New Columbus Crew head coach Henrik Rydstrom brings championship expertise to a crew in transition.
Rydstrom was employed Wednesday to exchange former MLS Coach of the 12 months and MLS Cup champion Wilfried Nancy, who departed on Dec. 3 to teach Scotland’s Celtic FC.
A 49-year-old Swede, Rydstrom inherits a membership that is also changing legendary captain Darlington Nagbe, a four-time MLS Cup champion who retired after the 2025 season.
Rydstrom most lately coached at Malmo FF, main the membership to 2 straight Swedish league titles (2023, 2024) and the 2023-24 Swedish Cup.
Following a 24-year skilled enjoying profession, Rydstrom additionally has managed IK Sirius (2019-20) and Kalmar FF (2021-22) in his house nation.
“Henrik has confirmed his management potential all through a longtime teaching and enjoying profession, and we collectively share a imaginative and prescient for the way we are able to proceed to advance and evolve the membership’s dynamic model of play,” mentioned Crew normal supervisor Issa Tall.
“In the course of the head teaching search, we prioritized candidates’ personalities and care for his or her membership as an entire, along with their teaching accolades. Henrik totally embodies these traits because the Crew’s head coach, and we’re keen to start the 2026 season along with our long-standing purpose of constantly contending for championships in Columbus.”
Welcome to Columbus, Coach Rydström ????
The Columbus Crew?introduced?right now?that Henrik?Rydström??has been named the ninth full-time head coach in Membership historical past.
??: https://t.co/RwxVS2NTEY pic.twitter.com/kj6xQRkGhf
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 31, 2025
Rydstrom shall be joined by assistant coach Theodor Olsson and first-team analyst Mak Pakhei. Goalkeeper coach Phil Boerger and head of video and information evaluation Marc O’Neill will proceed of their roles with the Crew.
“After each assembly with Crew management, the sensation continued to develop that this membership is particular and one thing that you simply need to be a part of,” Rydstrom mentioned.
“As a coach, you’re keen on the Crew’s enjoying model and the way the gamers get pleasure from it, the deal with laborious work and the membership’s passionate supporters. Our purpose is to proceed to construct upon the crew’s spectacular success and attacking model whereas combining the will to win with difficult ourselves each day to enhance and to create pleasure for the crew and supporters.”
Columbus opens the Rydstrom period within the 2026 MLS season opener on Feb. 21 in opposition to the visiting Portland Timbers.
–Area Degree Media
