Wilfried Nancy was a couple weeks into his preseason masterclass, and a couple months removed from lifting MLS Cup, when he uttered words that should startle the rest of Major League Soccer.
In less than 12 months, he’d transformed the Columbus Crew from mid-table commoners to champions — but, Nancy explained, they actually hadn’t absorbed all his teachings just yet.
“Last year, in terms of concepts,” Nancy said, “we reached … a 6 out of 10, in terms of level.”
This year, his second as Crew head coach, they could be even better.
But “better,” in Nancy’s book, does not necessarily mean more points or trophies. It means “more creativity,” more flexibility, more player autonomy, and more ways “to manipulate the opposition.”
“The way I see football,” Nancy explained to Yahoo Sports, “it’s all about cues and concepts.” About decision sets, harmonize movements and split-second choices.
So no, he isn’t worried about the pressure that sometimes burdens reigning champions. He hasn’t had to prepare any grand speech or nuanced motivational message. His message, ever since his very first team meeting in Columbus, has been consistent. “Yes, everybody wants to win,” he said back then. “But how are we going to win?”
“The scoreboard,” he’d later say, “is not important. What is important is what we want to do with the ball and without the ball.”
He talks about competition, and concepts, and joy, but never about results — so there is no need to live up to last year’s.
“The winning mentality,” Nancy says in his customary philosophical tone, “does not come from those who win, but from those who always seek to improve.”
Leveling up
The “NancyBall” revolution took hold in Columbus faster than anyone could’ve predicted. The Crew didn’t just win MLS Cup; they did so playing perhaps the most audacious and entertaining soccer in league history. They scored the most goals in 2023, and created the best chances; but the most wondrous part was how. They attacked to attack and attacked to defend, “to try to win the ball back as soon as possible,” as Nancy said. When they won it, they held it, courageously, luring opponents in to create space they could exploit.
Those are the concepts Nancy began instilling last January. And at the time, for “maybe three, four weeks,” he says,…