Matt Crocker is leaving American football: is it a big deal? Does this affect Pochettino?

A key figure is leaving US Soccer with less than two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup. An unexpected turn for one of the tournament’s co-organizers as the biggest ever edition of soccer’s flagship event now looms on the horizon. Earlier Tuesday, I announced that Matt Crocker would be leaving his role as sporting director to take on a similar role in Saudi Arabia. Why did this happen and what’s next for all parties involved? Let’s answer the four biggest questions following Crocker’s decision. 1. What does a sports director do? And does it matter that Crocker is leaving now? For the first question, the short answer is to hire and fire the coach. The longer answer is more nuanced: Crocker oversaw all 27 U.S. soccer national teams, set the overall direction of the federation on the field, and played a significant role in the design of the federation’s newest, more than $200 million training center in Fayettesville, Ga., one of the best of its kind in the world. For the second question: Yes, it’s a big problem. The U.S. men are less than two months away from their World Cup opener, which will be played at home for the first time in 32 years. He joins a team the Americans could face in the round of 16 of the tournament. There’s no denying that the optics here are terrible, both for the federation and for Crocker. 2. Crocker rehired Gregg Berhalter for the men’s team in 2023 and brought in Emma Hayes for the women’s team in 2024. He then replaced Berhalter with Pochettino. How would you rate Crocker’s tenure? I was surprised he rehired Berhalter, especially since Crocker had a relationship with current Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who at the time was turning down Premier League jobs. The disastrous Copa América 2024 proved that this was not a good choice. But signing two of the best coaches in the world, Hayes and Pochettino, was a huge coup for the USSF, and it surely wouldn’t have happened without both knowing Crocker from their time working in England. It took Hayes just 10 games to win the United States’ fifth women’s Olympic gold medal and first in 12 years. Even though the U.S. men compete in the biggest World Cup of all time this summer, the focus will be on Pochettino and his players. Whatever you think of the timing of Crocker’s departure, the Welshman is very knowledgeable and hugely respected by footballers in his native Europe, which remains the center of the game’s universe. He has done a good job. As the Saudis prepare to host the 2034 World Cup, no one should be shocked that they apparently drove a dump truck full of cash to Crocker’s house to lure him away. 3. Speaking of Pochettino, how would this impact everything he does ahead of the Summer World Cup? Or after? Although he said last month that he was open to returning as USA coach, I don’t think that’s an option, regardless of how Pochettino’s team performs at the World Cup. (I also didn’t expect Crocker to stick around long after the tournament.) The good news for fans of the national team is that when it comes to preparations for the World Cup or the performance of the co-hosts in the competition itself, Crocker’s sudden departure changes nothing. The sports director does not surround the players the way coaches do. He doesn’t have much to do at this point. The coach is in place, the pre-tournament planning is complete and Pochettino, his team and his players are engaged in the main event. “My staff and I remain fully focused on preparing our team for the World Cup,” Pochettino said in a statement provided by US Soccer. For better or worse, their success this summer depends on them and the players alone. 4. One of Crocker’s assistants is a name American fans would recognize. Oguchi Onyewu is a former U.S. men’s team star and two-time World Cup veteran. Is he a viable candidate to take over? Absolutely. As I reported then, Onyewu was a candidate for the job in 2023 and is so well-liked in the federation halls that they hired him as assistant athletic director, a role that didn’t even exist at the time. Gooch is very intelligent. He speaks four languages ​​fluently. His playing career has taken him to the top leagues of Belgium, England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the MLS, meaning he has incredibly well-established connections. And at 43, he has already been an executive at clubs on both sides of the Atlantic (Royal Excelsior Virton in Belgium, Orlando City B of MLS Next Pro) and has spent the last three years working as Crocker’s right-hand man. Onyewu has paid his dues. He cares deeply about American football and sports in the country in general. American football could do a lot worse.