As Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy surveys the current landscape of Major League Soccer, it’s impossible for him to ignore that he’s the league’s only Black head coach.
To Nancy, that means the job is about more than victories and trophies — it's about leading by example and staying true to his values.
Last season, Nancy's first with the Crew, he led the team to the MLS Cup championship. The 47-year-old Frenchman was the first Black coach to win it. On Saturday, the Crew will vie for another trophy in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Pachuca in Mexico.
"My definition of a success is, who do you want to become as a person, not as a player or as a professional person, but as a person?" he said. “So that’s why for me, the word fulfillment is a key word for me, because it means that I am aligned with my values, with my actions and, this is the most important for me, my thoughts. And because of that, I am at peace with what I do every day.”
The Crew had an impressive run in the Champions Cup, advancing on penalties after the two-legged quarterfinals against Tigres then embarrassing Monterrey 3-1 on its home field to win 5-2 on aggregate. Pachuca defeated Liga MX foe Club America 3-2 on aggregate.
In addition to a confederation trophy, the winner Saturday earns a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be feature an expanded field of 32 teams when it is next held in the United States in 2025.
Since his arrival last season, Nancy said, “the idea was to always focus on the next game, because every game is a new chapter, it’s a new story.”
Born in Le Havre, Nancy played as a defender across various French leagues before making the jump to coaching. He was a coach at the Montreal Impact Academy before he was promoted to assistant coach of the MLS club's first team in 2016.
Following the resignation of head coach Thierry Henry, Nancy was named coach of the team, now rebranded as Montreal CF, in 2021. He set a club record with 20 wins — including 11 road victories — in 2022 before taking the job with the Crew prior to last year's championship season.
Columbus (6-2-6) is riding a three-game winning streak this season in conference play and sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
“I think he just does such a great job understanding everyone individually, what they can bring to the team, and not forgetting that they're human as well, and trying to connect with them that way,” Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe said.
Nancy points out that Major League Soccer is not an outlier when it comes to the lack of diversity among its head coaches. The Premier League had two Black managers this season, and just 11 in league history. There are no Black coaches in the top leagues in Spain and Germany.
Nancy said he's been working with MLS to address the issue of representation. In December 2021, the league updated its hiring policy to require “more robust consideration" of Black candidates. The third-tier MLS Next Pro league has 10 Black head coaches this season — an opportunity that could lead to senior team jobs.
“When you look at a team in general, in MLS or all over the world, there were a lot of Black players. Where are they now, when they want to become coaches? For me, I don’t have the answer," he said. "Because I’m trying to, at my level, to educate people, to inspire if I can."
Nancy is well aware that sports can be a force for change. He recounted a recent encounter when a man thanked him for bringing his family back together as fans at Crew games. It reminded him of the gravity of his position.
“This is a passion for me, and it goes beyond the winning part because we all want to win. You’re in your job, you want to win because you have a competitive spirit,” he said. “What can I do to change a little bit the mentality of everyone, because of what I do?"
FILE - Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy, right, speaks with Malte Amundsen during the first half of the team's MLS soccer match against CF Montréal on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Last season, Nancy's first with the Crew, he led the team to the MLS Cup championship. The 47-year-old Frenchman was the first Black coach to win it. On Saturday, the Crew will vie for another trophy in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Pachuca in Mexico. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)
FILE- Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy directs his team against CF Montreal during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Last season, Nancy's first with the Crew, he led the team to the MLS Cup championship. The 47-year-old Frenchman was the first Black coach to win it. On Saturday, the Crew will vie for another trophy in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Pachuca in Mexico. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File)
TORONTO (AP) — George Springer had three hits, including a pair of three-run home runs, José Berríos pitched seven strong innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the slumping Yankees 9-2 on Friday night, handing New York its season-worst fourth straight loss and ninth in 11 games.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo home run, his 11th, as Toronto won its second straight after losing the previous seven.
Berríos (7-6) went 0-3 in three starts against New York last season. He allowed two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out a season-best eight.
The Yankees opened June with five straight wins, capping an eight-game streak. They are 7-12 since.
“Look, clearly we’ve got to execute better,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to make better decisions about pitch selection in certain situations, and we’ve got to get it right. I’m confident that we will.”
New York sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge finished 0 for 7 with four strikeouts. Earlier Thursday, Judge was named a starter for the July 16 All-Star Game.
Trent Grisham hit a two-run home run for the Yankees, who had been one of four teams not to lose four straight this season. Cleveland, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have yet to lose four in a row.
Springer came in batting .196 with six home runs, two of which he hit on the first two days of the season. The veteran outfielder also homered in Tuesday’s win at Boston.
“There’s been a lot of stuff I’ve been trying to do to get myself in a position to help us win,” Springer said. “I’m never going to quit.”
Springer drilled a 391-foot drive into the second deck in Toronto’s five-run first inning, then added a 434-foot shot to center in the second.
Springer reached 250 career home runs with his second blast. It was his first multihomer game of the season and the 22nd of his career.
“That’s what we’ve known from George,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Both of Springer’s homers came against Carlos Rodón. The struggling left-hander has allowed eight runs in back-to-back outings and 21 runs over his past three starts, all losses.
Rodón (9-5) gave up 10 hits and matched a career-worst by allowing eight earned runs in five innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
“They put some really good swings on some fastballs tonight that I didn’t execute,” Rodón said. “It was not fun.”
Boone agreed that Rodón has been hurt by the fastball during his losing streak.
“There’s no question people are selling out to that a little bit and having some success,” Boone said. “They’ve slugged it and that’s hurt him in these few outings.”
Reliever Phil Bickford left the bullpen and started jogging in when Boone came to the mound in the fifth, but Bickford turned around after Rodón talked Boone into letting him finish the inning.
“I just wanted to get through five for the bullpen and prove something to myself,” Rodón said. “Even though I got knocked down, I can get back up.”
Toronto’s first five batters all reached safely and scored.
New York infielder Gleyber Torres sat for the second straight day after also sitting out Wednesday’s road loss to the Mets.
“When you don’t do the right thing for the team, it’s not that easy,” Torres said. “I’m trying to compete really hard, trying to get things right.”
Boone said Torres could return Friday.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was hit by pitches in the first, second and eighth innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: INF DJ LeMahieu (rest) was held out of the starting lineup. … RHP Scott Effross (back surgery) struck out two in a scoreless inning at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-7, 4.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto on Friday against former Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman (7-3, 3.15).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a broken-bat RBI double against the New York Yankees during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, right, celebrates his three-run home run against the New York Yankees with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon reacts on the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, right, celebrates his three-run home run against the New York Yankees with Justin Turner (2) during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) waits as Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer runs the bases on a three-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees second baseman Jahmai Jones throws to first after forcing out Toronto Blue Jays' Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) on a double play hit into by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon checks his grip during the second inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer during the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, right, celebrates his three-run home run against the New York Yankees with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, center, celebrates his three-run home run against the New York Yankees with Justin Turner (2) during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
