Tag: Matt Crocker

U.S. Soccer sporting director Crocker wants Berhalter replacement by September

Crocker is targeting a two-month coaching search, but has plans in place if it goes longer

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has said he would ideally like to have a new U.S. men’s national team head coach in place by September.

U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday that Gregg Berhalter would be relieved of his duties, nine days after a loss to Uruguay confirmed a stunning group-stage exit at the Copa América.

In U.S. Soccer’s announcement, Crocker said that the search for Berhalter’s replacement was already underway. In a call with reporters later on Wednesday, the sporting director said he was targeting September’s FIFA window — which will see the USMNT face Canada on Sept. 7 and New Zealand three days later — to have a new coach in place.

However, Crocker added that he had “a really robust contingency plan” in place if a new coach wasn’t hired by then.

The length of U.S. Soccer’s search will be a major talking point after the team’s past two USMNT coaching hires have come at end of elongated processes.

Bruce Arena resigned in November 2017 after the team’s stunning failure to reach the 2018 World Cup, but Berhalter was not named as his successor for 13 months.

After Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022, it would be another six months (which included a major scandal) until U.S. Soccer ultimately decided to re-hire him for a second stint.

This time, Crocker is hoping to shorten that timeframe down to two months. As far as which coach actually comes in, Crocker said that money and nationality would not be limiting factors.

“We are looking for a serial winning coach, a coach that can also build on the work that has already been put in place,” Crocker said.

“I just want to get the best coach possible that can help the team win,” Crocker added. “Whether they’re from the U.S. or elsewhere.

“It’s a really competitive market out there, salary-wise, and we have to be competitive to get the level of coach that I believe can take the program forward in terms of achieving the results that we want on the field.”

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The USWNT and USMNT general manager positions are likely dead

The roles, which were first filled in 2018 and 2019, won’t be returning

The general manager positions for both the U.S. men’s and women’s national team are likely no more.

In an interview with reporters on Sunday, U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker confirmed that the positions, which have both become vacant in 2023, would probably not be filled.

“I’m just still in the process of finalizing the high-level supporting structure, but if you look at the GM role, my thinking is one of the big priorities for me is to make sure the senior men’s coach and the senior women’s coach report into the sporting director,” Crocker said in quotes published by ESPN. “I was pretty insistent on that. I feel like I’ll be the one that will be recruiting those coaches.

“I’ll be the one that will be making sure they’ve got robust development plans sitting with them or outlying the strategy. So it’s my job to hold those guys accountable for what has been agreed.”

Earnie Stewart became the first USMNT general manager when he was hired in 2018. One year later, he was promoted to sporting director and replaced by Brian McBride. Stewart and McBride both departed U.S. Soccer this January.

On the women’s side, Kate Markgraf — the only person to fill the USWNT general manager role — stepped down last month after she was hired in 2019.

The women’s GM position also included overseeing youth national teams, with those responsibilities set to be “split into other roles,” according to Crocker.

Crocker’s decision streamlines the U.S. Soccer organization chart. The two general manager positions were in charge of overseeing their respective senior national teams and their operations, including making head coaching decisions.

Those decisions will now fall to Crocker, who was brought on this April to replace Stewart.

Crocker’s role oversees the entire U.S. Soccer sporting department, which includes senior and youth national teams for both men and women, as well as extended national teams.

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Crocker: Reyna set for USMNT recall after Berhalter talks

“I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say”

What could have been among the most fraught conversation in U.S. men’s soccer history appears to have worked as intended.

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker says that head coach Gregg Berhalter and midfielder Gio Reyna have spoken, and that the Borussia Dortmund man is — if fully fit — in line for a USMNT return in October.

“Gregg has had conversations with Gio. They’re in a place where as soon as Gio is fit, he’ll be in the next camp,” said Crocker in quotes published by The Athletic. “I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say.”

Last month, just before making his return to the touchline for the USMNT, Berhalter admitted that he and Reyna had not yet spoken.

“It’s not something where you just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey bud, here’s how it’s going to be,'” Berhalter said in August. “There is work to be done.”

