The former Chelsea manager was named USA coach last month.
Richards told the Crystal Palace match programme: "You’ve seen (Mauricio Pochettino's) success in club football.
“It’s another sign that US soccer is pushing to better the game. Hiring a manager like Pochettino shows that you’re serious about growing the game.
"We could have gone down the safe route by choosing a potential coach from the MLS, but I think them going for a coach that might turn them down and going for coaches of calibre is very impressive from US Soccer.
“I’m really excited for it – hopefully we can win games and tournaments with him. It's funny, people ask me when I'm playing for a team USA: ‘How far do you think you can go in the World Cup?’ I say I want to win it. Whatever I do, we want to be the best at and we want to win.”