New Crew coach brings championship experience

New Columbus Crew head coach Henrik Rydstrom brings championship experience to a team in transition.

Rydstrom was hired Wednesday to replace former MLS Coach of the Year and MLS Cup champion Wilfried Nancy, who departed on Dec. 3 to coach Scotland's Celtic FC.

A 49-year-old Swede, Rydstrom inherits a club that also is replacing legendary captain Darlington Nagbe, a four-time MLS Cup champion who retired after the 2025 season.

Rydstrom most recently coached at Malmo FF, leading the club to two straight Swedish league titles (2023, 2024) and the 2023-24 Swedish Cup.

Following a 24-year professional playing career, Rydstrom also has managed IK Sirius (2019-20) and Kalmar FF (2021-22) in his home country.

"Henrik has proven his leadership ability throughout an established coaching and playing career, and we collectively share a vision for how we can continue to advance and evolve the club's dynamic style of play," said Crew general manager Issa Tall.

"During the head coaching search, we prioritized candidates' personalities and care for their club as a whole, in addition to their coaching accolades. Henrik fully embodies these traits as the Crew's head coach, and we're eager to begin the 2026 season together with our long-standing goal of consistently contending for championships in Columbus."

Rydstrom will be joined by assistant coach Theodor Olsson and first-team analyst Mak Pakhei. Goalkeeper coach Phil Boerger and head of video and data analysis Marc O'Neill will continue in their roles with the Crew.

"After every meeting with Crew leadership, the feeling continued to grow that this club is special and something that you want to be part of," Rydstrom said.

"As a coach, you love the Crew's playing style and how the players enjoy it, the focus on hard work and the club's passionate supporters. Our goal is to continue to build upon the team's impressive success and attacking style while combining the desire to win with challenging ourselves every day to improve and to create joy for the team and supporters."

Columbus opens the Rydstrom era in the 2026 MLS season opener on Feb. 21 against the visiting Portland Timbers.