Wilfried Nancy made history on Saturday as he guided Columbus Crew to a 2-1 victory over defending champions LAFC in the MLS Cup, becoming the first Black head coach to win the title.
This victory comes after Nancy took over as head coach in December of 2022, following two seasons where the Crew failed to qualify for the playoffs after winning the MLS Cup in 2020. The team finished as the No. 3 seed out East and went on to win the championship, making it their third MLS Cup win in franchise history, after eliminating regular-season champions FC Cincinnati in the conference finals.
In a postgame press conference, Nancy expressed pride in his accomplishment but also called for change, stating that while he is proud to be the only Black coach to win the MLS Cup, he is not happy with the lack of diversity and representation in the league, calling for change.
The 46-year-old French native had a successful career as a defender for various clubs in France before becoming a coach in 2006. He started as the coach of the Montreal Impact’s academy and worked his way up to become an assistant coach and eventually the head coach. Nancy then moved to Columbus in 2022.
Nancy’s victory is a historic one in MLS and serves as a reminder of the need for more diversity and representation in the league. With Nancy at the helm, Columbus Crew is expected to continue its success in the coming seasons.
Source
Photo credit www.nbcnewyork.com