The fracturing of the relationship between Berhalter and Reyna is extraordinarily complex. The ordeal started with a simple on-field decision, with Berhalter informing the attacking midfielder that his role at the 2022 World Cup wouldn’t be particularly substantial.

From there, things spiraled. Reyna, by his own admission, gave inadequate effort in a subsequent closed-door match, and Berhalter later revealed at a HOW Institute event that he considered dismissing the 20-year-old from the World Cup squad.

Berhalter’s remarks going public were followed by Reyna’s parents, former U.S. internationals Claudio and Danielle Reyna, bringing an incident of domestic violence involving Berhalter and his wife Rosalind from 1992 to light.

A U.S. Soccer investigation eventually found that Berhalter was still eligible for consideration for the USMNT job, while also casting a very dim view of the elder Reynas.

Crocker: ‘A clear way forward’ for Reyna, Berhalter

In the aftermath, Berhalter said that he had apologized in writing to every USMNT player for his discussion of internal issues at the HOW Institute. Reyna, meanwhile, returned for the U.S. under interim coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan, playing well in the team’s CONCACAF Nations League triumph in June.

However, an injury sustained in the Nations League final prevented Reyna from participating in Dortmund’s preseason. On September 8, he participated in a Dortmund U-23 match, but has yet to make his season debut for the senior team.

“Clearly, there’s been a lot of emotions over the last 12 months, but the common connection is they both want the program to be successful,” said Crocker. “That’s the starting point. There is a clear way forward and a professional way of working and they’re both ready. Gio’s looking forward to the next camp, since he’s fit, and Gregg’s looking forward to working with him, the same as all the staff and all the players that want to welcome him back.”

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Crocker: Kilgore to coach USWNT in October, U.S. Soccer aiming for December permanent hire

The USWNT should be rolling into 2024 with a new, permanent head coach

U.S. Soccer’s very busy 2023 is showing no signs of slowing down, with a U.S. women’s national team head coach now the federation’s top priority.

That hunt is ongoing, with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker saying that interim head coach Twila Kilgore — who on Tuesday named her first squad ahead of a pair of upcoming friendlies against South Africa — would remain in her post for October’s set of contests against Colombia.

Speaking on TNT’s post-game show following the U.S. men’s national team’s 4-0 thumping of Oman, Crocker said that he’d be right back at work pursuing Vlatko Andonovski’s successor on Wednesday.

“I fly out tomorrow morning back to Chicago at 6 a.m., and we’re straight back into the search for the women’s head coach’s role,” said Crocker. “My job at the moment is split 50/50. So obviously, the men’s head coach hire was really important, and a key part of the job to start with, and now obviously, my focus turns to the to the women’s [team] and the women’s head coach search, and obviously helping Twila and the staff prepare for their event, which is just around the corner in Cincinnati.”

U.S. Soccer targets December USWNT hire

Asked for a timeline on U.S. Soccer’s pursuit of a coach, Crocker revealed that Kilgore and the current USWNT staff would be in place for October’s matches against Colombia in Utah and San Diego.

“Twila will pick up the September and the October camps with the staff,” said Crocker. “And you know, in an ideal world, we’d like to be in a position for the December camp to have the new head coach in place.”

That is a quicker turnaround than the men’s coaching hire, after the post-World Cup evaluation process was massively complicated by a controversy surrounding head coach Gregg Berhalter, midfielder Gio Reyna, and his parents. The USMNT were eliminated in Qatar on December 3, and did not end up announcing Berhalter’s return until mid-June.

The USWNT situation is different: the team’s performance was well below expectations (unlike the USMNT), and Andonovski unsurprisingly stepped down from the job shortly after the tournament.

Another major difference: The 2024 Olympics kick off in just 10 months, giving the USWNT another major tournament to grapple with in short order. With U.S. Soccer looking to bounce back after a World Cup stumble, it’s no surprise to see some urgency in the hiring process.

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Why Gregg Berhalter, USMNT coach, is not coaching USMNT at Gold Cup

The USMNT coach won’t coach the USMNT at the Gold Cup. What gives?

