By Stacy M. Brown
(Source The Washington Informen)
Wilfried Nancy is the first Black head coach to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup presented by Audi in only his third year as an MLS head coach. Nancy made history on Saturday night, as his Columbus Crew defeated the defending champions the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) with a score of 2-1.
“I’m so proud of that because there is a lot of work behind that,” Nancy said during a postgame news conference. “But I’m not happy at the same time because this is not normal. Simple as that. So, I’m proud to represent, yes, to be the only Black. But I’m not happy with that. So, this is something that has to change.”
Nancy added, “I know that MLS tries to do that, but this is not only in MLS.”
Born in France, Nancy had a professional playing career that spanned 10 years. From 1995-2005, the defender represented French clubs Sporting Club Toulon, Beaucairois, Raon-l’Etape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Chatellerault and Orleans.
Nancy joined the Crew on Dec. 6, 2022, as the eighth full-time head coach in Crew history, and he quickly used his assertive and forward-thinking style to lead the Crew to their third MLS Cup.
Reportedly, Nancy’s methodical and philosophical approach led his team to finish 2023 at the pinnacle of success. First-half goals from Cucho Hernández and Yaw Yeboah provided a substantial lead, ensuring that Dénis Bouanga’s late goal for LAFC remained a consolation strike.
“We started, and I told the guys, impossible is an opinion,” Nancy remarked. “Just enjoy it, and we’re going to grow. This is what happened, and it’s unbelievable.”
With players from 81 countries across six continents represented on 2023 rosters, Major League Soccer features the most geographically diverse and youthful player pool of any top men’s professional league across North America.
While receiving high grades in diversity, MLS leveraged a historic $25 million loan from a syndicate of Black banks, marking the first time any sports league has participated in a major commercial transaction exclusively with Black banks. Facilitated by the nonprofit National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF), the partnership was viewed as the latest significant step in a series of ongoing efforts by MLS in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion space.
Richard Lapchick, the director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, said for years soccer in Europe had been plagued by racism and just three weeks before the World Cup, players in the English Premier League (EPL) took a knee as part of its “No Room for Racism” campaign.
Lapchick noted that, while it is encouraging that the EPL is taking such action, racist acts are still seen among fans across Europe, with bananas being thrown at Black players, chants of “you’re a monkey” aimed at Black players, and hundreds of fans of a Croatian soccer club marching in the streets with a Nazi salute. It has been an ongoing issue, but fears are that with far-right governments being formed in Italy and Sweden, fans could become emboldened to continue with their racist acts.
Acknowledging the league’s initiatives to increase opportunities for Black coaches, Nancy emphasized that the lack of representation extended beyond North America.
“This is everywhere,” he asserted. “The way I see things in my life is…We want to compete all the time. So, I’m going to compete next year.”
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