Columbus Crew Forward Cucho Hernández Voted MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 22

NEW YORK (Monday, June 24, 2024) – Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 22 of the 2024 MLS season.

Hernández scored his first hat trick of the season in the club’s 4-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Lower.com Field (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). With the three-goal performance, Hernández joined Josef Martínez (six), Hany Mukhtar (four), Chicho Arango (three), and Christian Benteke (three) as the only active players with at least three regular-season hat tricks. Dating back to last season all three of Hernández’s hat tricks have come in his last 20 games. During that span, he has scored 19 times, joining Stern John (1998-99) as the only players in club history to accomplish this feat. Since May 15, the Crew have won five of their past six games, scoring at least three goals in four of those.

The Colombian forward began the scoring in the 32nd minute when he received the ball in the box, took an adept touch to send two defenders to ground, and then passed his finish into the bottom corner (Watch Here). In stoppage time of the first half, Hernández made it two, as he volleyed a cross from the wing that deflected off multiple defenders before caroming into the net (Watch Here). After Christian Ramirez added a third goal, Hernández completed his hat trick in the 71st minute from a free kick by curling his effort around the wall to seal the victory at home (Watch Here).

This is the second time Hernández has been named MLS Player of the Matchday in his career after previously doing so on Matchday 30 of the 2023 season. Hernández is the first Columbus player to win the award in consecutive seasons since Gullermo Barros Schelotto in 2008 and 2009.

The Crew look to win their sixth game in seven matches when they travel to face the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Matchday 23 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.