The club emphasized Rydström’s ability to blend results with a modern, attacking playing philosophy - a priority following recent success in MLS.
“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 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.”
Rydström said the decision to join the Crew became clear during the interview process. He pointed to the club’s attacking style, work ethic, and supporter culture as major draws, adding that his goal is to build on recent success while pushing standards even higher.
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,” Rydström 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.”
