Why Crew GM Issa Tall considers Henrik Rydstrom 'the perfect fit'

While Henrik Rydstrom was always on the Crew's short list of possible replacements for Wilfried Nancy, general manager Issa Tall thought landing the Swedish native was a long shot.

"We thought there are many clubs who want him," Tall said. "But ultimately, we had a chance to speak to him and introduce ourselves. He went through the process and all the stages. And the person he is and the coach he is made us decide he is the perfect fit."

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On Dec. 31, the Crew announced that Rydstrom would become the ninth head coach in club history. He steps in for Nancy, who departed for Scotland's Celtic FC at the beginning of the month.

Upon Rydstrom's hire, the Crew also added assistant coach Theodor Olsson and analyst Mak Pakhei, both of whom worked with Rydstrom in Sweden.

Rydstrom, 49, spent the previous seven years of his head coaching career in Sweden, moving up the ranks to Malmo FF, where he was hired in December 2022.

Malmo had a 39-9-12 regular-season record in Rydstrom's two seasons, winning back-to-back Allsvenskan league championships and the 2024 Swedish Cup title.

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"We’ve scouted Scandinavia at large, Sweden specifically, and Malmo has always been a team that got us curious, especially in the way they’ve played," Tall said. "So, he was someone we knew, but obviously, he was the coach at Malmo. And when Wilfried told us that he wanted to leave, and we essentially went back to our list, he was no longer at Malmo."

During his discussions with the Crew, Rydstrom was open about his limited knowledge of the club and MLS as a whole, according to Tall.

Although Tall has been vocal about feeling MLS is "on the rise," the fact that Rydstrom entered the hiring process fairly unfamiliar with the league was something Tall anticipated.

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"The difficulty that we have, and I think it’s the league as a whole, is that people don’t know enough," Tall said. "Not knowing the facilities and the growth and all these things. So, after the first call, and [Rydstrom] digging a little more about our club, he then immediately wanted the job, and it was a great match."

More: Ex-Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy fired by Celtic FC

What to expect from Columbus Crew under Henrik Rydstrom

Nancy, in three seasons with the Crew, implemented a style of play that centered around controlling possession. The Crew were ranked either first or second in MLS for possession rate each season of Nancy's tenure and had an average 58.5% possession rate overall.

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In looking to replace Nancy, Tall's goal was never to replicate the former coach's exact style of play, but to find someone who could build upon the Crew's core system.

"Don’t expect too much of a difference, but expect a difference," said Tall. "This was the whole thing about the search – we wanted continuity. We have built and achieved great things, but at the same time, we needed some evolution in our play."

Rydstrom has coached high-possession teams that prefer to play in tight spaces and have offensive success. Under Rydstrom, Malmo averaged more than two goals per game during the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons.

The Crew are coming off their worst scoring year since 2022, notching 55 regular-season goals last season. With a majority of the 2025 roster expected to return, Rydstrom will need to enhance the Crew's attack.

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"Expect as a team, we continue to be dominant on the ball, want to have the ball," Tall said. "But the difference is we may be more dynamic and direct."

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall talks hiring Henrik Rydstrom