Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy has been named the 2024 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
Nancy becomes the first Crew head coach to win the COY honor since the award’s namesake, Sigi Schmid, in 2008. This is Nancy’s first COY award after finishing runner-up twice, first in 2022 while with CF Montreal and again last season.
Nancy, 47, led the Columbus Crew to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference this season after winning the MLS Cup final in 2023. After an impressive run of results in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this year, including impressive wins over Tigres and CF Monterrey, the Crew lost the continental final to Liga MX side CF Pachuca. Columbus won the Leagues Cup final earlier this summer.
| Coach | Media Vote | Player Vote | Club Vote | Average Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wilfried Nancy (Columbus Crew)
|
38.8%
|
43.03%
|
38.24%
|
40.02%
|
|
Gerardo Martino (Inter Miami)
|
36%
|
24.85%
|
38.24%
|
33.03%
|
|
Chris Armas (Colorado Rapids)
|
6%
|
7.88%
|
5.88%
|
6.59%
|
Nancy’s tactics and philosophy regarding positional play have made him among the most highly-regarded coaches in North America. The Frenchman has molded the Crew into a methodical yet entertaining side and a perennial title contender in MLS. Despite a congested calendar and a deep run in CONCACAF, the Crew were able to maintain their form for most of the MLS regular season. Columbus led the league in goal differential (plus 32) and finished second behind Inter Miami in the Supporters’ Shield race.
Additionally, Columbus and Inter Miami were the only two teams to win at least nine matches at home and away in 2024. Miami and Columbus were also the only MLS sides to score more than 70 goals this season. Nancy orchestrated a milestone year for the Crew, which included a 66-point total regular season and 72 goals scored, both club records.
The Crew, however, were eliminated in the first round of the MLS playoffs by the New York Red Bulls. Still, it appears that Nancy’s tactical stamp over the course of the year was enough to narrowly win the award over Inter Miami manager Tata Martino. The 61-year-old Argentine led Miami from the bottom of the table in 2023 to a record-breaking points record and a Supporters’ Shield trophy this season.
Inter Miami was similarly eliminated from the MLS playoffs after one three-game series. Martino won COY in 2018 as coach of Atlanta United. The Athletic reported Tuesday that Martino has stepped down as coach due to personal reasons.
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(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
