What seemed impossible at first is now a dream come true—Mauricio Pochettino is finally at the helm of the United States to coach the American boys. While the arrival of the Argentinian manager took much more time than expected, the question looms what exactly was the delay about? Well, the US Soccer Federation finally has an answer to it.

Pochettino did his first press conference in front of the media alongside President Cindy Parlow Cone, Sporting Director Matt Crocker, and CEO/Secretary General JT Batson. Interestingly, one of the journalists posed a question to the USSF staff regarding the hold on the announcement of the former Tottenham boss’ arrival. In response, Crocker shared some intrinsic details of the negotiations.

Throughout that time, they were focused on getting the right man for the job and they were ready to spend more time to make sure that everyone understood the long-term project. “When the first press reports came out about this, we were still in that phase of making sure that we all are excited about this and we all are setting ourselves up for success. We wanted to be collectively thorough,” added Batson.

The CEO of the USSF also revealed that he and Crocker spent a lot of time together in Barcelona throughout this summer to make sure they kept things intentional for Pochettino’s arrival. Notably, another key reason for the arrival of the 52-year-old was his unresolved contract situation with his former side Chelsea. The Blues had decided to step back from the contract that hadn’t ended. It also saw them owe the Argentine over $13 million in wages.

However, both Batson and Crocker won’t blame the Premier League giants for causing a delay in solving their ex-manager‘s situation, considering they had their own liabilities to look for. “Chelsea could not have been more positive and constructive through this,” continued Batson, sharing how it was the peak of the summer transfer window which the Blues had to prioritize at all costs.

JT also shared that the majority of the club’s staff left for vacation, which slowed down the process. Yet, he didn’t hold back praise for Tod Boehly and Co., insisting, “Chelsea deserves a lot of credit for their work to ensure this deal came to life.” The journey to bring Pochettino to the States must have been tough, yet worth the wait. Now just look at how the former PSG boss has already begun to work!

Mauricio Pochettino sends a message to USMNT players

Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t even started his first training session yet, but he’s already leaving no stone unturned in preparing the American squad for the challenges ahead, with one clear goal: “Win the World Cup.” For him, anything short of that won’t count as a successful campaign. The former Tottenham manager is wasting no time, sending a strong message not only to the USMNT players but also to their passionate supporters.

“I don’t want to be nice with the fans, I don’t want to be nice with the players. I think we need to dream that we are going to win the World Cup. I think it’s a great opportunity to think big. That is why we are here eh?” he concluded on the Men in Blazers podcast. Looks like he’s all about getting down to business from the get-go. Surely, that is sign of the good times for the USMNT aren’t they?