Soccer <\/p>\n
When head coaches at the uppermost levels of the sport step in front of microphones and cameras, caution tends to be the default setting. Tightly-knit team environments and meticulous tactical preparation cultivate levels of secrecy bordering on paranoia.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
It\u2019s a little different with Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m.<\/p>\n
The Columbus Crew<\/a>\u2019s new boss steps into the MLS spotlight as his team host Orlando City<\/a> for this weekend\u2019s Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire duel at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field (7 pm ET |\u00a0Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n But he\u2019s already been making headlines for years in his native Sweden, often just with flashes of his personality and intellect.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to create chaos\u201d was one catchphrase by which he described his work at Malm\u00f6, who drew attention across Europe for their vibrant rendition of \u2018relationism,\u2019 an emerging game model inspired by Brazilian manager Fernando Diniz\u2019s entertaining Fluminense sides. Rydstr\u00f6m has memorably compared his preferred style of play to the rhythms of a prominent Swedish author: \u201cpompous, but also unique.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n An avowed progressive in political terms, he once expressed a desire to be \u201cSweden’s first Buddhist coach\u201d because of the religion\u2019s influence on his mental approach to the game. Over the winter, he declared, \u201cI want a team that’s like a f–king rock band\u201d as he prepared to cross the Atlantic to take the reins in central Ohio.<\/p>\n That quote makes more sense when you learn that for many years he wrote music reviews for Barometern, a newspaper in Kalmar, the Swedish city where he spent most of his playing days and a good chunk of his coaching career as well.<\/p>\n Therein, he once self-deprecatingly lamented, \u201cUnfortunately, my taste in music is typical of a white, heterosexual Western male. I would like to be more Caribbean and queer.\u201d If that sounds like a dyed-in-the-wool academic, well, yes \u2013 Rydstr\u00f6m actually did earn a master’s degree in literature during his career as a stout defensive midfielder at Kalmar FF.<\/p>\n \u201cI always talk too much,\u201d the charismatic Rydstr\u00f6m deadpanned to MLSsoccer.com in a wide-ranging one-on-one conversation last month from the OhioHealth Performance Center.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The process is our focal point \ud83d\udd0e#Crew96<\/a> | @OhioHealth<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/88IY8gjqPV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n A thoughtful worldview has served him well in Columbus, a college town turned booming metropolis where he encountered a deceptively difficult task upon arrival at the Crew: How to adequately succeed his predecessor Wilfried Nancy, a revered figure not just for the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup<\/a> trophies he helped secure across three seasons in charge, but also the bravery and flair with which the Yellow Football Team did so.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Crew, as a club, is a little bit in this in-between right now,\u201d he said, \u201cYou always get judged by the results. So far, I know there will always be doubts before you start winning a lot of games. But my perspective is also, I’ve been in a big club in Sweden and a big organization, and I noticed that Malm\u00f6, they looked back too much. So instead of, how can we be ahead of things all the time, then you need to challenge yourself.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can be proud over your past, but how can we actually challenge ourselves in it? And that is something I hope that I can help us do.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, Rydstr\u00f6m inherited many \u2013 though not all \u2013 of the key players who achieved the lofty heights of \u201823 and \u201824. He also encountered a squad in a complex psychological moment, with one cycle clearly ending and uncertainty about what could or should follow.<\/p>\n \u201cYou maybe ask, \u2018OK, why didn’t you do it from the beginning?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIf you do it from the beginning, it’s easy to lose the connection with the players, if I’m coming in like, \u2018Guys, I’m a winner from Sweden. Now you’re gonna f–king listen to me.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI needed to create connections. Even if I was well prepared, it’s first when you are here and you get the feeling for the city, for the people in the building, for the players. And then you need to play competitive games. So learned a lot about my players from every game \u2026 It\u2019s exciting, but also a bit frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n Different style<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Creating connections<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n