Coach Henrik Rydstrom feels Columbus Crew is 'too nice'

TL;DR

Columbus Crew coach Henrik Rydstrom believes his team needs to adopt a meaner and more cynical approach to improve performance. He expresses concerns about the team's current demeanor.

Key points

Henrik Rydstrom is the coach of Columbus Crew.
He wants the team to be meaner and more cynical.
The Crew recently tied 0-0 against the Chicago Fire.
Rydstrom's comments reflect concerns about the team's demeanor.

Mentioned in this story

Henrik Rydstrom

Columbus CrewMLSChicago Fire

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He wants his team to be meaner and more “cynical,” as he puts it, and not in the Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David examples of the term.

Columbus Crew manager Henrik Rydstrom reacts during the second half of the MLS match against the Chicago Fire at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus on March 7, 2026. The teams tied 0-0.

As a player, Rydstrom was a "cynical" midfielder who got by on defensive toughness and a relentless work ethic. T

The Crew, meanwhile, is loaded with skilled possession players who like to play defense by playing offense. Meanness doesn’t come naturally to most of them, so Rydstrom sees a toughness void that must be addressed before more leads disappear in losses like the one they took May 2 against Minnesota United.

“Can you change a person’s personality?” Rydstrom said May 5 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. “No, probably not, but can you change some behaviors? Yeah, of course.”

Rydstrom used the example of children being told that eating candy is bad for their teeth, which probably won’t do much to quell most kids’ candy consumption. Offer a motivational reward for not eating as much candy, however, and your probability of success goes up.