Former Crew striker Cucho Hernandez, making his first appearance in a World Cup, had a thunderous assist for the Colombian men’s national soccer team June 17.
Holding a 2-1 lead over Uzbekistan in the 80th minute, Colombia subbed in Hernandez for Luis Suarez. Just 18 minutes later, Hernandez made his mark on the world stage with a perfect assist.
Hernandez fought for the ball with left back Jakhongir Urozov in the right corner of the pitch, recovered after staggering from a tackle and fired a precise, long-range dart to Jaminton Campaz, who was waiting in the box. Campaz’s resulting goal off a header sent Colombian fans into a frenzy.
It was the first assist of Hernandez’s international career and his first World Cup goal contribution. The game ended two minutes later, resulting in Colombia’s win and the outright lead of Group K after Portugal’s draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hernandez had 30 starts during the 2025-26 season for Real Betis in La Liga, scoring 11 goals and recording three assists.
Hernandez spent three seasons with the Crew, racking up 44 goals and 26 assists in MLS competition. After a 2025 season in which he finished as runner-up to MLS MVP Lionel Messi, Hernandez was sold to Real Betis for a Crew record transfer fee of $16 million.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Crew striker Cucho Hernandez delivers World Cup moment for Colombia
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