U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter is not doing the thing most would expect a U.S. men’s national team coach to do during a tournament the U.S. men’s national team is playing in: coach.

That is to say, after Berhalter was officially named to his former post last week, U.S. Soccer said that interim B.J. Callaghan would still be in charge through the Gold Cup.

Callaghan, who was Berhalter’s assistant for several years, just led the USMNT to a CONCACAF Nations League title. His head coaching resume, brief as it may be, is at least successful.

Additionally, this will not be the A-team the U.S. brought to the Nations League, with the Gold Cup roster mostly comprised of players on the fringe.

But still, it seems a bit odd for a head coach — especially one like Berhalter who is so familiar with the team already — to not do the very thing his job title suggests during a major international competition.

This issue was posed to U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker at last week’s re-introductory press conference for Berhalter. Crocker suggested that Berhalter will actually be more useful to the USMNT doing non-coaching things for the next few weeks.

“What we didn’t want to create was the environment of you know, Gregg puts his boots straight back on, slides back into the environment, and it’s very much business as usual,” Crocker said. “There’s some real big-ticket items around some real strategic stuff over the next couple of seasons that we need to map out first.”

After saying the U.S. is in “good hands” with Callaghan for the Gold Cup, Crocker added that having a former Berhalter assistant in charge provides continuity that will free Berhalter himself to begin planning a strategy for the 2026 World Cup.

“It gives myself and Gregg the real great opportunity of spending some real time together, working through and piecing together the framework of that strategy for 2026. We can then bring that back to the staff and players and start to get their input to really develop it together collectively.”

The USMNT kicks off the Gold Cup on Saturday against Jamaica.

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U.S. Soccer has held talks with USMNT head coach candidates

The federation has “had a number of conversations with some of the candidates”

U.S. Soccer has conducted initial conversations with some candidates for the still-open U.S. men’s national team head coaching job.

The federation’s new sporting director Matt Crocker, in an interview with U.S. Soccer, said that informal meetings with candidates for the USMNT job have already begun.

“What we have is a list of candidates who based on our initial research we think will fit the profile. We already have had a number of conversations with some of the candidates,” said Crocker, who does not begin his full-time duties until August 2. “In some instances a candidate may hold a current position, in which case we must be very respectful to their clubs and always make sure any communication begins with them.”

Crocker reiterated that U.S. Soccer, who since Gregg Berhalter’s contract ended in December has left the USMNT under the leadership of interim head coach Anthony Hudson, is heavily emphasizing a long-term view on the hire before laying out a timeline for the evaluation process.

“The plan is to conduct a series of interviews in June and narrow down the list of candidates,” explained Crocker. “From there, we will engage the finalists in another evaluation activity. Our aim is to have our new coach in place by the end of summer, although it’s possible that club circumstances could impact the timeline.

“We have a strategy in place that includes having a diverse group of voices involved in the process. We have identified the qualities and characteristics we think are necessary for the next coach and are moving along with initial conversations and outreach.”

No candidates have been confirmed yet. Jesse Marsch has come up frequently as a hypothetical candidate, though neither he nor U.S. Soccer has said anything to indicate even preliminary conversations between them. In March, Jose Mourinho made sure to note that no one had called him, while Hoffenheim manager Pellegrino Matarazzo and France legend Thierry Henry have both indicated some level of interest in the job.

Crocker: Hudson doing ‘fantastic job’

In the meantime, Hudson is set to carry on through the upcoming Nations League finals and this summer’s Gold Cup. From Crocker’s perspective, Hudson and his staff have been very successful in what is an odd situation on the international level.

“I think Anthony Hudson, [assistant coach] B.J. Callaghan and the rest of the staff have done a fantastic job keeping the program moving forward,” said Crocker. “There has been no drop in standard, and as you’ve seen several players who had a choice to represent more than one country have chosen the United States during their tenure and Anthony and his staff deserve tremendous credit for that.”

Under Hudson’s watch, dual nationals like Folarin Balogun, Alex Zendejas, and Timothy Tillman have all moved to play for the USMNT, turning what was a period of uncertainty within the system into a fruitful stretch. Hudson has thus far declined to say whether he wants to be among the full-time candidates.

