COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy has agreed to extend his contract with the team.
The extension was announced Wednesday by President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko, though it’s unclear how long his new contract will keep him in Columbus.
Nancy joined the Crew as the eighth full-time head coach in December 2022.
In his first season, he led the team to its third Major League Soccer Cup championship. He was the first Black head coach to do so.
“In addition to winning MLS Cup last year, we are excited to extend Wilfried’s contract because of the culture he has helped create within the Club, including our shared commitment to developing individuals both as players and as people, within the overall Crew ‘One Club’ philosophy,” said Bezbatchenko.
Nancy, born in France, had a professional playing career that spanned 10 years -- from 1999 to 2005.
As an MLS head coach, he is 51-30-28 (0.596) in MLS regular season play and 6-2-0 (0.750) in postseason competition. He managed CF Montréal during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was also a 2023 Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award finalist.
“The Columbus Crew is a fantastic Club with the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families, Tim Bezbatchenko, our leadership, coaches, staff and players from the First Team to Crew 2 and the Academy, and it is an honor to be the head coach and sign this contract extension,” said Nancy. “We have a clear vision as a Club of what we want to do and how we can achieve it, and we can continue to write our story and evoke emotions. With humility, I’m very proud of what we have accomplished together during the past year, but most importantly, I am pleased with how we are focused on growing together and working to improve as a team and individuals.”
