate Oguchi Onyewu, the ex-United States centre-back who won 69 caps and played in two World Cups, has served as Crocker’s assistant for three years. Multilingual and with boardroom experience at clubs in Belgium and the United States, the 43-year-old is popular inside the federation and was considered for the top job in 2023 before Crocker arrived. Officials could elevate him quickly to keep continuity, or cast the net wider after the summer tournament.
Either way, with kick-off in Los Angeles looming, all eyes stay fixed on Pochettino and his squad. Crocker’s exit is embarrassing timing, but the onus to deliver on home turf now rests solely with the coach and the 26 players who will wear the stars and stripes.