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U.S. Soccer hires Onyewu for newly created VP of sporting role

The 40-year-old will report to sporting director Matt Crocker in the new role

U.S. Soccer has announced that Oguchi Onyewu has been hired as the federation’s vice president of sporting.

The newly created role will see the ex-U.S. men’s national team defender take on a host of responsibilities as he reports to new sporting director Matt Crocker.

In a news release, U.S. Soccer said Onyewu will work closely with Crocker “in supporting all sporting initiatives within the federation,” and “will also play a prominent role in managing relationships with clubs and leagues in the United States and across the world, along with strengthening other stakeholder relationships.”

One of Onyewu’s first tasks will be assisting Crocker in the search for a new USMNT head coach.

“I am incredibly excited to take on this new challenge and work with Matt and the rest of the U.S. Soccer team to help shape the future of soccer in this country,” said Onyewu.

“As a former player, I understand firsthand the importance of investing in our youth and building a strong foundation for the future. I look forward to working with the men’s and women’s senior teams, youth national teams and extended national teams to help support and grow our talented pool of players and identify and develop the next generation.”

Onyewu earned 69 caps for the USMNT during his career, including appearances at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup. Since he’s retired, the 40-year-old became the sporting director for Orlando City B in 2018, and was then named secretary general of Belgian club Royal Excelsior Virton in 2020.

Onyewu was also on the Athletes Council of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors before stepping down this past week to take his new position.

“We are thrilled to welcome Oguchi Onyewu to our team at U.S. Soccer,” said Crocker. “His experience as a player and sports executive, coupled with his deep understanding of U.S. Soccer, Oguchi will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our sporting initiatives. We all look forward to working closely with him.”

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U.S. Soccer names Matt Crocker sporting director

The ex-Southampton and England executive will take over from Earnie Stewart

U.S, Soccer has announced the hiring of Matt Crocker as the federation’s new sporting director.

The 48-year-old will replace Earnie Stewart, who left U.S. Soccer in January to take a role with Dutch power PSV.

Crocker joins from Southampton, where he is currently serving as the club’s director of football operations. Prior to that, he spent seven years as the head of England’s youth international teams for both men and women.

“I’m really honored and excited to join U.S. Soccer as sporting director,” Crocker told reporters on Tuesday. “The immediate focus is supporting where I can the women’s World Cup team as they get ready for Australia and New Zealand… Leading the search for the next men’s coach is an opportunity I’m excited about.”

Per U.S. Soccer, Crocker will not start on a full-time basis until August 2 (which is to say, one day after the U.S. women’s national team finishes its group stage slate at the World Cup), but “will immediately begin the process of hiring the head coach of the Men’s National Team and supporting the U.S. Women’s National Team general manager Kate Markgraf and USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski.”

Crocker’s first, and arguably biggest task in his new job will be hiring a permanent U.S. men’s national team head coach ahead of a home World Cup in 2026.

Anthony Hudson is currently serving as an interim but has repeatedly said he’s not looking for the full-time gig. Gregg Berhalter is out of contract, but U.S. Soccer has said he remains a candidate after he was forthcoming in an investigation about the details of a 1992 domestic violence incident.

Who is Matt Crocker?

Crocker began his career at Cardiff, where he served as a development coach for the club’s youth teams, before taking on a role at Southampton overseeing the academy setup. During his first tenure with the Saints, players like Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse came through the club’s academy.

The Welshman bolstered his reputation during his time with the FA between 2013 and 2020, where he oversaw U-17 and U-20 World Cup wins for the men’s team in 2017 and helped establish an overall playing and coaching strategy called the “England DNA.”

He then returned to Southampton where he’s overseen the men’s, women’s and youth teams for the Saints. The women’s team has won back-to-back promotions over the last two seasons.

U.S. women’s national team general manager Kate Markgraf will report to Crocker, while it is still unclear if U.S. Soccer will hire a USMNT general manager to replace Brian McBride, who departed along with Stewart in January.

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