SEATTLE — Make no mistake: Mauricio Pochettino is pure Argentine.
"I am 200 percent Argentine," he said, beaming. "I am not going to lie."
He grew up in a farming village some 250 miles west of Buenos Aires, launched his career in Rosario and wore La Albiceleste's colors in a World Cup. Passion spouts when he speaks about the love for his country and everything it has brought to sports and culture.
His additional loyalties are with Europe, where he played and coached across decades.
But on the most American of holidays, as the coach of a U.S. World Cup team that, through style and substance, has rekindled national spirit and helped unite a divided land, Pochettino continues embracing his adoptive country.
"I am 200 percent Argentine," he said, beaming. "I am not going to lie."
He grew up in a farming village some 250 miles west of Buenos Aires, launched his career in Rosario and wore La Albiceleste's colors in a World Cup. Passion spouts when he speaks about the love for his country and everything it has brought to sports and culture.
His additional loyalties are with Europe, where he played and coached across decades.
But on the most American of holidays, as the coach of a U.S. World Cup team that, through style and substance, has rekindled national spirit and helped unite a divided land, Pochettino continues embracing his adoptive country.
4 months ago
