The front office changes within U.S. Soccer continued on Wednesday with a former U.S. men’s national team player making the move to a new role.
Oguchi Onyewu has been named the federation’s new Vice President of Sporting, U.S. Soccer announced. The 40-year-old will work closely with U.S. Soccer’s Sporting Director Matt Crocker in supporting all sporting initiatives within the federation. Reporting to Crocker, Onyewu will also play a prominent role in managing relationships with clubs and leagues in the United States and across the world.
One of Onyewu’s key responsibilities will be to assist Crocker with the hiring of the next U.S. men’s national team head coach. He will also work closely with U.S. Soccer’s Development Department to help drive increased funding for Youth and Extended National Teams.
“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.”
Onyewu is a former member of U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, having been elected to the Athletes Council and serving since 2021 before stepping down this past week to take this new position at U.S. Soccer.
A former 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup veteran, Onyewu earned 69 caps for the USMNT in a 10-year international career. He was voted the 2006 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year and lifted the Concacaf Gold Cup three times.
Onyewu was also voted to the Gold Cup Best XI squad in 2005. At club level, Onyewu played in seven different countries including England, Italy, the U.S. and Belgium.
“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.”
Crocker is Welsh born & raised, worked in England majority of his life. What does he know about America? The guy doesn’t know the difference between a Philly cheesesteak and Subway. Oneywu is an American. It’s not complicated. He’s also an outsider to the “evil empire”.
Gooch is a great guy and a very popular figure but what is he actually going to do?
What is his professional experience in supporting and developing players?
The job description is very vague, not unlike McBride’s. And Gooch’s is about as boilerplate generic as it gets. “support and grow our talented pool …..” No kidding.
I’m not necessarily opposed to giving him a salary just to make the USSF look good and impress everyone ( the man did beat up Zlatan) but it would be nice if he gave us periodic updates on what exactly he does., something neither Brian nor Earnie did a whole lot of.
Played professionally in France, Belgium, England, Italy, Spain, and Portugal so he has connections at clubs all over Europe. Sporting director at Orlando City B, and currently was Secretary General at 3rd level side in Belgium. 69 US caps. From what it sounds like he’ll work with clubs to ensure releases, perhaps recruit dual nationals, and helping coordinating with the youth levels here at home. So basically McBrides job with a little more on the youth development side and seemingly also working with the women’s program.
Disappointing hire.
Great player CV but pretty thin as an executive..
Being a better Center back than Gregg doe not mean he’ll be a better executive/management type person. He’s no John Thorrington.
I’m over this idea that surrounding the players with former ex players is going to make the current bunch better via osmosis
His substance for the role has yet to be proven. Is he there to keep Crocker in line?
Mostly he’s a very popular ex USMNT player, a mind set I was hoping to get away from.
Gooch is probably the best of that type of ex player. But if you had to go that route, I would have preferred DMB or Bornstein.
V, I just don’t think the position is all that exciting for execs to get any other than someone with little experience or no experience like McBride.
You don’t have regular youth squads to develop or first team rosters to build, it’s not a high profile position, so you either get someone who’s a little green or long in the tooth with few options that wants to give back to US Soccer.
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“To keep Crocker in check”: he would be someone within Crocker’s office that has both experience in the American system and the European models so he could provide incite to help Crocker acclimate.
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Bornstein or DMB neither of those guys have any exec experience and Bornstein has no connections to European clubs he’d be dealing with. Beas co-owns Fort Wayne in USL League 2 but that team has struggled in the 4th tier (semi-pro formally PDL). What’s your reasoning? Also according to Wikipedia Bornstein is still playing for a club in Honduras (who knew).
The job description is so vague that it is impossible to conclude whether this is a good hire or not. The fact that Gooch must have a lot of European contacts certainly helps. Beyond that, I don’t think we can make any judgments on any of this.
JR,
“V, I just don’t think the position is all that exciting for execs to get any other than someone with little experience or no experience like McBride.
