pellegrino matarazzo has taken Real Sociedad from a relegation fight to the edge of a major prize, with the club now preparing for its Copa del Rey final against Atlético Madrid in Seville on Saturday. The American coach arrived in December, inherited a side sitting two points above the relegation zone after just four wins in the first five months of the season, and quickly changed the mood around the team. For Matarazzo, the final is a first; for Real Sociedad, it is a first final in 39 years for supporters who could not attend the delayed 2020 title match.
Pellegrino Matarazzo and the rescue job in San Sebastian
The turnaround has been built step by step. Matarazzo’s debut ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid, and wins over Getafe, Barcelona and Celta Vigo soon followed, enough to earn him Spain’s manager of the month award for January. Real Sociedad’s rise has since carried them to the Copa del Rey final and into the conversation around a Champions League place.
Matarazzo said the club trusted him to handle the situation, and that the response inside the squad helped speed up the change. He described the early months as a process of finding “very good solutions” and restoring belief after a difficult opening spell. The coach also said there was no resistance from the players, and that the improvements in results and performance quickly built confidence.
How pellegrino matarazzo shaped the team’s identity
In his own words, clarity has been central. Matarazzo said he learned not to overload players with information, preferring to select and individualise so they can keep their energy for the game itself. He pointed to the team’s verticality, line-breaking play, positioning, pressing triggers and pressing principles as part of the structure he has tried to sharpen.
He also highlighted the character inside the squad, naming Mikel Oyarzabal as a key leader whose values reflect the culture of the club and the region. Real Sociedad’s pride in its roots in Guipuzcoa remains a visible part of the story, and the club’s progress has widened the sense of momentum around the final week.
Immediate reactions around the final
“For everyone here, it’s a very special moment, ” Matarazzo said, describing the chance to win a title as something the city does not experience often. He added that the entire city is excited. He also said that in his youth in the United States there were many moments that mattered, but that they were not comparable to this one.
Matarazzo’s path has already made him a landmark figure. He said he is the first American coach in La Liga and was also the first American coach in the Bundesliga. The coach, born in New Jersey to Italian immigrant parents, has combined that background with years spent in Germany and a new chapter in Spain, where he has become central to Real Sociedad’s current surge.
The final in Seville now stands as the next test, with Real Sociedad 90 minutes from only the fourth cup in their history. The club’s supporters have waited decades for a moment like this, and pellegrino matarazzo will lead them into it carrying both the pressure and the possibility of a historic night.
