Wilfried Nancy has already made history as the first black coach to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup presented by Audi in his third season as an MLS head coach.
His squad, the Columbus Crew, defeated the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), 2-1. Nancy said during a postgame news conference, “I’m so proud of that because there is a lot of work behind that. But I’m not happy at the same time because this is not normal. Simple as that. So, I’m proud to represent, yes, to be the only Black. But I’m not happy with that. So, this is something that has to change.”
“I know that MLS tries to do that, but this is not only in MLS,” he added, according to the Washington Informer.
For ten years, the French-born coach played professionally. From 1995 to 2005, he was a defender for Sporting Club Toulon, Beaucairois, Raon-l’Etape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Chatellerault, and Orleans.
Nancy took over as head coach of the Crew in 2022, and he quickly established himself as a dynamic and forward-thinking leader.
According to Major League Soccer, Nancy rose to prominence as CF Montréal’s head coach from 2021–22, having previously served in the junior divisions and as a first-team assistant.
The Columbus Crew paid the Canadian club to obtain Nancy’s services last December, and he quickly applied his daring, front-foot style, leading the Crew to their third MLS Cup.
Major League Soccer has the most geographically diverse and youthful talent pool of any North American men’s professional league, with players from 81 countries on six continents represented on 2023 rosters.