NEW YORK (Monday, October 7, 2024) – Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra for Matchday 37 of the 2024 MLS season.
Hernández scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the 76th minute, as part of the Crew’s 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Lower.com Field. With his brace, Hernández has now totaled 32 goal contributions (19 goals, 13 assists) in 2024, eclipsing Stern John (31 in 1998) for the most in a single season in Columbus history. His 32 goal contributions are tied for the third-most in MLS behind only FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta (33) and the Portland Timber’s Evander (33). Hernández sits one goal shy of becoming the third player in club history to produce at least 20 goals in a single regular season. With Saturday night's victory, the Crew set a new single-season club record for most points (60), surpassing their previous record of 57 (2023 and 2008).
Hernández scored his first goal of the night in the fourth minute with a thunderous header off a corner kick. Teammate Mohamed Farsi gave the lead back to Columbus in the 41st minute, following a fantastic sequence of passes in which Farsi fired a low shot past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Hernández then scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute with another header from a corner kick, nodding the ball into the net for his 19th goal of the season.
This is the second time Hernández has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra this season after previously doing so on Matchday 22. Hernández is the first Columbus player to earn multiple MLS Player of the Matchday honors in the same seasons since Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayán in 2021.
Columbus returns to action on Saturday, October 12 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) when they host the New England Revolution at Lower.com Field before traveling to face the New York Red Bulls on Decision Day – Saturday, October 19 (6 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra 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.
