Mauricio Pochettino hails ‘amazing’ Emma Hayes as he sets USA women as benchmark

Mauricio Pochettino has lavished praise on Emma Hayes after being officially unveiled as the new United States men’s head coach.

Hayes masterminded the US women’s recent Paris Olympics gold medal triumph, and her and Pochettino are now back in tandem following a stint managing the men’s and women’s teams at Chelsea.

“One of the most important things we need to aspire to is the women’s team,” Pochettino said, at a press conference in New York City.

“We have Emma, for me the best coach in the world, and the women’s team in history (four World Cup triumphs) have won everything. We need to match that.

“Emma is amazing, an unbelievable person, and she is so excited to be here.

“She explained a few things that I needed to know, and we are always talking about how we can improve.”

Former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris St Germain manager Pochettino’s appointment had been widely anticipated.

He has signed to lead the United States into the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host with Mexico and Canada.

The Argentinian, 52, left Chelsea in the summer after a single season in charge.

He previously took Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool, and won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France during his 18 months at PSG.

He arrives in the States after the national team made a Copa America group stage exit this summer, while their most recent games produced a 2-1 defeat against Canada and 1-1 draw with New Zealand.

Their next fixture is a friendly against Panama in Texas on October 12, and Pochettino has set a high bar.

“We need to believe we can win the World Cup,” he added. “Belief for me is a word that is so powerful.

“You can have enormous talent, but in football, you need to believe. Believe that all is possible. If we find a way to believe all together, then we can achieve what we want.

“The message to all the players – in the US, Europe and around the world – is about performance. If they perform, we are going to be there watching.

“We want to play exciting football, attacking football. The potential is there, the talent is there.

“I think everyone thinks there is no time to prepare and arrive in the best condition at the World Cup, but I am of the opposite view.

“I believe there is time enough. I don’t want to create an excuse for the players.

“Of course, the confidence was a little bit low after the Copa America, but we are going to work to recover the confidence. It is a very good generation of players.”