News: Matt Crocker steps down as Sporting Director with immediate effect

Eh he was ok I guess. Nothing great but nothing I really complained about.

 

Can we at least complain about the timing?

 

He could have left after the WC..

 

The timing is suspect and odd, for sure. Why would you leave immediately, when your Federation is about to host your sport's premier event???
I am not sure whether this is good news or bad news.

Without any information, one has to wonder if it is A - Saudi just threw a boatload of money his way, or B - he wanted to get out now before the (stink of a potential disaster) World Cup was partially laid at his feet. Or a combo of the two.

Regardless, there has to be way more to this, not sure if we will ever know. I will say that since the Emma and Poch hirings, we have basically heard Nothing worthwhile from this guy in a long time, aside from maybe an announcement about the ATL training center.

 

One thing is for sure: America’s top soccer writers will definitely not get to the bottom of this!

 

By all accounts he was doing quite a bit according to the reporting.

Also the frustration that it will take time to replace him and his replacement will be expected to basically immediately hire a new USMNT coach.

 

Totally get him leaving, but don’t get the rush. Saudi and he could easily have linked up after the WC in 3 months. Something smells funny.

 

Yeesh. Dumpster meet fire.

 

It could just be money, but the timing feels like something else.

Why do I suspect that he was doing good stuff but just was tired of the constant politics and old boys network? And I'm not talking about the national teams, but the state federations and the multiple youth leagues, etc?

Then again, with the timing, maybe he's handsy.

 

You don’t bow out two months before a World Cup with no succession plan unless something was wrong, either personally or organisationally.

 

Probably cause he said that in a recent interview according to the news bit. Sounds like he found this all too a bit unwiedly and exhausting but it's absurd timing to execute this and brutal, and while his era has been one of total turmoil (disastrous post WC hire, disastrous Copa America, disastrous Nations League all in succession), I think he's a talented dude who basically made one mistake, and had an endless litany of disasters follow it (rehiring Egg) that were logically due to the first mistake, and the players themselves sitting on their laurels (and honestly some bad luck, the combo of that red card against Panama, and dominating the Panama game statistically only for Panama to produce one half chance and score on it, well, that's freaking nuts).


Anyway, for me, this is really, really bad news, and I'm worried. Who in hell are we hiring next and how much $$$$ will we have to get a good hire rather than a meh one?

And why Saudi? That just sounds like a retirement gig, and he's young? Bizarre.

 

Given its Saudi I’m guessing the financial offer was substantial.

 

They have the 2034 World Cup and are probably building a giant training center and want to improve their youth teams with an 8 year lead in. They don't want to / can't do the Qatar thing, so a good showing is important.

So they threw a shitload of money at him.

However, leaving right now seems fairly unprofessional, though if I was being generous, it would be that US Soccer wants to find a replacement before they have to find a Pochettino replacement. And so maybe it was like, "if you are going, go."

So it's either he did something wrong or he was so sick of the shit at and around US Soccer. Both are plausible to me.

Given that his actual reason for hiring had far less to do with national team coaches and far more to do with fixing youth development and creating the "US Way," so to speak, it's not a good sign at all that he's leaving long before being able to claim any real victories.

I was excited for Crocker because he did so well in England. Why do I feel like he lost the battle with a bunch of old men protecting their turf and we're about to get no movement in this space for the next decade?

 

What’s frustrating is the Sporting Director position is the one you want to be long term across cycles who is thinking bigger picture and about things like dual nationals whereas a short term coach like Pochettino is only focused on the World Cup. And every time a new person comes they have their own vision which means starting again.

 

I think he did a good job, particularly with our youth teams.
Everything is pointing in the right direction, even if he didn't complete the job.

....................money talks. Good luck in Saudi Arabia.

If he's going to go, now's as good of a time as any. We can hire a new Sporting Director to lead the hiring process for the new USMNT coach post-World Cup.

 

I guess I just don't see the big deal with him leaving just before the WC. Not like anything he was going to do over the next two months would have an impact on it unless I am missing something. Which wouldn't be the first time.

 

I agree with a few others that the timing seems suspect until you realize the GM will be instrumental in picking a new coach and if Crocker leaves after the WC then there's a lag where the GM needs to be hired first. Probably a good time to hire new coaches is right after the WC especially if you need to consider coaches who just did a cycle.

As to what he accomplished I would add aside from the two high profile coaches there now seems to be an age group team at every year now instead of every two years together and a lot more time together. It's too early to see benefits from that but I predict it will make a big difference over time. Double the players, double the coaches. More players getting into the system to be comfortable with the US before another country nabs them. Many more players getting international experience and I will also guess it will cut down on certain players be sort of locked in because there will be more competition and movement up and down levels. Hopefully he has got the thing humming along so the next person can build on it kind of like was happened in England.

 

I don't know all the ins-and-outs of what he did on a daily basis for US Soccer operations, but the biggest things he seemed to have accomplished were re-hiring Berhalter, then firing him, then hiring Poch. Beyond that, I don't really know how much of a loss this is. But, yes, the timing of course is not ideal for the optics of the federation. Will need someone in place to hire someone in a timely fashion (we can hope) once Poch leaves for Europe post-World Cup.

 

With or without a GM I'm confident the fed will take more than a year to find a new coach.

 

A without a doubt and B he's very frustrated with US soccer's youth complexity. All the politics and everything that keeps us from truly succeeding, at least on the men's side.

 

Steve Goff (now of Yahoo, formerly of the Washington Post) summarizes and draws some conclusions, but ... does not dig beneath the surface. Maybe he will once he has his all-access pass in hand.

https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/art...-2-months-before-the-world-cup-171728412.html

 

What does he gain by leaving now? What insane timing!

 

good.

 

TONS OF MONEY from Saudi Arabia. Presumably a salary that we can't even begin to compete with. So good for him.

One expects that with Crocker leaving, assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu will serve in a temporary capacity on the men's side.

We do have to remember that Crocker's role as Sporting Director encompasses, the USMNT, the USWNT, the USYNTs (both boys and girls), as well as extended teams (beach, paralympic, futsal, etc.) This is a big picture, strategic role.

What do we lose by Crocker not being sporting director thru the World Cup? Nothing. We lose nothing. He's not involved in the day-to-day of the USMNT.

[The USWNT, by the way, has completely turned around during Crocker's tenure. The hiring of Emma Hayes was a masterstroke.]