Columbus Crew hire Henrik Rydström as Wilfried Nancy’s replacement

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.”

Rydström led Malmö to consecutive Allsvenskan titles in 2023 and 2024, guiding the club to its first league-and-cup double since 1989 with a Swedish Cup triumph in 2024.

Across two full seasons, his teams averaged more than two points per match, underlining a dominant domestic run. During his tenure at Malmö, Rydström compiled an Allsvenskan record of 39-9-12 across two seasons, and his overall record in all competitions with the club stood at 52-16-22.

Before coaching, Rydström enjoyed a 24-year professional playing career in Sweden, spending 20 seasons with Kalmar FF, where he captained the club to its only Allsvenskan title in 2008.

He later began his coaching career at Kalmar before spells with IK Sirius and a return to Kalmar, eventually earning the Malmö role in late 2022.

The hire comes less than a month after Wilfried Nancy departed Columbus to take over at Celtic FC, a move first detailed by the Columbus Dispatch.

Under Nancy, the Crew won MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024, setting a high bar for his successor.

Rydström will be joined in Columbus 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 remain with the club.