COLUMBUS — Cucho Hernandez arrived in MLS with plenty of expectations on his shoulders and although much of the league now knows what to expect from the Colombian forward, the in-form attacker remains a key focus for Saturday’s opponents LAFC.
Hernandez headlines the Crew’s attack coming into Saturday’s MLS Cup showdown at Lower.com Field. The 24-year-old hit the ground running in 2022, contributing nine goals and four assists in 16 appearances for the club.
Following Lucas Zelarayan’s departure midway through the 2023 campaign, Hernandez helped fill the void by totaling 20 goals and 13 assists across league play during the regular season and playoffs. LAFC will be fighting to slow down Hernandez as best they can in Saturday’s match, knowing how impactful he can be with limited goalscoring opportunities.
“Yeah, he’s the full package,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said about Hernandez to media. “He’s technically good, he’s physically good, he’s savvy, I think he’s intelligent, he knows where to float, kind of be off the shoulder of defenders, he’s played at a very high level.
“So we have our hands full, and shutting him down is unfortunately not the only task our defenders have, our team has, on Saturday,” Cherundolo said. “There are other prolific attackers on their team and it’s obviously offensively a very talented team. But he’s a big one.”
Not many players have been able to find instant production following a move to MLS. However, Hernandez has defied the odds for the Crew, netting four goals during their run to MLS Cup, a second finals trip for the club in the last four seasons.
Back-to-back impressive campaigns in Columbus will certainly grow the overseas interest in Hernandez, something that the Crew will have to monitor heading into 2024. For now though, Hernandez remains a rising talent in MLS and LAFC knows what to expect in Saturday’s winner-take-all showdown from Ohio.
“A very good player. He reminds me a lot of [Sergio] Kun Agüero,” 2023 MLS Golden Boot award winner Denis Bouanga said about Hernandez. “He’s a player with a lot of range and a lot of energy and he really, really wants to score and be out there on the field.”