Former head of football operations at Southampton Matt Crocker, is all set to replace Earnie Stewart as sporting director for the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), find mout more about him below along with his age and teams
Earlier this year in February, Stewart left the role to become director of football at PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
Who is Matt Crocker US soccer sporting director: Bio, age, career, coaching record, teams, stats
🧵🚨 BREAKING: USSF is set to hire outgoing Southampton director of football Matt Crocker as the new sporting director of US Soccer per @TheAthleticFC
Crocker was at Southampton for 3 years, and spent 7 years at England’s FA helping “the FA establish the “England DNA.” pic.twitter.com/F4qwBmrhcg
— State of Football (@St8ofFootball) April 23, 2023
Inbox: And there it is.
New USSF sporting director Matt Crocker to be introduced tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/j9RPPP78gS
— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) April 24, 2023
Following a three-month search, Crocker is finally set to take over the job as he has already announced his decision to leave his role as Southampton’s director of football operations by the end of this season.
Crocker has beaten the likes of former USA internationals Oguchi Onyewu and Tab Ramos to secure the role.
Matt Crocker brief bio
Matt Crocker is a professional football coach who was born on December 30, 1974 in Wales. Crocker has done everything from youth development to leading football operations for men, women, as well as youth teams.
During his training, Crocker earned his technical director and academy director licenses from the Football Association and he currently holds a UEFA Pro license as well. Crocker has a lot of experience in the game, which gives him an advantage over the other candidates who usually make their name from their playing careers.
The USSF are currently looking to hire a new head coach for the men’s national team and a new sporting director prior to the women’s World Cup in July. As such, Crocker’s resume, particularly in regard to women’s football, makes him the man for the job.
Matt Crocker previous clubs record
Crocker began his professional career in the 1998/99 season and has since worked his way up for the past 24 years. Aside from working with clubs, he has also worked for a national team before, but not as a sporting director.
Given below is a record of his previous clubs and other details:
| Team | Role | Time in charge |
| Cardiff | Development coach | 1998/99 – 2004/05 |
| Southampton | Academy coach | 2006/07 – 2012/13 |
| England | Head of youth teams | 2013/14 – 2019/20 |
| Southampton | Head of football operations | 2019/20 – 2022/23 |
Matt Crocker career
Matt Crocker began his coaching career at Cardiff, serving as a development coach for some of the club’s youth teams. He then took on a similar role at Southampton where he oversaw the academy setup for six seasons.
During his tenure, stars like Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw, and James Ward-Prowse all progressed into the senior team. Following the stint with the Saints, Crocker then took over as the head of youth national teams for England.
While serving in the role, he was responsible for the setup and development of every player from the Under-15 side to the Under-20s. While working there, England won the Under-17s FIFA World Cup in 2017. The Under-17 squad featured the likes of players like Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, and Emile Smith Rowe. Moreover, the U19s team went on to win the European Championships that same year.
After working for seven years with England, Crocker returned to Southampton as the new head of football operations. As the head of football operations, Crocker directs the men’s, women’s and youth teams for the Saints. Under his guidance, the women’s team have won back-to-back promotions over the last two seasons, while the men’s teams have struggled.
Reason behind Matt Crocker leaving Southampton
Southampton officially released a statement back in December 2022 informing fans about Crocker leaving his position at the club. Crocker spent nearly 10 years at the club across his two stints. Southampton are currently placed bottom of the Premier League and will likely face relegation after 11 years in the league.
However, acrroding to various speculations, Southampton’s current standings are not related to Crocker leaving the club. According to the club, Crocker chose to end his second spell in order to pursue a new challenge. The USSF reportedly have a much bigger role in store for the 48-year-old.
Matt Crocker as USA sporting director
Aside from hiring Matt Crocker, the USMNT are also on the lookout for a permanent coach to replace Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter left the USMNT after his contract expiry back in December.
Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch is currently linked with the role of head coach. According to The Athletic, Crocker tried to hire him at Southampton earlier this season to replace Nathan Jones.
Keeping that aside, the USSF’s decision to appoint Crocker will come in handy particularly his experience with handling youth teams. In his new role, Crocker will be in charge of all 27 U.S. national sides.
Crocker’s accomplishments with the Southampton’s women’s team in particular have impressed USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone. Interestingly, Crocker will be the federation’s second sporting director, after Stewart took up the role back in 2019 as the first ever.
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