Turns out, Real Salt Lake attacker Giuseppe Rossi isn't the only New Jersey-born Italian-American to make his name in Europe.
Fellow Garden State native Pellegrino Matarazzo was installed as manager of 2. Bundesliga's VfB Stuttgart over the winter break to try and make a promotion push, writes American Soccer Now's Brian Sciaretta.
That push was ultimately halted for the time being by the Coronavirus Pandemic. But the former TSG Hoffenheim assistant had helped Stuttgart up to second in the table before play was suspended with nine matches remaining. In the process, he's mostly made his players forget his unlikely nation of origin.
“Do they realize I am American? Sometimes they forget,” Matarazzo told Sciaretta. “I speak German with a little bit of an accent. But every now and then when I start cursing or get emotional, most of that comes out in English [laughs]. So yeah, they know I am American.”
Matarazzo is part of a relatively small list of American coaches that have pedaled their managerial wares in Europe, including US national team boss Gregg Berhalter, LAFC head coach Bob Bradley and former New York Red Bulls gaffer Jesse Marsch.
The latter is currently in charge of Austrian Bundesliga powers Red Bull Salzburg.
Check out the full story on Matarazzo at American Soccer Now.
