Pellegrino Matarazzo is the first American to win a trophy in Spanish football. That sentence would have seemed outlandish 18 months ago. Now it's just fact — Real Sociedad beat Atletico Madrid on penalties in the Copa del Rey final, and the New Jersey-born coach lifted the cup.
Fourteen La Liga games in, his side have lost just three. Seven wins. A cup. And an adoring Basque fanbase already treating him like a local institution.
"I feel that this is just the beginning," Matarazzo said after the final. Given what he's built in less than six months at the club, that's not a throwaway line — it's a credible threat to the rest of La Liga. With Europa League football confirmed for next season, Real Sociedad's odds of becoming a consistent top-six force just got shorter.
The USMNT Job That Got Away — And Might Come Back Around
Matarazzo was a serious candidate to manage the USMNT when Gregg Berhalter left in 2024. U.S. Soccer went with Mauricio Pochettino instead — the bigger name, the safer bet for a home World Cup cycle. Matarazzo was gracious about it: "He's an established coach with tremendous international experience. And if you're just two years short of a run-up to a home World Cup, it's important to energise the U.S. soccer landscape emotionally."
He's not bitter. He's just winning trophies. The next time the USMNT job opens, those conversations won't start from scratch.
Balogun Keeps Scoring, Pulisic Keeps Waiting
Folarin Balogun is in the form of his life. Eight goals in his last eight Ligue 1 matches. Ten in ten from all competitions. His penalty for Monaco in their comeback draw with Auxerre continued a run that has made him one of the form forwards in Europe right now. If Pochettino is building his striker depth chart for this summer, Balogun is writing his name at the top of it weekly.
The broader striker picture is looking healthier too. Haji Wright's Coventry City are back in the Premier League. Ricardo Pepi has returned to scoring form for PSV. Daryl Dike got his first goal of the season for West Brom at Preston. There are options. Real ones.
And then there's Christian Pulisic, who is experiencing the opposite of all of the above. Still no goals or assists in Serie A in 2025. Milan beat Hellas Verona on Sunday, but Pulisic contributed nothing measurable — no shots on target, no chances created, no meaningful threat in the final third. Leao at least set up Rabiot's winner. Pulisic was a spectator in a red-and-black shirt.
The newly-grown beard suggests he's trying something different. The performances suggest he hasn't found the answer yet. Milan face Juventus on Sunday, meaning Pulisic goes head-to-head with Weston McKennie — who is currently everything Pulisic is not in terms of momentum. McKennie's assist for Khephren Thuram-Ulien against Bologna was the highlight of another complete midfield display, the Texan covering every position, every duel, every transition. Pochettino can build around that kind of reliability. The Pulisic problem is a different conversation entirely.
- Brenden Aaronson assisted in Leeds' 3-0 win over Wolves and faces Bournemouth on Wednesday before an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday.
- Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen host Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal semi-final on Wednesday — a chance to reach a cup final against the newly-crowned champions.
- Haji Wright and promoted Coventry face relegation-threatened Portsmouth — a game with completely different stakes on each side of the pitch.
- Daryl Dike scored for West Brom at Preston and will need to keep that going as the Baggies fight to stay out of League One.
Matarazzo has a trophy. Balogun has ten goals in ten games. The USMNT's attacking depth is genuinely competitive. And Pulisic has a derby to turn things around — or to extend a Serie A drought that is now stretching into uncomfortable territory.
