Marco Kurz
Marco Kurz | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 16, 1969 Stuttgart, West Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Football coach, former player |
| Years active | 1989–2005 (player), 2005–2020 (coach) |
| Known for | Football defender and coach, managing several German clubs and A-League teams Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory |
Marco Kurz (born 16 May 1969) is a German football coach and former defender, most recently in charge of Australian side Melbourne Victory.
Playing career
Kurz started his football journey with SV Sillenbuch and VfL Sindelfingen before joining Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart in 1989. Limited appearances prompted a move to 1. FC Nürnberg in 1990, where he featured in 108 matches across four seasons. After Nürnberg's relegation in 1994, Kurz signed with Borussia Dortmund, contributing to their German league title with four appearances.
Between 1995 and 1998, Kurz represented rival club Schalke 04, making 58 appearances and securing the 1996–97 UEFA Cup trophy under the guidance of coach Huub Stevens. In 1998, he transferred to TSV 1860 Munich, amassing 128 appearances until the team’s relegation in 2004.
Kurz ended his playing days at SC Pfullendorf in the Regionalliga Süd (third division) during the 2004–05 campaign, playing 11 games before stepping into a player-coach role and retiring from playing in 2005 to concentrate on coaching responsibilities.
Managerial career
Following his stint managing SC Pfullendorf, Kurz returned to 1860 Munich as head coach of their second team competing in the Regionalliga Süd. He was promoted to lead the first team in March 2007 but was relieved of his duties in February 2009.
In June 2009, Kurz took over as manager of 1. FC Kaiserslautern and achieved promotion to the Bundesliga in 2010. The club finished seventh in the top flight during the 2010–11 season—their strongest league position since 1998–99. However, a difficult following season saw Kaiserslautern struggle near the relegation zone for much of the campaign, resulting in Kurz’s dismissal in March 2012.
Kurz was appointed head coach of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on 18 December 2012 amid a relegation fight. Despite efforts, Hoffenheim remained in the relegation places and he was sacked on 2 April 2013. Subsequently, he managed FC Ingolstadt 04 from June until September 2013.
On 23 December 2015, Kurz took charge of Fortuna Düsseldorf, but was dismissed on 13 March 2016 following a run that yielded only four points from seven matches.
Kurz was named head coach of A-League club Adelaide United on 16 June 2017. He secured his first competitive victory on 9 August 2017 during the FFA Cup round of 32 against Newcastle Jets. His A-League debut occurred on 8 October 2017 with a 1–1 draw versus Wellington Phoenix. Under his leadership, Adelaide reached the 2017 FFA Cup final but were defeated by Sydney FC after extra time. In 2018, Kurz guided Adelaide to their second FFA Cup championship, overcoming Sydney FC with a 2–1 win.
On 28 June 2019, Kurz signed a two-year contract as manager of A-League team Melbourne Victory, succeeding Kevin Muscat. After only six months and overseeing just thirteen matches—comprising four wins, three draws, and six losses—he was dismissed in January 2020. This dismissal ranked as the third quickest coaching termination in A-League history. At that point, Melbourne Victory occupied sixth place with one of their lowest points totals after thirteen games since the club’s inception. Assistant coach Carlos Pérez Salvachúa assumed interim managerial duties following his departure.
Managerial statistics
| Club | Start Date | End Date | Performance Summary | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Victories | Draws | Defeats | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded | Goal Difference | Winning Percentage | |||
| SC Pfullendorf | 20 April 2005 | 30 June 2006 | ||||||||
| 1860 Munich II | 1 July 2006 | 19 March 2007 | ||||||||
| 1860 Munich | 19 March 2007 | 24 February 2009 | ||||||||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 18 June 2009 | 20 March 2012 | ||||||||
| TSG Hoffenheim | 18 December 2012 | 2 April 2013 | ||||||||
| Ingolstadt 04 | 10 June 2013 | 30 September 2013 | ||||||||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 23 December 2015 | 13 March 2016 | ||||||||
| Adelaide United | 16 June 2017 | 10 May 2019 | ||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 28 June 2019 | 14 January 2020 | ||||||||
! colspan="3"| Overall
As a Player
Borussia Dortmund
Schalke 04
As a Manager
1. FC Kaiserslautern
Adelaide United
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1969 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Stuttgart
- German men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- VfB Stuttgart players
- 1. FC Nürnberg players
- Borussia Dortmund players
- FC Schalke 04 players
- TSV 1860 Munich players
- SC Pfullendorf players
- Bundesliga players
- Regionalliga players
- UEFA Europa League–winning players
- German football managers
- TSV 1860 Munich managers
- 1. FC Kaiserslautern managers
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim managers
- FC Ingolstadt 04 managers
- Fortuna Düsseldorf managers
- Adelaide United FC managers
- Melbourne Victory FC managers
- Bundesliga managers
- 2. Bundesliga managers
- A-League Men managers
- German expatriate football managers
- German expatriate sportspeople in Australia
- Expatriate soccer managers in Australia
- West German men's footballers