U.S. Soccer has announced a major restructuring of its sporting department, moving away from a single sporting director model. The federation will create two new leadership roles and formalize direct reporting lines for its senior national team coaches, Mauricio Pochettino and Emma Hayes, to chief executive JT Batson.
What is the new U.S. Soccer structure?
The new model ends the single sporting director position that has been in place for most of the past decade. Instead, U.S. Soccer will hire a director of women's and girls' soccer and a director of men's and boys' soccer. These two new executives will oversee the player development pathways from amateur clubs and youth national teams up to the professional leagues. Crucially, they will not oversee the senior U.S. Men's and women's national teams. That responsibility remains firmly with head coaches Pochettino and Hayes, who are two of the highest-paid employees in federation history.
Hayes and Pochettino will report directly to CEO JT Batson and have full control of their senior squads. They will also have significant influence in shaping player development and the wider soccer landscape in partnership with the new directors. Both coaches were involved in designing the new roles. U.S. Soccer chief operating officer Dan Helfrich said that Hayes and Pochettino "have helped shape this (director of soccer) role." The coaches will be key collaborators in selecting the individuals for these new positions and will maintain regular communication with them once they are appointed.
Why did U.S. Soccer make this change?
The decision follows a review led by Helfrich and Batson after sporting director Matt Crocker departed in April 2026. Helfrich, who joined U.S. Soccer at the start of the year after a long career at Deloitte, explained that the federation's mission had become too broad for one person to lead effectively. "It became increasingly clear, in the months leading into the men's World Cup and in the months after the men's World Cup, that the breadth of our soccer mission is extraordinary," Helfrich said. The mission spans from introducing the sport to young children to developing elite players within men's and women's games that are evolving differently.
This shift represents a move from the structure put in place after the U.S. Men's team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. That failure led to the hiring of Earnie Stewart as the first USMNT general manager. Stewart later became sporting director before leaving in 2023. Crocker, his successor, led the recruitment of Hayes in 2023 and Pochettino in 2024 before his own departure. The responsibility for hiring and firing senior national team coaches now officially rests with Helfrich and Batson.
Who will be part of the new leadership team?
The restructured soccer leadership will be a broad team. It includes Pochettino and Hayes, head of talent identification Tony Lepore, youth national team development heads Tracey Kevins and Barry Pauwels, and assistant sporting director Oguchi Onyewu. Onyewu, the former USMNT defender, will continue in a cross-federation role helping all national teams and initiatives like engaging alumni. Anna Lavis, vice president of soccer growth strategy, and leaders in coaching education and technology are also part of this extended group. The new directors will help connect this team.
The big question is who will fill the new director roles. There are no direct equivalents at professional clubs in the American landscape. Candidates need experience with elite players and with external stakeholders like investors and league officials. They must blend strategic and technical depth. "I want to hire great people, and I want to have a wide variety of people at the leadership table," Helfrich stated. While candidates do not have to be American, they require a deep understanding of American soccer. Helfrich noted the two roles might function differently in practice due to the distinct evolution of the men's and women's games.
How have the coaches already influenced the pathway?
Emma Hayes began constructing a plan to revolutionize women's and girls' soccer after winning Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. She has consulted widely across the federation, challenging everyone to build the game through a female lens. Helfrich said Hayes has been "supporting and generating ideas for the pathway." On the men's side, Mauricio Pochettino's new contract, negotiated after the 2026 World Cup, comes with expanded influence beyond the senior team. He and his staff will advise on youth development, coaching education, and professional league collaboration.
Pochettino's top assistant, Jesús Pérez, recently spent multiple days at U.S. Soccer headquarters in Georgia for meetings to share ideas and understand the organization better. The new director of men's and boys' soccer will be a conduit for ideas from Pochettino's staff to influence coaching education and youth development standards across the system. The U.S. Men's national team's next match is a friendly against Mexico on October 12, 2026, as they continue their build-up following the home World Cup. You can view the full schedule on our fixtures page and check the current player pool on our squad list.
