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Former Red Bull New York coach Sandro Schwarz has a new job - and it's got people talking
22 May 2026 19:30 CDT |
10 min read
News
Former Red Bull New York head coach Sandro Schwarz has completed an emotional - and controversial - return to Dynamo Moscow.
The 47-year-old was not retained by the Red Bulls in the offseason after overseeing a disappointing 2025 campaign. The New Jersey-based franchise missed the playoffs, ending a record-breaking run of 15 consecutive postseasons.
The year before, Schwarz had managed to lead the Red Bulls to the MLS Cup showpiece, where they were defeated by the LA Galaxy. All the credit left over from that achievement instantly evaporated when the club's historic playoff streak ended.
After several months without a job, the German is now back in the saddle. His choice, though, will raise eyebrows. Schwarz was the subject of a bidding war between Moscow clubs CSKA and Dynamo, with the latter ultimately coming out on top.
While Dynamo made the better financial offer, they also had more emotional pull. Schwarz previously managed the club and only reluctantly departed in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian football after the invasion
In the wake of the assault, Russia became a pariah state. The country was sanctioned, expelled from FIFA and UEFA competitions and foreign employees of clubs were given the opportunity to temporarily suspend their contracts and move elsewhere.
Dozens of players and coaches immediately departed. Current Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke, for example, left FK Krasnodar without ever managing a single competitive game.
Those who stayed behind faced harsh criticism from Western media and their peers back home. Some players had their international careers cut short due to their decision to stay with their Russian clubs.
Mathias Normann, who initially remained with FK Rostov, was banned from playing for Norway. He only left Russia when he started fearing for his family's safety after drone attacks.
Then-Zenit St. Petersburg star Gabriela Grzywinska saw her nine-year career with Poland come to an end. She still plays in Russia today, having joined Spartak Moscow from Zenit over the winter.
Business between Western European and Russian sides decreased significantly, with the former technically barred from transferring money to the latter due to the sanctions regime. However, this was never rigorously enforced.
It has often been down to fans and the media to pressure clubs into not doing business with Russian clubs. Ajax were forced to abandon the signing of Krasnodar captain Eduard Spertsyan - a Russian-born Armenia international - in 2023 because of media and fan pressure.
Arsen Zakharyan's move from Dynamo Moscow to Real Sociedad, meanwhile, is one of the rare instances of a major post-invasion deal between a Russian and Western European club.
Schwarz's first stint with Dynamo
Indeed, the relationship with Spain is not as strained as with other Western countries. The overwhelming majority of foreign coaches in the Russian Premier League post-invasion have been Spaniards.
Disregarding the Iberians, Schwarz is set to become just the seventh Western or Central European manager to move to the RPL after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War. He will be the first German to coach a top-flight team in Russia since 2022.
2025/26 RPL champions Zenit
Markus Gisdol left Lokomotiv Moscow when the invasion began. Compatriot Marvin Compper replaced him as a caretaker, before he himself was then replaced by Josef Zinnbauer, another German. Zinnbauer, who was hounded in the German press, was sacked after just nine RPL games.
The only one who initially stayed behind was Schwarz himself. He was hired by Dynamo in October 2020, oversaw the club's first credible title challenge in a long time in 2021/22 and led them to their first cup final in a decade that same season.
Schwarz remained with the club for the entire campaign. He claimed that he wanted to resign following the invasion in February, but that he was convinced to stay after his players begged him not to quit.
That wasn't just hollow rhetoric from someone who had been put in an awkward position. Schwarz has tactical deficiencies, but his man management can't be questioned. His players generally love him.
However, it was an impossible situation for him. His assistant, former Liverpool forward and Ukraine international Andriy Voronin, had escaped to Dusseldorf with one of the last planes leaving Moscow on the day of the invasion.
Schwarz ultimately resigned following the cup final. He received an emotional send-off from the club and ended up in New Jersey after a brief stint at Hertha BSC. "My departure from Dynamo had nothing to do with sports, titles or financial matters," he said after his resignation.
"I wanted to help people until the very end. I knew the guys needed me at the time. Nevertheless, it was an internal conflict every day. There were countless emotional moments with the Ukrainian and Russian players who were with me in the coaching room, where we cried together and shared profound sorrow."
Konstantin Tyukavin later said: "We're constantly in touch, chatting on WhatsApp. He still watches all our games, after all. At the farewell dinner, Sandro thanked everyone and said he'd miss us very much. I even remember crying. I just couldn't stop sobbing. He was my first coach in adult football, and it was sad to say goodbye."
Former Dynamo goalkeeper Antonin Shunin has claimed that Schwarz could have had his coaching license revoked in Germany had he remained in Russia. That is purely speculation, but it is illustrative of the atmosphere surrounding the coach at the time.
He was adored by his players, but became an outcast in his home country. He faced intense pressure in the German press, and Hertha's decision to appoint him after he came back from Russia was heavily scrutinised.
Schwarz returns
Now, Schwarz is back at Dynamo. He is set to touch down in Moscow next month and will earn just under €2 million annually on a contract until 2029. Interestingly, Jurgen Klopp's former right-hand man Zeljko Buvac remains Dynamo's sporting director.
Buvac and Klopp coached Schwarz at Mainz during his playing days. It was Buvac who hired Schwarz originally, and he was reportedly instructed to bring him back to the club after the 47-year-old left the Red Bulls in late 2025.
At the time, Buvac responded that it was impossible due to the circumstances. Evidently, something has changed now, but it is unclear exactly what. Perhaps Schwarz simply needed some time off.
"I'm aware that this is difficult for some to understand from the outside," Schwarz explained his return. "But personal reasons play a major role for me. Contact with many friends there, which existed long before the war, has never been broken.
"I don’t ignore the war. But first and foremost, I’m a coach for a club that means a great deal to me."
