Wilfried Nancy says he doesn’t believe in luck – unless there’s one condition:
“I believe luck goes to proactive people."
So, maybe there was some luck in the air on Saturday night in the Ohio capital. Or, maybe it was just another example of the Columbus Crew being rewarded for their much-earned efforts.
Whatever the case may be, it was the perfect night for the Black & Gold, who beat the New York Red Bulls, 3-1, at Lower.com Field. Thanks to the three points – and results elsewhere, Columbus moved to seventh in the Eastern Conference standing to conclude the 2025 MLS regular season. (More on that later.)
But the win was somewhat auxiliary. The evening was dedicated to the 6OAT, Darlington Nagbe, who played his final regular-season match for the Crew.
Nagbe is a humble, selfless team captain who prefers letting others take the spotlight. But on this occasion, it was all about him.
"I don't have a word for Darlington,” Nancy said. “Everybody knows the player. Like I said, he could have played in Europe if he wanted to do it. He decided to stay here for different reasons. He had a lot of fulfillment the fact that he stayed here, and for me, this is the most important.
“I'm not joking, and I'm going to try to be good in English – the person that he is, I would like that my son to become like this.”
It was a deserving night for a deserving player.
Before kickoff, a tifo displaying Nagbe’s locker hung from The Nordecke rafters. Then, six minutes into the match, supporters around the stadium displayed gold “#6OAT” signs. “Hey Nagbe” was sung to the tune of “Hey Jude,” and a second-half tifo read: “6 Won 4.”
“It was surreal, a bit overwhelming,” he said. “You know, all that’s going on but at the same time you're trying to focus on the game and the ultimate goal is to put ourselves in the best position to win, so just trying to manage all those emotions.”
But the emotions bubbled over after the match, when Nagbe’s family, friends, teammates and coaches joined him on the pitch for a post-match ceremony. As a wonderful highlight video played, supporters roared the Ohio-natives name. Eventually, the captain held back tears.
“I got a chance to come back home, I grew up two hours from here,” said the Lakewood native. “So, to come back here and just be a part of this team, I just wanted to play for the Crew, hopefully win a championship, you know, and I've been able to win a couple and lift a bunch of trophies, so it's surreal, and I'm grateful for everyone here.”
But this isn’t the end for Nagbe playing in Columbus. He still has a playoff game to play at Lower.com Field.
Thanks to the Crew rallying back from a one-goal deficit to win 3-1 – and results elsewhere – the No. 7 Black & Gold will face No. 2 FC Cincinnati in another postseason Hell is Real Derby. This is a best-of-three series, with game two coming to Lower.com Field. Kickoff is to be determined, but secure your seat today.
“I thought tonight was obviously special for me, but it was special for my family and friends as well for them to get to see this and to be part of it all and come on the field, and they've been with me for 15 years doing this on my side. So, I’m happy they got a chance to experience this as well.”
