Since first arriving at Queen’s Park Rangers as an academy player aged nine years old, Danny Dichio has spent almost a full lifetime around soccer.

And yet, when it came time for the 49-year-old to take the plunge and become a Head Coach in the professional ranks for the first time, it took some added convincing from his family that he was ready for the road ahead.

“It was something that I didn’t know for sure that I wanted to do,” Dichio told CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Scoreline on Thursday evening. “I loved being an assistant coach, I love being around the players and having that close contact with them and that connection – but being a Head Coach separates yourself a little bit more. You have to take a different side, a different approach, but it was something I was passionate about.

“My family pushed me a little bit more than I could push myself and making me believe, and coming to a club like Detroit – which is a different club, a unique club in of itself – was probably the right kind of relationship to go into and a great partnership for us both.”

Dichio has led Le Rouge to consecutive victories to start the 2024 season as it heads to face Indy Eleven on Saturday night at Michael A. Carroll Stadium (7 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Golazo Network). His side has produced an impressive attacking flow that was absent a season ago, notching four goals in its opening two victories.

Having served as an assistant coach for Sacramento Republic FC over the past two seasons – including the club’s run to the final of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Dichio is now aiming to bring the same sort of success to his new club as he works alongside his predecessor and now DCFC Sporting Director Trevor James.

“I know a lot about the game, I know a lot about the organization and how clubs are run and now hopefully passing on that knowledge and experience as a Head Coach is going to help me in the long run, but I couldn’t have been happier to be at a club like Detroit,” he said. “I’ve embraced the city – which is a great city to live in – and the community that really gets behind their club as well, it’s fantastic to be a part of.”

Hear more from Dichio on the growth of professional soccer in North America, and his time – and hairstyles – at Queen’s Park Rangers in his full interview.