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Emma Hayes expressed her sadness over Matt Crocker's departure as U.S. Soccer's sporting director, calling him a 'visionary.' Crocker left to pursue another opportunity in international soccer, reportedly with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
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U.S. Women's National Team boss Emma Hayes said she 'will miss' Matt Crocker, who recently left his role as U.S. Soccer sporting director -Credit:Olivia Vanni/USSF/Getty Images
(Olivia Vanni/USSF/Getty Images)
Matt Crockerâs abrupt exit as U.S. Soccerâs sporting director may have infuriated some - namely, ex-U.S. Menâs National Team star Landon Donovan - but Emma Hayes had nothing but positive words to say about her now former colleague.
Crockerâs departure was announced on Tuesday, with an official statement saying his decision came down to wishing âto pursue another opportunity in international soccer.â While this role has not been made public as of yet, FOX Sports claimed it was with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
Asked for her take on Crockerâs exit on Thursday, ahead of the U.S. Womenâs National Teamâs third and final April friendly against Japan at DICKâs Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, head coach Hayes said, âFirst off, Matt Crocker's the best boss I've ever had by a country mile.
Matt Crocker left to pursue another opportunity in international soccer, although the specific role has not been publicly disclosed.
Emma Hayes stated she 'will miss' Crocker and praised him as a 'visionary' in his role.
Crocker's abrupt exit infuriated some, including former U.S. Men's National Team star Landon Donovan.
Crocker is reportedly pursuing a role with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

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Crocker said in a statement, 'It has been a privilege to be part of U.S. Soccer during such an important period for the sport in this country' -Credit:Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
âA visionary. I think he showed a lot of belief in me. He's a big reason why I came to this country, because in order to be successful in my position, having someone with his qualities and his experiences, I think have set the foundation for the federation.
âAnd of course, fans don't always see the building blocks that sit underneath it, but if you think about a National Training Center with a structure that is there to support WNT, MNT, extended national teams, YNT.
âMatt has played a pivotal role in putting in place a structure that wasn't there before in its entirety, and I think the great thing about the work that he has done is it's in a better place, but we also have succession planning and contingencies for that.
âAnd I think with both Dan [Helfrich] in a leadership capacity and his experiences at Deloitte, he brings a leadership in an interim period to help navigate the next steps for the federation.
âBut I think when it comes to the MNT everybody is positioned, and it doesn't change anything.â
Crockerâs decision to leave with less than two months until kickoff at a home World Cup has proven a controversial one, but Hayesâ comment reaffirms what both Donovan and fellow USMNT legend Tim Howard said about the situation with regards to the short term - it shouldnât have any impact on Mauricio Pochettinoâs team this summer.
As for the USWNT, Hayes was also unconcerned about the long-term impact this would have, with her side fully focused on qualifying for the 2027 Womenâs World Cup in Brazil.
âI think when it comes to WNT, the combination of [Oguchi âGoochâ Onyewu] and Tracey [Kevins] stepping in in a support capacity I think it's business as usual and one where, I know people don't necessarily see this from the outside, but Matt did an amazing job of putting together that foundation from which we can now build upon.
âAnd while I will miss him, I wish him the best of luck because he's an amazing guy.â