Crew defeat LAFC for Leagues Cup title, Cucho scores two: Takeaways

Cucho Hernandez can’t exactly remember what was going through his mind when he ripped off his jersey and threw it into section 124. All Hernandez does know is it was his natural reaction to the moment.

The celebration came after scoring the game-winning goal in stoppage time of the Crew’s 3-1 victory over Los Angeles FC to secure the Leagues Cup title.

When four minutes of stoppage time was added to the second half, it meant both Columbus and Los Angeles had little time break the 1-1 tie and avoid going to a penalty kicks. Nearly 65 seconds later, Hernandez launched the ball from outside the top, left corner of LAFC’s box and with a slight curve in trajectory while in the air, the ball was able to take a bounce past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, into the goal.

“I didn’t shoot the ball,” Hernandez said. “I just put the ball to Jacen (Russell-Rowe). I saw his movement, I said ‘okay, 92, 93 minutes, I have to try something.’ Because I didn’t want penalties again, I get nervous. So, I put the ball to him, was confused that it missed and I scored. That was amazing.”

Replay:Columbus Crew wins Leagues Cup title 3-1 vs LAFC behind Cucho Hernandez efforts

It was Hernandez’s second goal of the night, as the striker found the back of the net in the first half to pull Columbus ahead 1-0. And Hernandez still had one last push to firmly ensure LAFC wouldn’t tie the score once again.

Off a counterattack, Hernandez created another run, and when LAFC defender Aaron Long caught up to Hernandez, Hernandez swiftly dumped the ball off to forward Jacen Russell-Rowe who used two touches to score the final goal for Columbus with less than a minute left in the final.

“I was running with the ball and said ‘Ah, I’m going to get my hat trick.’ But the center back came to me, I had to give to Jacen,” Hernandez said. “We know Jacen. We know he’s going to score, always. He’s a great striker, he’s a killer.”

This marks the Crew’s second title since coach Wilfried Nancy joined the club at the beginning of the 2023 season. Just like the 2023 MLS Cup victory, Columbus won the Leagues Cup trophy in front of a home crowd at Lower.com Field, against LAFC.

“When I decided work together, with this club, I knew that we would do something,” Nancy said. “I didn’t know when, but I knew it. And this club simply deserves what is happening, because the story, to save the club, is amazing.”

Cucho Hernandez amazes with ability to score in many different ways

“Amazing” was the word that Nancy found himself going back to on multiple occasions when speaking about the victory, specifically when referencing Hernandez’s first goal.

It had been a physical battle the first 45 minutes of play, with 12 fouls accumulated by both teams and tensions flying high following a rough hit on Hernandez that led to Crew forward Christian Ramirez and LAFC forward Denis Bouanga exchanging words. Hernandez would use the physicality of the match in his favor, barreling toward the goal to score a header off a Mo Farsi cross.

“He showed who he is,” Nancy said. “The range that he has to score. … His passion that he has. He provoked things for the other goal, but this is who he is. Behind the scenes, we try to help him and to give him tools to get more consistent and to get better, because he wants to be better. So, this is a reward for him.”

Hernandez acknowledged that he has been scoring more off headers in the recent games, and that ability to score in diverse ways is why teammates such as Farsi feel comfortable sending crosses into the box.

“I didn’t (specifically) see Cucho,” Farsi said. “I just thought, ‘Okay, I’ll put it in a good spot.’ So, I chipped the ball and Cucho was there, and I know wherever I put the ball, one of the strikers are going to be there.”

Nicholas Hagen’s start in goal had nothing to do with Patrick Schulte and everything to do with Nicholas Hagen

Before the Crew had won their semifinal match against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen was told he was starting on Sunday, no matter the opponent or if Columbus was playing in the third-place or championship game.

It gave Hagen the time to call his family so his parents and brother could arrange getting to Columbus from Guatemala to watch him play, but the reason Nancy decided to tell Hagen in that moment had nothing to do with travel plans.

From the Crew’s first match in Leagues Cup, Nancy had made it clear that this tournament was Hagen’s time to play, saying the goalkeeper was deserving of the opportunity. With regular starter Patrick Schulte returning to the team from the Paris Olympics the day before the round of 32 match against Sporting Kansas City, Nancy wanted to play Schulte in the quarter and semifinal matches to ensure he didn’t spend too much time on the bench, but the final was always Hagen’s.

“It’s a big responsibility,” Hagen said. “It tells you how Wilfried manages his players. He wants to put a little bit of stress, good stress, into players to play more of the games, to feel more involved and of course, be ready.”

With Hagen’s dad “suffering” with stress in the crowd, Hagen completed his family’s trip by recording 2 saves and holding LAFC to one conceded goal to help Columbus win the Leagues Cup trophy.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

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