Hello,

Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Total Soccer show.

My name is Taylor Rockwell, and today I'm joined by Joe Lowry to have another U.S.-centric conversation.

But Joe, this one I'm going to say, even more exciting than the last.

This is probably the best one that we've had so far, because Maricio Pocitino is here. He gave us first press conference earlier today. I was on that presser via the last. This is probably the best one that we've had so far because Maricio Pocitino is here.

He gave his first press conference earlier today. I was on that presser via Zoom along with tons of other people. Potchino right at the top was like, wow, there's lots of people here. He figured out how to turn it to gallery mode, I guess, in Zoom so we could actually see all the faces. He said something along those lines. So there's a roster here. There's lots of people excited about it.

There are two games coming up.

One is in Austin.

That game is against Panama on October 2012. He said something along those lines. So there's a roster here. There's lots of people excited about it. There are two games coming up.

One is in Austin.

That game is against Panama on October 12th. That will be Pachino's first game. That is, what, Saturday? That's a week from Saturday. And then there's a second game down in Mexico in Guadalajara against Mexico. and we don't see the U.S. play on the road a whole lot these days.

So I'm super excited for both of these games

for somewhat different reasons.

This is a fun time, and it's going to be a fun show. Let's hope so. That would be the goal. But I think it is a fun time, or at least it will be a fun time, especially in contrast with the last international window, and we did not yet have a permanent manager, it felt very

much like treading water until progress could be made, a potential missed opportunity of sorts,

but not really anything to take away, not really any significant reason to get excited, whereas

now, even with a lot, stressing a lot of similar faces and names, it is still the feeling that this is the start of the Pachira, because it is, but it's also

maybe the start of renewed optimism in the U.S. and the program and what can happen next.

Well, it all just kind of means more right now, right?

So there are nine international windows, not counting January camps, between now and the start of the

2026 World Cup, nine. Then there's a goal cup as well, but that's sort of in its own category.

That's not very many. Pachitino, in his introductory press conference in New York City last month,

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