The question came 20 minutes into Mauricio Pochettino's press conference announcing his appointment as head coach of the U.S. men's national team, and was the first question asked in his native Spanish.
“This gives us a break,” Pochettino joked about the chance to give his English a rest.
“What made you decide to take the job in the United States?” the reporter asked.
The question cut to the root of a problem that hung over the event, held in a glittering high-rise in New York City's Hudson Yards development: Why would such a highly acclaimed manager think this was the next step?
The 52-year-old former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager began by sharing his impressions of meeting with U.S. Soccer executives, before talking about the huge potential for soccer in the U.S. and the task ahead of him in taking the U.S. Men's National Team to a new level.
“It's a challenge that takes us out of our comfort zone,” Pochettino said with a smile in Spanish. “For us it's easy to work on what we already know, we already have a simple vision and an idea (of how to achieve it). But here we are being asked to work on something we don't know very well, to get out of our comfort zone so that we can challenge ourselves.”
“Not only is it a challenge to achieve something together, but it's also a challenge to ourselves.”
US Soccer CEO JT Batson, technical director Matt Crocker, Pochettino and president Cindy Parlow (Luke Hales/USSF/Courtesy of Getty Images for USSF)
Consciously or not, Pochettino has been on a parallel path with his new team. For several seasons, a “step out of your comfort zone to grow” mentality has been part of the USMNT's path to improvement, an idea that dates back to the days of Jurgen Klinsmann but was also frequently discussed by former coach Gregg Berhalter.
But the aim here isn't just to go to Europe and play for the biggest clubs, it's to understand how to find the right challenges that will help you grow, get better.
That Pochettino sees the job as a challenge for his own development was perhaps the most important takeaway from Friday's press conference. The U.S. needed a new voice to push them to take the next step to surpass their potential. They will now begin that journey with a coach who has a bigger reputation than anyone here and who is looking for the same type of development.
Pochettino appeared engaging, excited and fired up at the press conference as he spoke about his happiness at being part of the U.S. national team, the honor of being the team's first Spanish-speaking Latin American coach, his connection with U.S. Women's National Team coach Emma Hayes and the impact the U.S. Women's winning history could have on the men's team.
He told the story of how he learned the English expression “over the moon” during his early years as manager of Premier League club Southampton, and how he and his family teeth He is very happy to have taken on this new job.
His fluency in both English and Spanish is a historic moment in itself, and a symbol of the unprecedented opportunity this hiring provides U.S. Soccer to reach the country's large and growing Latino population.
But Pochettino clearly understood that winning was key to winning over fans both old and new.
Pochettino is introduced to the media at Hudson Yards (Luke Hales/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Pochettino spoke multiple times throughout the morning about a simple idea he believes can carry his team forward: belief. He said the word “belief” a dozen times throughout the hour-long event. For a manager known for his ability to inspire his dressing room, it was indicative of how he targets minds and psychology as much as tactics.
“For me 'believe' is a powerful word,” Pochettino said. “You can have great talent, you can be smart, but in football you need to believe. To believe that everything is possible. If we find a way to believe together, we can achieve it.”
He then solidified his thinking as he looked to the World Cup tournament the United States will co-host with Mexico and Canada two years later.
“We have to believe really big things,” Pochettino said. “We have to believe that we can not only win games, but win the World Cup. … I want the players to come from day one of training camp and think big. That's the only way we can all create this philosophy, this idea, perform and deliver our talent for the team. That's going to be a big challenge for us.”
Regaining that belief will be No. 1 on his to-do list as coach of the U.S. men's national team.
The U.S. was clearly lacking in confidence going into the September transfer window, which Pochettino said was understandable given their results in the Copa America. Performances in a loss to Canada and a draw with New Zealand only compounded the problems within the group. But Pochettino didn't seem too worried about the culture of the group as a whole, alluding to the idea of ​​tapping into the “winning mentality” that permeates American sports and drawing inspiration from the winning culture the U.S. women's team has demonstrated for years.
“We are here because we want to win,” Pochettino said.
The video board announces Pochettino's appointment as manager during a friendly against New Zealand in Cincinnati (John Doughton/ISI Photo/USSF/Getty Images)
Of course, ideas on how to play it were also discussed.
“We are in America,” Pochettino said, “to convince the fans, I think this will attract them, and aesthetics are really important. We want to play good football, good football, exciting football, attacking football. And of course, we are a coaching staff with a ball-possession philosophy, so we want to have the ball. We need to run, we need to move, we need to give our teammates options, good angles. … And when we don't have the ball we need to run, we need to be attacking, we need to be competitive.”
“The potential is there. The talent is there. We just need to create the best platform for them to express themselves.”
Pochettino acknowledged these are traits that define the team, but said he wanted to get a feel for the players before unveiling the U.S. team's playing style.
The process is expected to begin in the next few days, with Pochettino meeting star winger Christian Pulisic and other players. Pochettino said he wanted to speak to team members individually and get their feedback, before bringing the squad together for the first time next month for friendlies in Austin, Texas, and Guadalajara, Mexico.
It was a lengthy process, more than two months from when the recruitment began until the player officially joined the club, and Pochettino admitted the wait had been tough – but he was ready to get to work.
The clock is ticking now, and with the World Cup less than two years away, the U.S. has a mountain to climb to prepare for, but they have a coach that no one expected to lead this team to a World Cup.
From now on, the coach will try to inject belief into the team and beyond.
Going deeper
How the USMNT acquired Pochettino: Hayes' role, Chelsea delays and Argentine steak
(Top photo: Luke Hales/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
