Pellegrino Matarazzo

Pellegrino Matarazzo
Matarazzo with VfB Stuttgart in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-11-28) November 28, 1977
Place of birth Wayne, New Jersey, United States
Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 Real Sociedad (head coach)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 Columbia Lions
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2001 Eintracht Bad Kreuznach 39 (6)
2001–2003 SV Wehen 58 (0)
2003–2004 Preußen Münster 23 (0)
2004–2005 SV Wehen 18 (1)
2005–2006 SG Wattenscheid 09 31 (1)
2006–2010 1. FC Nürnberg II 62 (1)
Total 231 (9)
Managerial career
2011 1. FC Nürnberg II (caretaker)
2019–2022 VfB Stuttgart
2023–2024 TSG Hoffenheim
2025– Real Sociedad
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pellegrino Matarazzo (born November 28, 1977) is an American professional soccer coach and former player who is the current head coach of La Liga club Real Sociedad.

He previously served as coach of German soccer clubs VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim.[1][2][3]

Early life

Matarazzo was raised in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants. He has three younger brothers: Leo, Frank, and Antonio, all of them were in a Napoli fanclub at the time Diego Maradona played there. Leo and Antonio also played at Columbia. He played several sports growing up, including basketball and volleyball due to his height, but saw the most success in soccer, being a four-year varsity starter for Fair Lawn High School, leading the Cutters to the state tournament as a senior for the first time in nearly 20 years, before graduating in 1995. Matarazzo was later inducted into the Fair Lawn High School Athletics Hall of Fame in the Class of 2016.[4] He went on to play at Columbia University, where he earned a degree in applied mathematics in 1999.[5]

Playing career

After his graduation from Columbia, Matarazzo decided to go for a career as a professional soccer player. After failed trials at Serie B club Salernitana based in his mother's hometown, Salerno, and Serie C club Juve Stabia in Italy, he signed in Germany's fourth division with Eintracht Bad Kreuznach. Between 2001 and 2005, Matarazzo played for SV Wehen with a year at Preußen Münster for the 2003–04 season, as well as SG Wattenscheid 09 and 1. FC Nürnberg's reserve team. Later, Matarazzo served as assistant coach while playing for Nürnberg II at the same time.

Coaching career

Matarazzo worked many years at Nürnberg's academy, coaching the B and A juniors. In 2015, Matarazzo started the German coaching training at the Hennes-Weisweiler-Akademie, where he shared a room with Julian Nagelsmann. Later, Matarazzo joined Nagelsmann's coaching staff at Hoffenheim in 2017, becoming youth coach there. In 2018, Matarazzo became Nagelsmann's assistant and interfaced between the first team and academy, and stayed there with Alfred Schreuder as head coach. In December 2019, Sven Mislintat signed Matarazzo as first team coach of VfB Stuttgart.[6][7] He was sacked in October 2022.[8]

On February 8, 2023, Matarazzo returned to TSG Hoffenheim, this time as head coach of the first team. He signed a contract until June 2025, replacing André Breitenreiter.[9] In November 2024, he was sacked.[10]

On December 20, 2025, Matarazzo was appointed as head coach of La Liga club Real Sociedad, signing a contract until June 2027.[11] On April 18, 2026, he secured the Copa del Rey title following a penalty shootout victory over Atlético Madrid in the final, becoming the first American coach to win a major trophy in one of Europe's top five leagues.[12]

Coaching statistics

As of matches played 26 August 2026
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
1. FC Nürnberg II (caretaker) 12 April 2011 30 June 2011 72321714+3028.57 [13]
VfB Stuttgart 30 December 2019 10 October 2022 100312940149151−2031.00 [14]
TSG Hoffenheim 8 February 2023 11 November 2024 67231529112116−4034.33 [15]
Real Sociedad 20 December 2025 Present 28101084847+1035.71 [16]
Total 202665779326328−2032.67 —

Honors

Coach

Real Sociedad
Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Don't put me in a box': Pellegrino Matarazzo's extraordinary journey from New Jersey to Real Sociedad". The Guardian. April 16, 2026. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
  2. ↑ "American Exports: Nurnberg U-19s boss Pellegrino Matarazzo working his way up coaching ladder". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. February 11, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Pellegrino Matarazzo appointed VfB head coach". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  4. ↑ https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/fair-lawn/2016/09/29/fair-lawn-high-school-athletes-will-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame/93030928/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z115001e1173xxv115001d--55--b--55--&gca-ft=168&gca-ds=sophi
  5. ↑ Rae, Derek (December 11, 2020). "In Stuttgart's Matarazzo, U.S. soccer already has a coach in charge of one of Europe's great clubs". Columbia Athletics. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  6. ↑ Farrell, Sean. "A Bergen County native will make soccer history in the German Bundesliga this weekend". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Matarazzo schwärmt von Nagelsmann: "Ich habe von Julian viel gelernt"". One Football DE (in German). Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Der VfB Stuttgart stellt Pellegrino Matarazzo frei". vfb.de. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Pellegrino Matarazzo to coach TSG Hoffenheim". tsg-hoffenheim.de. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "TSG Hoffenheim part ways with Pellegrino Matarazzo". tsg-hoffenheim.de. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Pellegrino Matarazzo, new Real Sociedad coach". Real Sociedad. December 20, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  12. ↑ Hindle, Tom (April 19, 2026). "American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo claims major honor as Real Sociedad win Copa del Rey final in Atletico Madrid shootout". Goal.com.
  13. ↑ "1. FC Nürnberg II: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  14. ↑ "VfB Stuttgart: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ "TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Matches Pellegrino Matarazzo, 2025–26 season". BDFutbol.
  17. ↑ "Atletico Madrid 2–2 Real Sociedad". BBC Sport. April 18, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Pellegrino Matarazzo, LALIGA EA SPORTS Manager of the Month for January". La Liga. January 28, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
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