Matt Crocker's key moments at U.S. Soccer: Hiring Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes, reshaping player pathways

This was the first order of business, and it was one that was always coming. Crocker was hired in April 2023. That June, he announced the USMNT's new head coach, who happened to also be the old one.

According to Crocker and U.S. Soccer, the search was rigorous. There was a worldwide search process that included multiple rounds of interviews, extensive data and several tests to determine competence and fit. There also may have been, if the man himself is to be believed, a broken promise to Jesse Marsch, who remains upset about how the hiring process went down.

In the end, though, the process landed on Berhalter, who would be given a second cycle after building such a close bond with the USMNT's top players during the first.

“When I started this search, my focus was on finding someone with the right vision to take this program to new heights in 2026,” Crocker said at the time. “Gregg has that vision, as well as the experience and growth mindset on and off the field to move this team forward.

"Appointing the right head coach for a national team is a crucial decision that reflects U.S. Soccer's identity and lays the foundation to grow soccer across the country for years to come. I am confident that Gregg is the right person for the job and look forward to working in partnership with him.”

That partnership lasted a little over a year before the USMNT's Copa America exit ended the Berhalter tenure and left the team in search of a new identity just two years out from a World Cup.

While the Berhalter hire did not go as planned, Crocker's second coaching hire was downright perfect.

There is no overstating how good Emma Hayes has been for American soccer. She immediately restored belief in a USWNT group that had fallen back toward the pack. She has showcased the right sort of personality and humor to be an incredible ambassador for soccer. Most importantly, she has been winning, and that winning started immediately with an Olympic gold medal.

Leading up to the Olympics, the USWNT was reeling from an early World Cup exit. They are not reeling anymore. Crocker identified Hayes as someone who is not just a brilliant soccer mind, but a builder: a builder of teams, of players and, most importantly, of the relationships that make those teams and players better.

“Once the list of candidates was narrowed down, we had a group of excellent coaches and leaders to consider, but we felt strongly that Emma was the best person and coach to take the U.S. Women's National Team forward,” Crocker said when Hayes was hired in the fall of 2023.

“Her passion for the game, her coaching acumen, her ability to galvanize players and staff, her dedication to continue to evolve as a coach and her qualities as a person are all incredibly impressive. She has a great appreciation for the legacy of this program and embraces the big challenges ahead.”

Challenges remain, but there is no denying that Hayes is the right person to meet them. Now, two and a half years on from that announcement, it is clear that Crocker and U.S. Soccer could not have made a better hire.

There is no shortage of people with their fingerprints on the new Arthur M. Blank National Training Center. During a recent tour with the media, U.S. Soccer officials estimated around 1,600 people were involved, from construction workers and grass experts to national team legends and, of course, a sporting director.

Crocker had plenty of input on the new training facility, which is set to open in May. He played a significant role in shaping the look and feel of the place. Crocker and other members of U.S. Soccer toured elite facilities all over the world for inspiration, leading them to build one of their own that blends all of U.S. Soccer's national teams under one roof.

Crocker summarized the mindset in one quote: "How do we make sure that every minute is a masterclass?"

It takes a village to put together a masterclass, but there is no ignoring Crocker's role in that village. He will not be around to reap the benefits, but there are plenty of details around the training center that will exist at least partly because of his vision.

Realistically, there is a finite amount a sporting director can do on the international level. Unlike at the club level, the sporting director cannot sign players or rebuild the structure of a team. By and large, what you see is what you get, which means that the sporting director's job is to change what you see before you really see it through the youth pathway.

As a result, player development was a crucial part of Crocker's job description as he looked to firm up the pathway from the youth teams right up to the senior teams. While his coaches were focused on results, Crocker was primarily focused on the future and how to build it in a cohesive way that leads to stronger national teams and better soccer in general.

Enter the U.S. Way, U.S. Soccer's ongoing vision for building the future. It includes improvements on three levels: pathways, infrastructure and player development. Crocker was instrumental in building out those three areas. His vision for Talent ID camps drastically improved the youth national team player pools and scouting processes. Coaching education became more of a priority. Relationships were built between the federation and other stakeholders across American soccer. Those relationships will almost certainly continue, but a key focus of Crocker's tenure was ensuring they were built to forge a pathway toward a more cohesive future.

Rightly or wrongly, this will be the one Crocker is most judged on. It may not be fair, given all the things mentioned above, but when the program is hosting a World Cup, picking the coach to lead the team into that World Cup is of paramount importance.

That is why Crocker had to do it twice. Berhalter was not the right man for the job post-Copa America, so Crocker turned to Pochettino, one of the biggest names in coaching. It was a massive swing, one that seemed unfathomable even leading up to it, but U.S. Soccer got their man, and they got him at least partly due to the legwork Crocker put in. Optically, it was a fantastic hire, one that showed real ambition from Crocker and U.S. Soccer. Results-wise, it is all to be determined.

That is why everyone's reputation is on the line. While there is real reason to look toward the future, so much of where this program sits requires winning in the here and now. Failure to do so will set the moment back. A good run, though, will set American soccer up for a new era, one that can perhaps reach many of the heights Crocker spoke about during his time in charge.

For now, though, we will have to wait to judge the Pochettino hire. Crocker, though, will be part of that judgment, even if he will not be around to see it all the way through.