USWNT boss Emma Hayes addresses controversial exit of 'visionary' U.S. Soccer executive

Matt Crocker’s abrupt exit as U.S. Soccer’s sporting director may have infuriated some - namely, ex-U.S. Men’s National Team star Landon Donovan - but Emma Hayes had nothing but positive words to say about her now former colleague.

Crocker’s departure was announced on Tuesday, with an official statement saying his decision came down to wishing “to pursue another opportunity in international soccer.” 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 Crocker’s exit on Thursday, ahead of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s third and final April friendly against Japan at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, head coach Hayes said, “First off, Matt Crocker's the best boss I've ever had by a country mile.

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“A 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.

“And 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.

“Matt 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.

“And 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.

“But I think when it comes to the MNT everybody is positioned, and it doesn't change anything.”

Crocker’s decision to leave with less than two months until kickoff at a home World Cup has proven a controversial one, but Hayes’ comment reaffirms what both Donovan and fellow USMNT legend Tim Howard said about the situation with regards to the short term - it shouldn’t have any impact on Mauricio Pochettino’s 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 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

“I think when it comes to WNT, the combination of [Oguchi ‘Gooch’ 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.

“And while I will miss him, I wish him the best of luck because he's an amazing guy.”