Wilfried Nancy — Head Coach

Wilfried Nancy joined the Crew on Dec. 6, 2022 as the eighth full-time head coach in Crew history, following Timo Liekoski (1995-96), Tom Fitzgerald (1996-01), Greg Andrulis (2001-05), Sigi Schmid (2005-08), Robert Warzycha (2008-13), Gregg Berhalter (2013-18), and Caleb Porter (2019-22).

Nancy comes to Columbus after serving as head coach for CF Montreal during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In 2022, Nancy led Montreal to a club-best, regular-season record of 20-9-5. With 65 total points, Montreal finished second in the Eastern Conference and third overall in MLS, just two points shy of the Supporters’ Shield winners. Montreal’s 20 wins were second overall in the league, and his team finished in the top five for goals scored (63). Montreal went unbeaten in eight matches from mid-March to mid-May, and again from mid-July to late August. They dropped just one game in the final 15 matches of the regular season, going 11-1-3. Nancy finished second in voting for the 2022 MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year award, just one-tenth of a percentage point behind Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtain.

Under his tutelage, six players were named to Canada’s final roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Nancy was appointed Montreal’s head coach on March 8, 2021. In his first season at the helm, Montreal lifted the Voyageurs Cup with a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship.

In 2011, Nancy joined Montreal’s Academy and over the course of 10 years, held head coaching roles for the U-18s (2011-13), the U-21s (2014), and the U-16s (2014-15) before being elevated to First Team assistant in January of 2016, a role he held until being promoted to head coach.He holds USSF Pro, UEFA A and Canadian Soccer Association A licenses. In 2014, he obtained the Elite Formation Coaching License (EFCL) diploma.

Born in France, Nancy had a professional playing career that spanned 10 years. From 1995-2005, the defender represented French clubs Sporting Club Toulon, Beaucairois, Raon-l’Etape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Chatellerault and Orleans.