This is Squawk Pod.

Up and Becky.

Thank you.

You're watching Squackbox right here on CNBC.

I'm Becky Quick along with Joe Kernan and Andrew Ross Sorkin.

The US men's national team playing Wednesday night at 8 Eastern against Bosnia in the first round of the World Cup elimination round.

And a key factor for the US team's success has so far been Argentine coach. You told me, Colin Pach, but it's Pocatino. Yes, sir. Is that okay? I just want to make sure I get it right. A key factor in hiring him. The man with the U.S. with us here, with us, I said with the U. us this morning is Scott Goodwin he runs diameter capital

partners. He's helping pay for the US teams coaching staff. How did that happen? So I was I was in July

summer of 2024 they lost in the gold cup which is the regional tournament and I was venting to some

friends who were big soccer guys. And are you just, hold on, back up.

Are you just like a crazy soccer person to begin with?

Big soccer fan.

Because of how did that even happen? I was born in Europe. I lived in France and spent in Spain for a while growing up and was around the Real Madrid Galactico's era in the early 2000s. Okay. and have had friends involved with the u.s soccer team forever and venting to them in in

2024 that we needed a better coach the world World Cup's gonna be here in two years, this is an opportunity, and I saw in the press, they were talking to some big names. And these guys who were involved with the team said, well, we can't afford them. I said, well, we've just hired this amazing women's coach, Emma Hayes, who's the top women's coach in the world, and went on to win the Olympics hiring her. So I said, what about if I pay? And they thought I was kidding. So the next thing I know, I'm meeting with the head of U.S. soccer, J.T. Batson, who I think you guys have had on it at some point in time. And he said,

well, here's what we want to do. Here's what we want to build around having a really elite coach.

I'd love to have you involved. And I said, sure, if you can get one of these top two or three guys,

I'd love to be involved. What do you get from this? Do you get tickets? Do you get like,

it's patriotic pride.

Patriotic pride. I want to win. I hate losing. And for me, the opportunity to put a competitive team on the field with a real leader that we have good players, but we lack leadership and lacks culture. And what Mauricio has brought is culture, leadership, intensity, passion. So is this right?

So you're paying six million bucks a year? It's not public what we are paying. That's what the

some of the reports, though. Yeah, I'm not going to get into the numbers, but, but I'm pricing.

This is not, this is not cheap. Not cheap. Very expensive coach. Is it worth it so far?

...