Matt Crocker is still over two months away from officially beginning his new position as U.S. Soccer Sporting Director, but it hasn’t stopped him from getting a head start on one of his major responsibilities.
Crocker has been in communication with Cindy Parlow Cone and JT Batson over the U.S. men’s national team head coaching search, prior to his official start date on August 2. While several candidates have been linked with the head coaching position, no official list of candidates have been announced with a busy summer approaching.
Former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter and current interim head coach Anthony Hudson remain options for the long-term role of the program, while former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has also been linked with the job. Crocker isn’t setting an official date on when the new head coach will be appointed, but is targeting the end of the summer to make a decision.
“What we have is a list of candidates who based on our initial research we think will fit the profile,” Crocker said in a Q&A with U.S. Soccer. “We already have had a number of conversations with some of the candidates. 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. Our next steps will be to conduct more thorough interviews and continue what we have outlined as a robust evaluation process.
“As I have said, we think this decision is critical not only for the next three years but also for the legacy that this coach will leave on the future of the program,” Crocker added. “We intend to be thoughtful and thorough in our evaluation and our selection. The plan is to conduct a series of interviews in June and narrow down the list of candidates. 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.”
Hudson and his coaching staff have continued their leadership of the USMNT ahead of the upcoming Concacaf Nations League Final Four. After guiding the Americans to a first place finish in Group A, Hudson will now try and lead his squad past rivals Mexico in the June 15 semifinals before a potential finals showdown with Canada or Panama on June 18.
In addition, the USMNT will also defend its crown in the Concacaf Gold Cup, which will run from June 24 – July 16 across the United States and Canada. Hudson will need to make key decisions involving his pool of players knowing many European players are coming off a busy league season, and the MLS contingent will be heading into a busy window of competitions.
Whether or not Hudson will be the long-term head coach of the USMNT remains to be seen, but Crocker has continued to praise the 42-year-old and his staff for keeping the program moving forward through a tricky period.
“I think Anthony Hudson, B.J. Callaghan and the rest of the staff have done a fantastic job keeping the program moving forward,” Crocker said. “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. That speaks to the work they have done, and we are confident in their ability to lead this group in the tournaments this summer.”