After historic win over Tigres - Is Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy the best in MLS?

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With Inter Miami CF, 2-1 down against Monterrey, the Columbus Crew might be the best hope for Major League Soccer to break Liga MX’s stranglehold over the Concacaf Champions Cup. The 2023 MLS Cup winners earned a 1-1 (4-3) penalty shoutout win against Mexican powerhouse Tigres UANL on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the competitions for the first time in club history. It was the first time in history that an MLS team advanced in Mexico after not winning the first leg at home (1-1).

The Crew had their work cut out for them after they went down early after an error by in-demand goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. That lead by André-Pierre Gignac in the third minute could have broken the Crew’s neck. But instead, the club coached by Wilfried Nancy slowly worked their way back in it, and then in the second half, Diego Rossi (59’) found the equalizer. Extra-time solved nothing, and then Schulte came up big to stop Gignac and Guido Pizzaro from the spot, securing his team’s passage to the next round. 

Indeed, the mental toughness to overcome the mistake of giving up the lead and stopping two penalties to win it highlights why Schulte is being linked with a move to the Premier League. “I don’t think really anything is going through my mind other than trying to give the team the best chance of winning,” Schulte said to US-based journalist Favian Renkel. “They’re big players and guys who have been successful throughout their careers, but I just want to give our team the best chance of winning. I was fortunate to be able to do that tonight.”

Wilfried Nancy: Columbus Crew boss the best in MLS? 

Head coach Nancy never had any doubt that his goalkeeper would overcome the early mistake made. “At the end of the day, Pat deserved that,” Nancy said after the game to the media. “I'm not surprised because, you know, the first question that people ask me is, 'Do you think that Pat is going to be able to keep going?' And I say, 'Why do you think like this?' Let's see. And he knows that he has to evolve and so I'm really happy for him because I can tell you that he was really, really disappointed when we conceded the [opening] goal."

Schulte’s ability to overcome adversity and win it for the Crew was one factor. Another factor has been Nancy himself. First at Montréal and now at the Crew, the 47-year-old French-Canadian head coach has quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in MLS over the last few years. Nancy won the Canadian Championship with Montréal in 2021 and the 2023 MLS Cup title with the Crew. In fact, Nancy has averaged 1.83 points per game in MLS. That is the second-highest ppg among all managers in MLS over the last two seasons for coaches who have been in charge of at least 25 games (overview).

One of the reasons for Nancy’s success is the ability to learn from mistakes instantly. The Tigres game was a great example. “I've learned a lot today about what we can do, about the adjustments that I could have done better,” Nancy said. A clever statement as it deflects blame away from the players to himself. A sign of excellent man management. Here is another example: "Yes, we are [MLS Cup] champions, but the idea is: Is it possible to seek improvement all the time? All the time, all the time.” Nancy then added: “But sometimes there's a little voice behind you saying that ‘no, no, this is not possible.’ So, I try to tell them that, 'Hey [don't listen to] this voice. Leave it on the side and just play.’”

Crew boss Nancy in demand: The numbers behind his success 

Nancy is more than just talk, however. Indeed, the Crew play some of the best football in MLS. According to Wyscout, no team passed the team more often in 2023 than the Crew (20,665 passes), and only the LA Galaxy had a higher completion rate (87.7% vs 87.1%). The Crew also played the most key passes (202) and were second in the league only to LAFC (203) with 198 smart passes. Those trends have continued this season as the Crew are second only to Inter Miami CF (4289 passes) with 3842 passes played overall and first in the league with 87.8% completed passes. 

Staff

W. Nancy Age: 47

Columbus Crew

All seasons -
All competitions

Games

60

Won

31

Draw

17

Lost

12

In other words, under Nancy, the Crew have played some of the most cultivated football in MLS. A factor that hasn’t been missed abroad. In fact, of all the coaches in MLS, Nancy might be the likeliest to make the step across the pond to Europe. But before heading over to Europe, Nancy will have a job to do in MLS and the Concacaf Champions Cup. Indeed, advancing to the final of that competition and perhaps winning it would go a long way to further raise his stock. 

A deep Crew run, however, would not just be good for Nancy and the Crew but MLS overall. “I think it’s very good for the league,” Max Arfsten, the scorer of the winning penalty over Tigres, said to Renkel after the game. “Obviously, it’s very hard to play here in Mexico so I think it’s really a good representation of the league that we came here, got a victory, and go to the next round. Hopefully, we can keep going to the final and just keep representing the league.”