PASADENA, California (Reuters) – Coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti will hand over a winning Mexico team to new boss Juan Carlos Osorio with a sense of accomplishment after steering them into the 2017 Confederations Cup with a 3-2 win over the United States.

Interim coach Ferretti, a Brazilian-born naturalised Mexican, will hand over the reins after Tuesday’s friendly against Panama in Toluca with Mexico unbeaten in his three matches in charge so far, including draws with Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina in friendlies last month.

“I feel good, calm, happier than when I arrived and pleased to have succeeded with the assignment we had to get this passage to the Confederations Cup,” Ferretti said after Saturday’s victory at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

“To hand in a good account leaves me satisfied… I’ll always be in debt because Mexican football has made me a slightly better human being,” said the normally gruff Ferretti, who has been in Mexico since 1977 during his playing days.

The playoff pitted CONCACAF Gold Cup holders Mexico against 2013 winners the United States to represent the region at the World Cup warm-up tournament in Russia in 2017.

Ferretti, who has been holding the fort since 2014 World Cup coach Miguel Herrera was sacked in July, will return to his club job with UANL Tigres.

Tigres are fifth in the Apertura standings, first of two championships in the Liga MX season, with 19 points from 12 matches, six points behind leaders UNAM Pumas. They are at home to Pachuca on Saturday.

Osorio, who has won the Colombian league title with Once Caldas and Atletico Nacional and also coached in the U.S. MLS, has left Brazil’s Sao Paulo for the Mexico job and will be officially unveiled on Wednesday as their coach for the 2018 World Cup.

(Reporting by Carlos Calvo in Mexico City; Writing by Rex Gowar; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)