Despite being a finalist for MLS Head Coach of the Year, Wilfried Nancy knows that much of the credit goes to the players. “It’s nice to put ideas in place with our staff, but if the players don’t adhere to them, I’m in the m…”, he mentioned Friday, after training for CF Montreal at the Saputo stadium.
Although she managed to squeeze out several smiles, the image isn’t too strong.
As soon as he took the reins of the Montreal team, before the 2021 season, Wilfried Nancy began to implement his vision and his system of play. After a surprising first year, during which his men only went to a victory to advance to the playoffs, he finally reaped the fruits of his labor.
The blue-white-black made leaps and bounds in 2022. He broke two MLS records, 12 team records and finished second in the Eastern Conference. The players have clearly felt a positive change since Nancy has been their head coach.
“I believe this nomination is fully deserved. We can see how he’s changed the culture of the team and the way we’ve been playing for two seasons,” said defender Kamal Miller. “It didn’t work immediately and we had to be patient. He continued to believe in his style of play and he believed in us. Look where we are today. I believe he deserves this honor. »
Wilfried Nancy will face Steve Cherundolo of Los Angeles FC and Jim Curtin of the Philadelphia Union. He also shared good words for Curtin, who guided the Union to the Eastern title. “What I like about Philadelphia is their consistency,” explained the FX Montreal point guard. “They play in a well-established game system and we have a system in which we change the animation a lot. We have a different game idea, but we’re both finalists regardless. That’s football. »
Learn, sometimes the hard way
With success sometimes come heartbreaking decisions. All players want to contribute and grow, but Nancy had to make tough choices for what he saw as the good of the team. Players like Zachary Brault-Guillard and Joaquin Torres saw less use, goalkeeper Sebastian Breza lost his starting job to James Pantemis and a youngster like Ismaël Koné sometimes learned the hard way.
With his usual humility, Wilfried Nancy never hesitated to mention during the season that he too was learning every day. Many of the situations he experienced will remain in the notebook for the future. “I learned to be comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes you have to be sharp and cold with the players about certain decisions and it’s not easy. The player wants to do well and play every day. Sometimes I have to be behind them, but I have to be demanding too,” he said. “I deprive players of being on the field and behind, there are contracts, pressure. Some have contracts to help their families in their country. It’s something I’ve learned to live with. »
Behind his title as head coach, he also takes his role as a teacher seriously. We had seen him emotional at a press conference when talking about Djordje Mihailovic, after the confirmation that the American was going to leave CF Montreal at the end of the season.
Midfielder Samuel Piette even went so far as to say he was possibly the best head coach he had in his career. “He’s the best for the way he manages his group and the way he talks to me. When you talk to him, you see that he listens to you and that he is able to give you tips to progress,” said the Quebecer. “It’s mostly knowing that your coach is open-minded and can talk about anything and everything. You are capable of doing that with Wilfried, with respect. He makes everyone feel important. I think that with John Herdman, he’s the best coach I’ve had collectively. »
Nancy is still not under contract for the next season. Players like Piette have let it be known that they want to see him again as head coach, but the main interested party is not worried too much for the moment. “Everything is going very fast in football. I’m not going to ignite because in three years, I may train Chicoutimi, joked Nancy. You never know what can happen. »
In the meantime, he has the task of preparing CF Montreal for their playoff duel against Orlando City SC on Sunday at Stade Saputo.