Wilfried Nancy has made history by leading the Columbus Crew to their third MLS Cup victory in 2023. Under his guidance, the Crew set a franchise record of 57 points and scored 67 regular season goals. Nancy’s accomplishment as the first Black head coach to win the MLS Cup has gotten a lot of attention, and he’s been nominated for the 2024 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Award.
- Columbus Crew got a franchise record of 57 points with Nancy leading them.
- Nancy is the first Black head coach to win the MLS Cup.
- He’s been nominated for the 2024 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Award.
Bradley Wright-Phillips’ Admiration for Nancy
Bradley Wright-Phillips showed how much he looks up to Wilfried Nancy, saying he was his hero in a really meaningful tweet. It shows how much Nancy means to people in the MLS community. Wright-Phillips who used to be a star forward for teams like the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew sees how Nancy has changed things beyond just his own team.
RT @MLS: “You’re my hero.” 💛
@BWPNINENINE on MLS Cup winning @ColumbusCrew coach, Wilfried Nancy. https://t.co/Xmxicy7Lj1
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert)
February 23, 2025
Wright-Phillips words show how much respect Nancy has earned from players and former pros which really shows how much he means to the league.
Nancy’s Coaching Journey and Legacy
Wilfried Nancy started coaching at Montreal’s Academy doing different jobs, then he became head coach for CF Montreal before coming to Columbus Crew in 2022. When he was with CF Montreal the team had their best regular season ever in 2022. Nancy’s got lots of coaching licenses including the USSF Pro UEFA A and Canadian Soccer Association A licenses.
The way he coaches is all about making the whole team better and helping players grow like you can see with players like Cucho Hernández and Aidan Morris who’ve done really well with him. What Nancy’s done has set new standards for MLS coaching and shows others what they can do too.
Impact on Columbus Crew and MLS
Since Nancy started leading Columbus Crew they’ve become really strong in Major League Soccer. How good the team is doing shows that Nancy knows what he’s doing when it comes to making the team better and helping players improve. You can see how much he matters not just to his team but to everyone in MLS.
To learn more about what Wilfried Nancy’s done as a coach, check out the Columbus Crew page.
