SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (AP) — Real Sociedad hired American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo on Saturday with the team near La Liga's relegation zone.
The New Jersey-born Matarazzo last coached German club Hoffenheim from February 2023 until November 2024. Before that he coached at Stuttgart from 2019-22.
Matarazzo, 48, agreed to a contract through June 2027. He fills the post left vacant when Sociedad let Sergio Francisco go last weekend after a third consecutive loss in La Liga.
Sociedad announced his hiring shortly after a 1-1 draw at bottom-side Levante left the Basque Country club just two points from the drop zone.
Matarazzo will inherit a club that was used to finishing near the top of La Liga and earning European competition berths but began to struggle last season when Imanol Alguacil's long stint in charge came to an end. It has also had trouble replacing star midfielders Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi after their transfers to Arsenal.
Levante likewise announced it hired Portuguese coach Luís Castro after the draw with Sociedad.
Castro joins a Levante that has struggled in its return to the top flight. It is in last place at six points from safety with just two wins in 16 rounds.
The club fired Julián Calero, the coach who led it to promotion, last month after a run of four consecutive losses. Since then it has been led by caretaker coaches from inside the club.
The 45-year-old Castro was fired by French club Nantes last week with the eight-time French champion languishing in 17th place in the 18-team Ligue 1.
Castro won praise after leading second-tier Dunkerque to the French Cup's final four last season. The minnow led Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the semifinal before PSG rallied to win.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
“A dazzling delight for all ages” Read moreRodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Discover India with Us! Read moreIndia Community Travel: Virtual Information Session
Come as you are to a peaceful, family-friendly service of carols, candles, and the story of … Read moreChristmas Eve Candlelight Service
Join San Mateo County native and real estate expert Paisley Vartanian for the first-ever in-… Read moreNational Homeowners Day
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.