"Henrik Rydstrom believes there are plenty of areas to improve at Columbus Crew but respects the solid foundations laid by Wilfried Nancy during his time at the club. Rydstrom joined the Crew earlier this year after Nancy departed to take charge at Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, only to see his tenure last just 33 days in Glasgow. Columbus make the trip to Providence Park to face the Portland Timbers for their opening game of the 2026 season, having ended their previous campaign with a whimper."
"Nancy led the club to just two wins from their last 10 regular-season matches, before losing in Round One of the playoffs to FC Cincinnati over three games. "Maybe the hunger dropped a little bit. But that's quite easy to fix, because the players are aware of it," Rydstrom said of the end of Nancy's tenure at the club. "There were still a lot of good things, even if the season didn't go the way the club wanted. There's a lot we can build on.""
"And the players say they are embracing the adjustment. Sean Zawadski, the Crew's newly appointed captain and a midfielder, said fans should expect more goals. "Our ability to get numbers forward and then get numbers in the box; I think that's something exciting for everyone," the midfielder added. "The opportunity to have more numbers in the box and then to score more goals. That is always fun.""
Henrik Rydstrom acknowledges areas for improvement at Columbus Crew while recognizing solid foundations laid by Wilfried Nancy. Nancy left for Celtic earlier in the year but lasted just 33 days in Glasgow. Columbus enters the 2026 season opener at Providence Park after a disappointing finish that included two wins in the last ten regular-season matches and a playoff loss to FC Cincinnati. Rydstrom believes a dip in hunger is fixable because the players recognize it, and he sees many positive elements to build on. Captain Sean Zawadski expects a more attack-minded approach with increased numbers in the box to score more goals.
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