"My expectation is we're going to be in America next year."
Words from Republic of Ireland assistant coach Paddy McCarthy on the eve of the opening World Cup qualifier against Hungary in September.
McCarthy, who first got involved with the national side during John O'Shea's time as interim boss, again answered his country's call when Heimir Hallgrimsson took over in the summer of 2024.
He had seen progress, enough for him to stay involved, in spite of the demands of his day-to-day coaching role at Crystal Palace.
A draw at home to Hungary and then that horror show away to Armenia and it appeared, not for the first time, that qualifying hopes again had evaporated all too soon.
So much for McCarthy's bullishness.
But eight weeks or so is a long time in football. Three wins on the spin, culminating in Troy Parrott's winner in Hungary, has Ireland still involved in the quest to partake in the greatest show on earth.
McCarthy's belief in the squad is unwavering.
Speaking to Marie Crowe on Inside Sport, the Dubliner pointed to the "huge potential" of those he was working with, those progressing along that learning curve.
"You had young players who had gone through a lot of adversity but now have gained valuable experience through that adversity.
"A lot of recognition must be given to Keith Andrews and Stephen Kenny in bedding in those young players ahead of their time. I knew that somebody would get the benefits, that the group were on the cusp of doing something really special.
"There is an unbelievable mental toughness, togetherness, belief, resilience to get to a World Cup. The stakes are really high but the rewards will be life changing for us as staff, the players, and for the people of Ireland."
Before the prospect of playing Mexico, South Africa and South Korea next June, the play-off hurdle must first be negotiated, starting with that away assignment in Czechia.
McCarthy is level-headed enough to know that one must not think too far ahead, but again he is at pains to point out the growing belief within the group and how that shone through in those November games against Portugal and Hungary.
"Not many people gave us much of a chance to go and get those two wins - to beat those two teams - but I could feel there was something building ahead of those games," he revealed.
"I could feel a confidence within the group and certainly a belief that we could go on and beat Portugal at home. And what a moment that was for young Troy Parrott, scoring the hat-trick [against Hungary] and getting that goal in that moment. I felt the belief was there even when the clock was ticking down, that we would get that one chance.
"I'd be lying say I would not be excited at the prospect of playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, that famous arena"
"Now we have a great opportunity to get ourselves to a World Cup for the first time since 2002. The lads have earned that opportunity. Right from the beginning it was our objective to get to the USA, Mexico and Canada. The World Cup is an unbelievable event but we've got a lot of work to do. We must present the best version of ourselves in March to give us the best opportunity to get this country to the World Cup.
"I'd be lying say I would not be excited at the prospect of playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, that famous arena. We have a couple of big hurdles to get over before we think about those type of games - but what the lads showed in the last camp will give us a lot of confidence going into this March window."
On Thursday, McCarthy will be part of the Crystal Palace contingent that arrives in Tallaght Stadium for their UEFA Conference League tie against Shelbourne.
Palace, the FA Cup holders, are also flying high in the Premier League.
It would appear that McCarthy is relishing life there.
He mentions the "relentless standards that are driven every day in training".
And not just that.
"We have a fantastic group of players, an exceptional manager and a culture where we are never satisfied, but we want more. We believe we still have not reached our ceiling as a group of players and staff."
As for McCarthy's own coaching journey, well it's a case of a busy workload for now, with an aspiration to do even more in the future.
"I'm a highly ambitious young coach, consumed for now by my day-to-day role at Crystal Palace and my role with Ireland, so I have a lot on my plate. But somewhere along the line I do have an ambition to be a coach. When that will happen, I don't know. I'm sure that when the right opportunity comes I'll be ready to take it.
The roll call of managers that McCarthy has worked under include Neil Warnock, Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce, Patrick Vieira, Roy Hodgson, Oliver Glasner, and now Heimir Hallgrimsson.
No mention of the hairdryer treatment, when asked to assess what makes them good leaders.
"They are all really humble," was the initial response.
"They have that fine balance between being confident and humble and that is a really difficult thing to get. That then rubs off on the players, they all have similar characteristics.
"Top operators are really consistent in their behaviours, and that is true of them."
