Jesse Marsch against Pellegrino Matarazzo: For the first time, two US coaches meet in the Bundesliga duel between RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart. And they know each other well.
Jesse Marsch would probably lose a reading contest against Pellegrino Matarazzo. “His German is much better than mine. His German and also as a coach he is a role model for me,” said RB Leipzig’s coach with a smile on the VfB Stuttgart coach.
On the lawn on Friday (8.30 p.m. LIVE on DAZN and in LIVETICKER) the balance of power is not so clearly distributed when both of them write a little piece of Bundesliga history in the first duel between two US coaches.
“I hope it’s a big topic in America,” said Marsch: “A few years ago it was inconceivable that two American coaches could play against each other in a top division.”
The USA was once decried as a developing country in football, but recently more and more players from overseas flocked to “Good Old Germany” and this development continues on the sidelines. Marsch and Matarazzo have more in common than just the same passport.
March and Matarazzo: duel in the university
“Rino and I played against each other at the university,” Marsch said recently. He himself, a native of the state of Wisconsin, played at college for the Princeton Tigers, the Matarazzo from New Jersey for the Columbia Lions.
According to the march, the two actually met “only once”. After all, the 47-year-old is four years older than the VfB coach. It took a while until they found themselves in Germany.
Immediately after graduating in 2000, Matarazzo crossed the pond, which explains his advantages when it comes to the German language. While he also learned the coaching trade in this country after his playing career, Marsch spent many years in North America.
It was not until the 2018/2019 season that Marsch came to Leipzig as Ralf Rangnick’s assistant coach, and this season Matarazzo Marsch’s Leipzig predecessor Julian Nagelsmann assisted TSG Hoffenheim.
March: “I have so much respect for Rino”
And the paths of the two crossed again. “Two years ago, when we were playing in Hoffenheim, a big man came up to me and said: ‘Hello Jesse, how are you?’ in a perfect American accent, “says Marsch:” Then I thought: ‘Who is that?’ “
It was Matarazzo – and he promptly replied on Thursday: “I am surprised that he says that I have a perfect American accent. My uncles and aunts always say that I speak English like a German.”
In the first Bundesliga duel as head coach, a new chapter has now been added to their shared history. The starting position is quite interesting. After ninth place in the previous season, Stuttgart started with a 5: 1 against SpVgg Greuther Fürth, which made an impression.
“I have so much respect for Rino and his history,” said Marsch, who ruined his debut with the runner-up at FSV Mainz 05 (0: 1). And Stuttgart will be rated even more strongly.
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