Who is Pellegrino Matarazzo? USMNT coaching candidate's style, formation, success, history and more

A new name has emerged as a top contender for the vacant U.S. men's national team job: USA-born, Germany-based manager Pellegrino Matarazzo.

According to Sky Sports in Germany, the Hoffenheim coach is reportedly on U.S. Soccer's list of candidates to succeed Gregg Berhalter, who was fired in July after the USMNT crashed out of the Copa America in the group stage. Per the report, U.S. Soccer has not extended a formal offer but would like to hold talks with Matarazzo, who is under contract with Hoffenheim until the end of the 2024-25 season.

As the only American coach in Europe's top five leagues, Matarazzo feels like a natural focus for U.S. Soccer as they look for the person who will lead the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Matarazzo, though, is not like the fellow U.S. passport holders who have led the USMNT before -- he may be a born-and-raised American, but his professional career has taken place entirely in Germany, where he has lived since 2000.

Here's what you need to know about Matarazzo with his stock on the rise.

New Jersey roots

The 46-year-old Matarazzo is a native of New Jersey, born to Italian immigrants in Wayne and raised in Fair Lawn. He attended Columbia University and graduated with a degree in applied mathematics in 1999 and shortly after graduation, he traveled to Europe to pursue a professional playing career.

Semi-pro playing career

Though Matarazzo had trials in Italy, including at his mother's hometown club Salernitana, he landed in Germany and played for a series of clubs in the country for 10 years. The highest level he ever played in was Germany's third division, ending his playing career with a four-year stint with Nurnberg reserve team from 2006 to 2011.

Early coaching days

Matarazzo got his start as a coach at Nurnberg, where he was an assistant coach for the reserve team while also serving as a player. He was also the caretaker manager for the reserves as well as a coach in the club's academy, taking coaching courses in 2015. He was rooMMAtes with Julian Nagelsmann, now the Germany men's national team coach, and later worked with him at Hoffenheim from 2017 to 2018. Matarazzo was first working in the academy before becoming Nagelsmann's assistant, sticking around in that role once Alfred Schreuder succeeded Nagelsmann after he left for RB Leipzig.

Stuttgart stay and success with Hoffenheim

Matarazzo was hired by Stuttgart midway through the 2019-2020 season and led them to their promotion from the second division to the Bundesliga, where they finished ninth the following season. They barely survived relegation in their sophomore Bundesliga campaign in 2021-22, when they finished 15th and just two months into the following season, Matarazzo was fired. Stuttgart finished 16th that season, surviving the relegation playoff to stay in the Bundesliga.

Within a few months, though, Matarazzo booked his return to Hoffenheim as the head coach in February 2023. They finished 12th at the end of the season but the following campaign, Matarazzo led them to a seventh-place finish. As a result, they booked a spot in the UEFA Europa League for the 2024-25 season, their first European berth since the 2019-20 season.

Playing style

Matarazzo prefers a high-press style that relies heavily on counterattacking, but his time working under the possession-oriented Nagelsmann has influenced the way he sees the game. His preferred formation is a 3-5-2.

"I think we learned a lot from this game about our high press, how we cover depth, how we control the game in general," he told ESPN following a loss to Frankfurt last season. "Of course, the mistakes that led to goals are conceded goals, more individual mistakes than anything else. But I take away a lot of things regarding our high press and also how we create chances in the second half where we've had a lot of control, how we found spaces, but our final pass was not precise enough. The runs into depth were not available, not well timed."

The New Jersey native also has historically coached teams considered to be underdogs, as well as valued players who have previously been overlooked. That particular profile fits the USMNT well, since the team eyes a statement-making performance in 2026 and boasts several talented players like Christian Pulisic, but still does not rank amongst the Game's top national teams despite their aspirations.

Giving back to U.S. soccer

Matarazzo has yet to comment on reports that he is among the candidates to succeed Berhalter, but months before the job was open, he seemed open to the idea -- even if he was speaking in hypotheticals.

"I think this is the right place to be at Hoffenheim," he said in the interview with ESPN. "I think club football is for me at the moment, to be on the pitch every day, work with players every day, where the learning curve is also the highest. But at the same time, parallel to anything, I'm always open to exchanging ideas with anybody who's looking for anything from me. I'm always looking to give back to U.S. soccer especially at some point. There's something connecting me back to the states, not only my family, just my whole upbringing."

Current complications

With a little less than a year left on Matarazzo's deal with Hoffenheim, U.S. Soccer would likely need to pay a buyout to the German club to secure the manager's signature, which might be a tricky prospect considering his success last season. It is a complicated time at Hoffenheim, though -- the club parted ways with sporting directory Alexander Rosen just this week. It is unclear how this might impact Matarazzo's status at the club, but per Sky, he already told Rosen about his desire to speak to U.S. Soccer before his departure.