You don’t have regular youth squads to develop or first team rosters to build, it’s not a high profile position, so you either get someone who’s a little green or long in the tooth with few options that wants to give back to US Soccer.” “Bornstein or DMB neither of those guys have any exec experience…”
In other words Gooch is a figurehead. A symbol. Which means Beas and Jony Boy lacking exec experience is irrelevant. I’m not opposed to a figure head. I just prefer other ones to Gooch
“and Bornstein has no connections to European clubs he’d be dealing with.”
Yeah because the USMNT doesn’t give a damn about players in Central or South America do they?
“Beas co-owns Fort Wayne in USL League 2 but that team has struggled in the 4th tier (semi-pro formally PDL). “
Are you going to blame Crocker for Southampton being relegated?
“What’s your reasoning? Also according to Wikipedia Bornstein is still playing for a club in Honduras (who knew).”
Again, I love Gooch but I see him as an establishment figure. As a symbol Beas came from nowhere and did more with his career in Europe than Gooch did. You can look it up. And he always had, in my view one of the best attitudes ever of any of the ex- USMNT players. He knows what it is like to be down and out and then claw his way back to the top. He knows how to fight for his job. Probably more than Gooch. If these guys had DMB’s attitude none of us would have any worries about this group and their approach to the game.
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“To keep Crocker in check”: he would be someone within Crocker’s office that has both experience in the American system and the European models so he could provide incite to help Crocker acclimate.”
I’m tired of the arrogance that says that the American system is so incredibly intricate and sophisticated that a long time high level soccer professional like Crocker needs to have his hand held to figure it out. Ever notice how the English Premier League is and has been dominated by non English people? If the concern is MLS , 22 games for the Union does not exactly make Gooch an MLS expert.
“he could provide incite to help Crocker acclimate.”
The USSF already knows Gooch’s insight into the American system
I thought we were paying Crocker for his insight. Nothing against Gooch. Maybe he’s the only one who wanted the job. I was just hoping for a fresher approach instead of this recycled stuff.
I’m not sure giving fans updates on what he does, is going to be a big priority of Onyewu’s as a VP at US Soccer—- at least I hope not.
Personally, I’m glad its someone with passion for the program and experience as a player that will be working for US Soccer. He was also capped many times at youth level for the US—he’s been through the system, and I’m sure has ideas on what could be done to make development better in the US.
I’m glad he is not just a suit. Young players look up to those that have been there—— Gooch has been there—- I’d say he has the head to “support ……our talent pool”. Again— can’t see a downside to this!
V: I feel like you needed a few “no offense but …” in there clearly you think the job has no actual requirements or responsibilities so you’d rather someone else was in the roll. I get that since what Gooch or McBride before him actually did is as clear as mud. Gooch and Beas have fairly similar cvs the difference seems to be Gooch has interest in working for US Soccer and Beas doesn’t. They both played in Europe and MLS both are from same era, so your whole decision seems based on you like Beas better.
Gooch’s job looks like window dressing for the media and the players, someone they can point to as example of how they want the players to look and to be. Maybe Crocker prefers to stay behind the scenes and have Gooch do the media thing.
In terms of substance, how much did having McBride around help the #9 situation for Gregg?
This is a degree removed from having people like Roldan around for their “locker room presence”.
It feels like Gooch is being hired MORE because he was an ex USMNT star not because of the actual work he might be doing.
More lack of substance PR moves from an organization to seems to have hired a lot of deadwood over the years.
If you want to use ex players as an example of something make sure its a good example. Gooch isn’t bad but DMB, who probably has better things to do, is better.
He was a star, then he wasn’t and came back from the depths to have a pretty decent World Cup in Brazil. He certainly had a better World Cup career than Gooch did.
If you want someone to win the media over to the USMNT DMB is a better choice than Gooch.
Love this hire, his resume speaks for itself on and off the field, and as a fellow DMVer I’m even more excited to see the added value that Gooch will bring to the federation!
I like the hire. Good position to be in. Sounds like he will be groomed to take over for Crocker in the future.