Columbus Crew clinched their third MLS Cup after a 2-1 triumph over LAFC, as head coach Wilfried Nancy strongly believed his side were the deserving winners.
There’s no debate on the first-year head coach’s comments, as the stats from the clash at Lower.com Field back up his remarks. The visitors were unable to get much going until the final 10-15 minutes of the campaign, as the Crew imposed their will on LAFC for most of the game.
Nancy’s side racked up 1.96 xG to LAFC‘s 0.76, while also tallying 14 shots to the Black and Gold’s 11, proving to be more calculated and efficient with their attempts. But above all, Nancy was impressed with how his team remained true to themselves despite the occasion and the difficult opponent they faced.
“I am so happy because the most important thing was not to win, but to be ourselves,” Nancy said postgame.
“My players did it and that’s why we had the opportunity and that’s why we won. I’m really proud of that as a coach. Yes, we can talk about tactics, we can talk about a lot of things, but the performance that we had was spot on.”
As the confetti rained down on Nancy his players and the champagne started spraying in the locker room, Nancy knew that his team deserved to stake their claim at the summit of Major League Soccer in 2023: “This is not by luck that we are here tonight,” he said.
With the win, Nancy made history by becoming the first Black coach in MLS history to win the title. While He was proud to make history in that regard, he was quick to recognize that something like that shouldn’t have taken this long — especially in a league that has grown tremendously like MLS.
“I’m so proud of that because there is a lot of work behind that. There was a lot of courageousness behind that. But I’m not happy at the same time because it’s not normal. Simple as that,” he said.
“I’m proud to represent, yes, the only Black [to win the Cup], but I’m not happy with that. This is something that has to change. And I know that MLS tries to do that. This is not only in MLS, this is everywhere.”
After winning the 2021 Canadian Cup with CF Montreal, Nancy has now added another trophy — his first-ever MLS Cup title — to his trophy cabinet.
Only DC United and LA Galaxy have collected three MLS Cups alongside Columbus, as all three clubs are part of MLS’ originals from the 1996 inaugural season. It’s also the Crew’s second MLS Cup in four seasons despite all of the change in player personnel and head coach.
“We started and I told the guys, impossible is an opinion. Just enjoy it and we’re going to grow. This is what happened and it’s unbelievable.”
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