Soccer
The Columbus Crew are making a head coaching change ahead of Major League Soccer’s lengthy international break.
Henrik Rydstrom was relieved of his duties as head coach, the Crew announced Sunday. Rydstrom was appointed to the position in December 2025 but struggled to have the Crew earning consistent results during the opening three months of the 2026 MLS season.
Rydstrom led the Crew to a 3-7-4 record (13 points earned) in MLS play this season, which has them sitting 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
Former Crew 2 head coach Laurent Courtois has been named as the Crew’s interim head coach, taking over for Rydstrom. Courtois led Crew 2 to an MLS NEXT Pro title before taking over at CF Montreal from January 2024-March 2025.
“We unfortunately have not capitalized on opportunities or produced the results that our Club and supporters deserve. We are confident that we have the talent on our roster to consistently compete for championships, and we believe this change best positions us to accomplish that goal with the number of matches we have left this season,” said Crew general manager Issa Tall. “We thank Henrik for his commitment to the Crew, and we expect a successful transition based on Laurent’s familiarity with our Club, players and league.”
Courtois returned to the Crew in January as a First Team Assistant Coach and has several years of familiarity with the organization. He will led the club into their final 20 league matches of the season.
The Crew will host NYCFC in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals this week before facing Atlanta United four days later in their final MLS match until July 22.
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