LEAGUES CUP
Cucho Hernández dedicates Leagues Cup MVP “to the fans”
The Colombian striker has been the Columbus Crew’s most decisive player and proved it again in Sunday’s final against LAFC.
Sunday’s Leagues Cup final served to once again contemplate the extraordinary level that Juan Camilo Hernández has been showing since joining the Columbus Crew in June 2022 on a $10 million deal from Watford - a franchise record.
The Colombian, voted the best player in last year’s MLS Cup final against the same rivals, was once again decisive for Wilfried Nancy’s men and picked up another MVP award.
Cucho Hernández decisive for the Crew when it mattered most
Cucho was on target twice and set up Jacen Russell-Rowe for the Crew’s third goal in stoppage time. In total, he finished the tournament with four goals and three assists - curiously, his first goal didn’t arrive until the quarter finals. The Colombian striker reaffirmed his impact as a goal scorer and also gave a masterclass as a total playmaker to lift the institution’s second trophy in less than a year.
Leagues Cup all-time top goal scorers
- 11 Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC)
- 10 Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
- 7 Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Minnesota United FC)
- 6 Dániel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union)
Diego Rossi (Columbus Crew) - 5 Tai Baribo (Philadelphia Union)
Germán Berterame (Monterrey)
Brandon Vázquez (Monterrey)
Santiago Rodríguez (New York City FC)
Cucho Hernández (Columbus Crew)
After playing a key role in the Crew’s 2023 MLS Cup triumph last December and winning the MVP in that final against LAFC, Cucho is now the joint sixth top scorer in the Leagues Cup history and the fourth to collect the MVP.
Lionel Messi picked up the accolade last year after ending the tournament with 10 goals and one assist. However, the Argentine star and Las Garzas contested the tournament from the group stage while Columbus Crew entered directly in the round of 32 as champions of the North American league. So effectively, Miami played two games more.
Cucho Hernández eager for more
After winning the 2024 Leagues Cup - his second trophy with Columbus, Cucho Hernández is hungry for more success and made the team’s ambition clear.
“I’m happy for the fans, for my family, they all deserve this. This is my job, I am glad that my teammates can enjoy it. The mentality that this team has is rarely seen in other teams, for example the comeback against Inter Miami. Today we managed to stop one of the three best players in the league, [Denis] Bouanga”.
Columbus Crew will face Liga MX side América in the 2024 Campeones Cup next Wednesday, September 25, and Hernández is relishing the contest: “Thank you very much to the fans, thank you very much for coming. See you next month in another final because we have to bring back the title.”