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Matt Crocker has abruptly left his role as sporting director of the United States Soccer Federation. Crocker will, according to Fox Sports and other reports, take over a similar role with Saudi Arabia\u2019s federation.<\/p>\n The timing of Crocker\u2019s departure, just two months before the start of the Men\u2019s World Cup on home soil, stunned the U.S. soccer community upon its announcement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n U.S. Soccer said that newly instilled chief operating officer Dan Helfrich \u201cwill provide executive oversight and support across the Federation\u2019s sporting operations.\u201d He will work with assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu and head of development for the women\u2019s youth national team Tracey Kevins in the interim.<\/p>\n The new most immediately effects the men\u2019s program that is about to play a World Cup on home soil, but Crocker oversaw the sporting endeavors of the entire federation, for both the men and women. Crocker orchestrated the surprise hiring of Emma Hayes as U.S. women\u2019s national team head coach at the end of 2023. Hayes joined the federation full-time in 2024 and won an Olympic gold medal in her 10th match in charge.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a privilege to be part of U.S. Soccer during such an important period for the sport in this country,\u201d Crocker said in a statement.<\/p>\n In a statement, U.S. Soccer CEO and secretary general JT Batson said Crocker \u201chelped guide important steps across our sporting organization, and we\u2019re grateful for his contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n Helfrich, Batson, and U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone will work together on \u201cnext steps,\u201d according to the federation.<\/p>\n The contract of U.S. men\u2019s national team head coach ends this summer, following the World Cup.<\/p>\n Hayes and the U.S. women are just over a year from beginning their World Cup campaign.<\/p>\n And the U.S. is about to be the primary host, alongside Mexico and Canada, of the 2026 Men\u2019s World Cup. (Saudi Arabia, where Crocker will work, is also in the Men\u2019s World Cup field and could conceivably meet the U.S. men in the knockout stage.)<\/p>\n The U.S. is expected to be the primary host of the 2031 Women\u2019s World Cup, and its bid alongside Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica is unopposed. Yet, FIFA\u2019s expected approval of the bid was recently pushed back from the FIFA Congress this month in Vancouver to a date later in 2026.<\/p>\n That news comes with the White House and U.S. President Donald Trump yet to sign-off on government guarantees, and as 2026 Men\u2019s World Cup host cities become increasingly and publicly unhappy with the financial structure of the tournament, as has played out in Foxborough, Mass.<\/p>\n The Athletic reported last week that Trump wants FIFA to adopt a transgender policy and alluded to a connection between that and the delay in approval of the 2031 Women\u2019s World Cup bid.<\/p>\n The International Olympic Committee recently adopted a policy barring transgender athletes in women\u2019s events.<\/p>\n
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