Six Columbus Crew players called up for national team duty 

COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández (Colombia), defenders Mohamed Farsi (Algeria) and Steven Moreira (Cape Verde), and goalkeepers Nicholas Hagen (Guatemala) and Patrick Schulte (United States) have been called-up to represent their respective nations in the upcoming FIFA international window. Additionally, Crew 2 forward Chase Adams has been called-in for the United States Under-17 side.

Hernández joins Colombia for a pair of CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup Qualifying matches. Los Cafeteros first travel to face Peru at Estadio Nacional de Lima on Sept. 6 before hosting Argentina at Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla on Sept. 10. The 25-year-old has two goals in four caps for Colombia.

The call-up follows a Leagues Cup campaign that saw Hernández earn the award for Best Player of the tournament. In his five Leagues Cup appearances, Hernández scored four goals and added three assists, helping the Crew become the first MLS side to reach three tournament finals within a span of nine months. In the Leagues Cup final against LAFC at Lower.com Field on Aug. 25, Cucho recorded two goals and one assist in the 3-1 victory. In MLS play this season, he has 13 goals and 11 assists in 21 appearances, and is the first player in Club history to record back-to-back seasons with 10+ goals and assists in a regular season.

Farsi, who was recently granted a one-time federation switch by FIFA, receives his first call-up to Algeria. Farsi and Algeria were drawn into Group E in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying and host Equatorial Guinea at Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran on Sept. 5. before traveling to face Liberia at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia on Sept. 10.

The Montreal, Quebec, born Farsi previously represented Canada at the Under-23 level and was also a member of the country’s futsal side, earning Canada Soccer Futsal Player of the Year honors in 2020. Farsi has three goals and two assists in 22 league appearances this year.

Moreira will also take part in 2025 AFCON Qualifying, joining Cape Verde Islands for Group C matches against Egypt at Cairon International Stadium on Sept. 6 and vs. Mauritania at Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia on Sept. 10.

Earlier this year, Moreira helped Cape Verde reach the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Quarterfinals, marking the first time the side advanced past the first round of the knockout stage. He has earned six caps since debuting with Cape Verde in October 2023. In MLS play this season, he has appeared in 23 games, registering two goals and three assists.

Hagen joins Guatemala for a friendly against Uruguay at Chase Stadum in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 1, followed by a pair of 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League, League A fixtures. Los Chapines host Martinique on Sept. 5 and Costa Rica on Sept. 9, with both contests scheduled to take place at Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores in Guatemala City.

Hagen recently appeared in three matches during the Crew’s Leagues Cup run. He earned a shutout in the 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the Club’s opening match in the Round of 32 and made two saves in the final as the Crew were crowned champions on Aug. 25.

Schulte and the U.S. Men’s National Team host two international friendlies this window: vs. Canada at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City on Sept. 7 and vs. New Zealand at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept. 10.

Schulte recently returned from an Olympic campaign where he started all four matches for the U.S. and became the first active MLS player to record a shutout at the Olympics, helping the Americans to their first knockout round berth in 24 years. Schulte made his senior international debut on Jan. 20, starting against Slovenia at Toyota Field in San Antonio in a match that also featured Crew Homegrown midfielder/defender Sean Zawadzki and midfielder DeJuan Jones in the Starting XI.

This season, the 23-year-old has recorded a career high nine shutouts in 22 MLS matches this season. He made two appearances in Leagues Cup play, including a penalty save in the shootout against NYCFC in the Quarterfinals.

Additionally, Crew 2 forward Chase Adams is currently with the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Youth National Team for the Vaclav Jezek Tournament in Mikulov, Czech Republic from Aug. 30-Sept. 9 for matches against Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is the first training camp of the U-17 MYNT cycle, which includes next year’s 2025 Concacaf U-17 Championship and cumulates with the 2025 FIFA U-17

World Cup in Qatar. The 16-year-old, who signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract on Aug. 2, 2024, currently leads Crew 2 with eight goals this season.