Columbus Crew name Henrik Rydström ninth head coach in Club history 

COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew announced today that Henrik Rydström has been named the ninth full-time head coach in Club history. 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.

Rydström is joined by assistant coach Theodor Olsson and First Team analyst Mak Pakhei. Crew goalkeeper coach Phil Boerger and head of video & data analysis Marc O’Neill will continue in their roles with the Club.

“Henrik has proven his leadership ability throughout an established coaching and playing career, and we collectively share a vision for how we can continue to advance and evolve the Club’s dynamic style of play,” said General Manager Issa Tall. “During the head coaching search, we prioritized candidates’ personalities and care for their club as a whole, in addition to their coaching accolades. Henrik fully embodies these traits as the Crew’s head coach, and we’reeager to begin the 2026 season together with our long-standing goal of consistently contending for championships in Columbus.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Henrik as the head coach of the Columbus Crew. Throughout the interview process, he displayed a keen ability to lead and support everyone at his clubs while producing results, both as a coach and player,” said the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families. “We are confident Henrik will be an exceptional representative and leader of our Club, aligned with our goals of competing for titles on the pitch, engaging our passionate fan base and elevating our local community."

“I’m excited to coach the Crew and thank the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families, Issa, Marc and the entire team for the opportunity to join the Club. After every meeting with Crew leadership, the feeling continued to grow that this Club is special and something that you want to be part of,” said Rydström. “As a coach, you love the Crew’s playing style and how the players enjoy it, the focus on hard work and the Club’s passionate supporters. Our goal is to continue to build upon the team’s impressive success and attacking style while combining the desire to win with challenging ourselves every day to improve and to create joy for the team and supporters.” 

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 Jelečak 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’s, 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 concludedhis playing career with IFK Berga, Listerby IK and Hossmo BK.   

As Columbus continues its preparation for the 2026 campaign, Crew Season Ticket Memberships for 2026 are currently available, highlighted by guaranteed access to all Black & Gold home matches at the best full-season prices; a complimentary Apple TV subscription; exclusive member-only events; a discount at the Crew Shop; presale opportunities for events at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Historic Crew Stadium and Huntington Bank Field; and more. Fans interested in more information on Season Ticket Memberships are encouraged to email seasontickets@columbuscrew.com or visit www.columbuscrew.com/tickets/memberships.

The first club in MLS history, the Crew open their 31st season with back-to-back Western Conference road matches at Portland (Saturday, Feb. 21, 10:30 p.m. ET) and Sporting Kansas City (Saturday, Feb. 28, 8:30 p.m. ET) before hosting Chicago Fire FC for the home opener at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. Fans can secure single-match tickets to the Crew-Fire matchup via www.columbuscrew.com/tickets.