Mauricio Pochettino feelings on USWNT coach Emma Hayes clear after working together

Former Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino used a large portion of his first United States men's national team (USMNT) press conference to praise Emma Hayes , who recently became United States women's national team (USWNT) head coach.

Hayes has already got off to a winning start, leading the USWNT to gold at the Paris Olympics this summer. Pochettino, 52, is the most high-profile men's head coach in U.S. Soccer history, replacing Gregg Berhalter after the USMNT was eliminated at the group stage of Copa America .

Pochettino has coached Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea , and it was during his time at the latter that he formed a relationship with Hayes. In a similar situation to now, Pochettino coached the men's team while Hayes was winning several titles with the women's team.

"She's amazing. She's amazing. For me, she's an unbelievable character. To be already in Chelsea we had a relationship and we shared the training ground," Pochettino said on Friday. "Emma is so excited to be here with you all, amazing coach."

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Pochettino later added: "She's so clever, so intelligent. And I hope she thinks the same about me! Every conversation we have is about how we can improve, and how we can help.

"One of the most important things that we need to aspire to is the women’s team... we have Emma who is the best coach in the world, and the women’s team in history won everything. We need to match you."

Pochettino's feelings are matched by Hayes, who grew fond of the 52-year-old while he was at Chelsea. According to The Athletic , Hayes called Pochettino to share her positive experiences working with U.S. Soccer and was asking for updates on the hiring process at the team hotel in Paris ahead of the USWNT's Olympic semi-final against Germany.

When Pochettino's hire was announced on social media, Hayes was one of the first to welcome him. "Mauricio, welcome to U.S. soccer," Hayes said in a clip posted to social media. "I cannot wait to work with you again, and I look forward to collaborating over the next couple of years. This is an exciting time for U.S. soccer and I just wanted to say welcome, and I look forward to bringing you into the U.S. soccer family."

According to U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker, Hayes was joking about the imminent arrival of Pochettino throughout the Olympic Games. "During the Olympics, we were joking, every time we saw her she'd be like, ‘Where's Poch?’" Crocker told TNT.

"From that perspective, she knows him, and we used that as a reference point as well... They've got the highest respect for each other, I guess the dynamic of those two working together is exciting for us."