Multiple reports in the German media have stated that US Soccer has its eyes on current Hoffenheim head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo to be the successor of Gregg Berhalter as USMNT coach, and have gone so far as making a concrete offer to the New Jersey-born former defender.
The interest from US Soccer was first reported by German tabloid Bild early on Saturday morning, an outlet which is often considered of questionable reliability and with the tendency to sensationalize stories.
However, the initial report was shortly thereafter corroborated by the much more reliable outlet Kicker, which also gave more context on the potential move just days ahead of Matarazzo’s team beginning their Bundesliga campaign.
According to Kicker, the offer was already made several days ago, however the coach is still deciding whether to accept the post, or to fulfill the remaining year on his contract with Hoffenheim, which runs through next summer.
One motivating factor given as to why the American would consider the offer is the departure of much of Hoffenheim’s front office in recent days, most notably Sporing Director Alexander Rosen. Rosen had been in the position since late-2011, and was considered one of Matarazzo’s most ardent supporters inside the organization.
Additionally, several other members of the management team responsible for not only recruiting Matarazzo for the position in early-2023, but also for managing transfer window business in the buildup to their upcoming season were also let go during the week. This has added some significant doubts as to whether the team will have the roster to navigate multiple domestic and continental competitions in the coming months, which could help to push the Italian-American dual citizen towards accepting the job from his country of birth.
During he 2023-24 season, Matarazzo guided the German Bundesliga team to a berth in the Europa League league phase after a highly successful seventh-place domestic finish. Prior to taking the reins at Hoffenheim, he had a respectable record with VfB Stuttgart, leading them to promotion from the 2. Bundesliga after the 2019-20 season, and helping them to narrowly avoid relegation in the following season, before getting the axe in late-2022.
He has been seen as a strong candidate to follow the recently-fired Berhalter, and a growing fan favorite due to his growing pedigree in Europe as a coach and his complete lack of prior connection to MLS and the usual US soccer hierarchy.
Should he accepted the offer, which was reportedly already made prior to the wave of departures at Hoffenheim on Monday, he will join the tred of both Berhalter and Bob Bradley as another New Jersey native to lead the team.