COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew today announced that forward Cucho Hernandez has been called-up by Colombian Men’s National Team head coach Néstor Lorenzo for the team’s upcoming international friendly.
Colombia will face Mexico at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 16.
The call-up caps off a year that saw Hernandez earn MLS Cup MVP honors, scoring the opening goal as the Crew defeated LAFC 2-1 in the 2023 MLS Cup on Dec. 9. Hernandez tallied five goals and added two assists in postseason play as the Crew captured the third MLS Cup in Club history.
In 2023, his first full season with the Black & Gold, Hernandez led the team with 16 goals and tied for a team best 11 assists as the Black & Gold recorded a league-leading 165 shots during the regular season. The forward became the second player in club history to record 25-or-more goal contributions in his first 30 matches and only the fifth to do so in an entire season. He set a franchise record with a goal contribution in nine consecutive matches (April 29 to June 17, 2023), which was the longest such streak in MLS since 2019.
Hernández also entered MLS’ record books by producing the second-fastest hat trick from the start of a game, scoring three goals in just 22 minutes and 51 seconds against the Chicago Fire on Sept. 20. The Colombian striker paced the league in shots on target (58), finished second in goals inside the 18 (15) and ranked fourth in goals (16) while starting all games in which he played.
The 24-year-old has been capped three times for Colombia. He made his senior debut in a 2018 friendly against Costa Rica (October 17), scoring two goals in a 3-1 win, including the game-winning goal. The Pereira, Colombia native was most recently called up for Colombia’s CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying wins against Brazil and Paraguay.
