Sean Zawadzki interview: Homegrown hero making history in Columbus

When trying to describe Wilfried Nancy’s incredible success at Columbus Crew, the word ‘speed’ is often used

It’s a key part of the Crew’s story over the past 18 months. They move the ball more quickly than any other MLS team. The players seem faster in their decision-making. And, most impressively, the pace of their progression has been remarkable.

But for the players involved in Nancy’s swirling yellow machine the impression is a little different. Sean Zawadzki captained the Crew academy as a youngster and, after leaving for college, returned to become a regular in Columbus’ MLS Cup-winning 2023 campaign.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Campeones Cup, as Columbus prepares for a fourth final in 12 months, Zawadzki tells AS USA that the speed of change should come as no shock.

“I’m not surprised. [Wilfried Nancy] and the staff came in with a clear style, clear ideas, everything,” he explains.

“Once we understood it they were able to go more in depth with all of their ideas, and it allowed us to be who we are, to be free, and to play the way they wanted to play. So the success doesn’t really surprise me. The way that it’s kind of transpired quickly, I don’t find it a surprise.”

Homegrown success for Zawadzki and the Crew

Born in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, Zawadzki joined the Columbus academy in 2015 and spent three years with the Crew before heading off to college. He’s one of few local players in the current roster and plays an important role in demonstrating that there is a pathway for young players, helping to tie an all-conquering team to the community.

“Being from Ohio my whole family, friends, are here in the area. So to be able to play, to be a part of this club and to have a role, it means a lot.”

“I know my parents made a huge sacrifice. Now it’s just about doing I’m what I’m capable of doing, to take on the role that the club’s given me. To do what the staff’s given me, and to do the best I can.”

During his time in the academy Zawadzki’s parents would regularly drive the four-hour round trip to take the teenager to train in Columbus. It’s something that he remains deeply grateful for, giving him the opportunity to live out his dreams in the professional game. With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see the sort of player that he has become.

Mr Dependable for the MLS Cup champions

In an era of increased specialisation, where players’ roles are stringently defined, the Columbus Crew’s success has been built on generalisation. Nancy is constantly looking to test his squad, moving players around and reinventing their roles to find solutions in unusual places.

Zawadzki is one of the best examples of that. Despite breaking through as a box-to-box midfielder he was transformed into a ball-playing central defender in 2023, using his passing ability to break the lines and launch attacks for the Crew. He’s also been utilised as a right wing-back. And on the left, too, along with the occasional outing in midfield. In one recent game Zawadzki was even tasked with playing an entire half as a goalkeeper when Abraham Romero was dismissed. Although that positional change, understandably, was not so successful.

So how has a player with minimal first team experience before the start of last season gone on to perform so confidently, so consistently, in four different roles in a championship-winning team? As Zawadzki explains, Wilfried Nancy has a lot to do with it.

“He knows all of us. He knows how we play. He knows our strengths, and he’s not going to put us in a spot to fail. He trusts every single one of us and he knows what we’re capable of.”

“It allows me to see the game from a bunch of different positions, and to understand what each position is asked for within the system. So when playing center-back I know what to expect from a right wing-back or right center-back, having played all those positions.”

That’s another reason why the Crew are so fluid on the ball, so quick of thought and fast of foot. Not only do Columbus players always know what their next move is, they know what their teammates are going to do next, too.

Columbus can reiterate MLS strength against Liga MX

Only last month the Columbus Crew clinched the Leagues Cup with a 3-1 victory over LAFC in the final of the MLS-Liga MX competition. On Wednesday they have the chance to earn continental bragging rights once again when they take on Club América in the 2024 Campeones Cup. Each year the champions of MLS and Liga MX go head-to-head in a one-off game, a key bellwether for the respective strengths of the two leagues.

For Columbus it’s a fourth final in 18 months and a chance to secure a second trophy of 2024. As we approach the post-season, another triumph would reiterate the Crew’s status as one of the finest MLS sides of recent years. Now, Zawadzki insists, top teams in the United States are ready to go toe-to-toe with the best that Mexico has to offer.

“There’s been that long debate for the last however-many years around MLS and Liga MX. In the past there’s been a lot of stigma around the MLS. But I think you’ve kind of seen the growth of MLS in the last couple years, the willingness of owners and clubs to spend on these players in Europe and in different countries, to bring in top quality and to make MLS a better league.”

Both Sean Zawadzki and the Columbus Crew have enjoyed an incredible rise in the last two years. From a fringe player at a mid-table club to a regular starter for the MLS Cup champions. Things have changed, undoubtedly, but he insists that their mindset ahead of this latest final is just the same as it was when they prepared for the first.

“It’s another opportunity to win a trophy and that’s what we want to continue to do for the club. To win as many trophies as we can and to be able to sustain that success. You know, we’ve had this 18 months or so of success and we want that to continue for as long as possible. We want to sustain that for years and years to come.”