Pellegrino Matarazzo is heading to Spain, as it was announced on Saturday that he will become the new head coach of La Liga’s Real Sociedad.
The 48-year-old has signed a contract with the Basque-based team, which will run until the 2026-2027 season.
The news came on Saturday, following the team’s firing of Sergio Francisco the previous weekend after their third consecutive defeat in the league. It is currently in 16th place in the standings, well in danger of the relegation zone.
The New Jersey-born coach started his coaching journey in Germany with the youth teams at FC Nurnberg. He then moved to Hoffenheim, where he became the assistant coach to Julian Nagelsmann. In December 2019, he earned his first head coaching job with VfB Stuttgart in the 2. Bundesliga. He would find success with the team as they were promoted to the Bundesliga.
In February 2023, Matarazzo was appointed as head coach for Hoffenheim. He was relieved of his coaching duties in November 2024.
The newly-appointed coach will take on a Sociedad side that has often competed for European spots in the league. However, personnel changes over the past season have led them to their recent struggles.
Matarazzo will be on the sideline for Txuri-Urdin when they welcome Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid to the Reale Arena on January 4, 2026.
Follow Yanks Abroad on Twitter, Facebook, andLinkedIn for news and views on Americans playing the beautiful game worldwide and the U.S. national teams.
