Clash of American coaches as Leipzig, Stuttgart lock horns
Two American coaches will come face to face Friday as RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart square up in the Bundesliga
RB Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch will host compatriot Pellegrino Matarazzo and his VfB Stuttgart side
“I hope it’s a big deal in America,” Leipzig coach Marsch said Wednesday.
“It was unimaginable a few years ago that two American coaches could play against each other in a top league.
“I have so much respect for ‘Rino’ (Matarazzo) and his history. We have a big challenge coming up on Friday.”
Stuttgart thrashed promoted Guerther Fuerth 5-1 last Saturday on the opening weekend of the season.
In contrast, last season’s runners-up RB Leipzig slipped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Mainz, despite the hosts having 11 squad members quarantined after three players tested positive for Covid-19.
Marsch, who hails from Wisconsin, wants his side to play with “more clarity” after struggling to break down Mainz’s deep-sitting defence.
After winning consecutive Austrian league and cup titles with Red Bull Salzburg, Marsch, 47, joined their sister club RB Leipzig this season to replace Julian Nagelsmann, who is now at Bayern Munich.
Matarazzo, a New Jersey born Italian-American who has spent the last 20 years playing and coaching in Germany, took charge of Stuttgart in 2019.
Before that, he was Nagelsmann’s assistant coach at Hoffenheim in 2018/19, when Marsch had a similar role on RB Leipzig’s coaching staff.
read also Marsch loses Bundesliga debut as Leipzig stumble at coronavirus-hit Mainz
Marsch is looking forward to seeing Matarazzo again, more than two decades after the pair played football against each other while studying in America.