Matt Crocker Leaves U.S. Soccer: Is This A Big Deal? Does It Affect Pochettino?

A key figurehead is leaving U.S. Soccer with the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than two months away. An unexpected twist for one of the tournament's co-hosts with the biggest edition ever of soccer's marquee event now on the horizon.

Earlier Tuesday, I reported that Matt Crocker will be exiting his role as sporting director to take over a similar role with 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 sporting director even do? And, is it a big deal 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 of U.S. Soccer’s national teams, set the overall on-field direction of the federation, and played a significant role in the design of the federation’s brand new $200 million-plus training facility in Fayettesville, Ga., one of the best of its kind anywhere in the world.

For the second question: Yes, it’s a big deal. The U.S. men are less than two months away from their World Cup opener, one that will be played on home soil for the first time in 32 years. He’s joining a team the Americans could face in the knockout rounds of the tournament. There’s no getting around the fact that the optics here are terrible, for both the federation and Crocker alike. 

2. Crocker re-hired Gregg Berhalter for the men's side in 2023 and brought in Emma Hayes for the women's side in 2024. He then replaced Berhalter with Pochettino. How would you rate Crocker's tenure? 

I was surprised that he rehired Berhalter, especially since Crocker had an existing relationship with current Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who at the time was