Overview
- Matt Crocker, who resigned Tuesday, left the sporting director post effective immediately to pursue an international job reported by multiple outlets to be with Saudi Arabia.
- U.S. Soccer assigned interim oversight to COO Dan Helfrich working with assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu and women’s youth development head Tracey Kevins, and it has opened a search for a successor.
- Federation leaders said the change will not affect World Cup plans, with Helfrich saying Mauricio Pochettino and his staff control preparations for the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.
- Crocker’s tenure featured the hires of Emma Hayes for the U.S. women and Mauricio Pochettino for the men, a new youth-development plan, and major work on the Arthur M. Blank National Training Center that opens next month near Atlanta.
- Reports of Crocker heading to Saudi Arabia come as that federation reshapes its leadership, with technical director Nasser Larguet expected to depart, which helps explain the timing and destination of the move.