MLS All-Star Game shines spotlight on Wilfried Nancy and thriving Columbus Crew

COLUMBUS – Hosting the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target presents a different angle for the Columbus Crew this year.

The midsummer spectacle has visited the Arch City before, way back in 2000 and 2005 at what’s today known as Historic Crew Stadium. Yet Wednesday night’s exhibition vs. the Liga MX All-Stars (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass) shines a spotlight not only on glittering Lower.com Field and the proud soccer culture that’s blossomed in Ohio’s capital city, but also the stylish, aggressive game model by which head coach Wilfried Nancy navigated the Crew to the 2023 MLS Cup championship.

This applies to fans and media, and the players themselves.

“I think there’s a lot of curiosity in terms of how we play, what coach is like,” Crew icon and three-time All-Star Darlington Nagbe told reporters on Monday, just before Nancy led the All-Stars through a training session at the OhioHealth Performance Center. “How do we play the way we play? So I don’t think he’ll give away everything, but I’m sure he’ll make it a fun environment for everyone.”

Minnesota United standout Robin Lod was among those doling out praise for the Yellow Football Team, alluding to Columbus’ impressive march to this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup final, highlighted by series wins over Mexican giants Tigres UANL and CF Monterrey.

“Columbus is great, one of the best teams I’ve seen in the time I’ve been in MLS. I think they have a really good foundation,” said Lod. “They show that they are capable of winning multiple cups and make good runs in different competitions. So I mean, when you talk about MLS, Columbus is one of the first teams to come on my mind, to show how great the club is.”

The beauty and bravery with which the Crew have hunted glory under Nancy has elevated his name into the US men’s national team’s coaching search, with multiple media reports including him on the list of candidates being considered by U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker.

“Wilfried’s done a great job, not just here but in Montréal as well,” said Nagbe, who earned 25 caps with the USMNT from 2015-18. “So any club or team that he’s linked with, it’s fully deserved. I think he’ll make the call whenever he’s ready for whatever opportunity comes his way.”

Nancy offered a characteristically thoughtful response when asked by MLSsoccer.com about links to the USMNT job during Monday’s pre-All-Star press conference. Nimbly walking the line between loyalty to the Crew and honesty about his openness to future growth, the Frenchman compared his outlook to those of the reporters sitting in front of him at Lower.com Field.

“Listen, with a lot of humility, we are all competitors. It’s within us as human beings,” said Nancy. “You do your job; the fact that you are here, I don’t know if this is a promotion or not, but you started in a certain way and now you are here with me. So this is the same. We all the time try to challenge ourselves. And I am limitless, you know? I’m really grateful about this publicity, because this is the national team.

“After that, for me, life is about moments. And I’ll see what’s going to be next in the future, but I feel really good here also. So you know, I’m not the type of guy that says that ‘in two years or three years I will do this, this, this.’ No. It’s all about moments. I have to be ready for the moment, and if the moment is a good moment to do it, I will do it. But again, I don’t control this kind of thing.”

Might Gregg Berhalter’s replacement really be plucked from the same club where he once coached? That in and of itself would be an unusual parallel. Then there’s the line of thought – one also leveled at Berhalter’s tactical framework – that Nancy’s intricate possession-oriented system could be more difficult to fully implement in the international environment than at club level, given the complexity it entails and the limited time national teams spend together.

“I know that the way I want to play, yes, I can do it,” Nancy replied. “My challenge is to do it everywhere, because this is a lifestyle. It’s not something that I try to do, this the way I see.”

Nagbe certainly thinks he could.

“He can take it anywhere,” said the midfielder. “Just give him some time and he’ll take it anywhere.”