Henrik Rydström— Head Coach

The Columbus Crew announced Henrik Rydström as their ninth full-time head coach in Club history on Dec. 31, 2025. Rydström – who most recently led the renowned Malmö FF of Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top football division – comes to the Black & Gold with 10 years of coaching experience, including seven as head coach of Swedish sides, after playing professionally for 24 years. 

During his first year at the helm of Malmö FF in 2023, Rydström directed the team to the Allsvenskan championship with a 20-6-4 record. In 2024, he guided the squad to back-to-back league titles and a Swedish Cup victory, completing the club’s first such double since 1989. 

Hired as Malmö FF’s head coach in December 2022, Rydström compiled a 39-9-12 record in Allsvenskan competition during his two full seasons with the club. His squad averaged more than two points per match in 2023 (2.13 per game) and 2024 (2.17 per game) and amassed 20 league wins during his first campaign, tied for the third-most in team history and only the side’s third time reaching the mark since 2001 (21 in 2016 and 2010). Rydström and Malmö FF earned a 4-1 penalty-kick victory over Djurgårdens IF after being level 1-1 in the 2023-24 Swedish Cup Final, lifting the trophy for only the second time since 1990. 

Rydström began his coaching career in 2016 as an assistant with Kalmar FF, the club where he spent the first 20 years of his playing career. In July 2018, he was elevated to acting head coach when Nanne Bergstrand went on sick leave, managing Kalmar for 10 Allsvenskan league matches through the end of the season. On Dec. 10, 2018, Rydström and Mirza Jelecak were presented as co-head coaches to lead IK Sirius. In 2019, Sirius maintained its position in the Swedish top flight, and Rydström was awarded full-time head coaching responsibilities. In 2020, he guided Sirius to a 9-11-10 record in league play before returning to Kalmar in 2021 as head coach. 

During his first season directing Kalmar, Rydström led the club to a 13-8-9 record in league play, finishing sixth in the Allsvenskan. The following year, Kalmar improved to 15-6-9 and a fourth-place standing to secure a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying rounds. 

Rydström, who played professionally in his native Sweden for nearly a quarter century, is a Kalmar youth product and midfielder by trade. From 1994-2013, he competed in 551 league games and scored 23 goals with Kalmar while his 802 matches across all competitions are an active record for the club. The team captain led Kalmar to its only Allsvenskan league championship in 2008 and helped the side secure the Swedish Cup title in 2007. He ultimately concluded his playing career with IFK Berga, Listerby IK and Hossmo BK.