With the Columbus Crew striker Cucho Hernandez reportedly on the way to Real Betis, it is a movement that also wants to be Major League Soccer as a competition. The crew showed their ambition in signing Cucho from Watford for a club record costs of $ 10 million when the Colombian attacker was only 22. At the time, designated players were usually in their prime or dusk of their career, but after scoring he arrived five goals in 25 Premier League performances for the English club.
Cucho came to Major League Soccer and immediately a hit with back-to-back seasons of more than 20 target contributions, led the crew to an MLS Cup title in 2023, a Leagues Cup title in 2024, and a appearance in the Concacaf- Champions Cup final during the same season. Cucho becomes an unstoppable strength in the competition and is one of the reasons why the crew was able to keep track of larger spenders such as Inter Miami, despite losing important contributors such as Aidan Morris and Lucas Zelarayan during his time there.
With a reported reimbursement of $ 16 million dollars for the 25-year-old attacker, it would not only be a club record sale for the crew, but they would also get money for their investment after winning trophies. With ADD costs for its versions and a sold-out fee, it is a movement that is too logical to do. Add to having a top head coach in Wilfried Nancy and the crew would trust himself to find a top attacker who can match their ambitions.
It may have the feeling that it is a loss for the competition with a top player like Cucho who starts just before the season, but part of it is due to MLS who does not start their season at the same time with the rest of the world. This is a time when teams all over the world want to strengthen for stretch runs and an addition such as Cucho can help with insisting on a European trophy in the Conference League.
If he succeeds, it would only be another sign in favor of MLS as a competition to improve the status of a player, making the recruitment of more young stars possible. Even when it comes to the reimbursement, Taty Castellanos had to spend a year on loan in Girona before he went from New York City FC to Lazio, while Cucho has proven itself so that a La Liga team is willing to add him directly from Columbus .
Cucho will also have a better chance to urge to become the starting names for the Colombian national team while playing consistent minutes in La Liga. He has not received many looks for the side in MLS, and with Jhon Duran at Al-Nassr it is a wide open race with the World Cup 2026 on the Horizon.
At the end of the day it is a good sign for the growth of the competition. The incoming transfer record has already been broken with Kevin Denkey who becomes a member of FC Cincinnati and the relocation of Cucho will also take the top 10 of the outgoing record sales in competition history. There will be a time when players like him stay longer in the competition as it grows, but it is important for MLS to also recognize their place in the world market.
Get two full seasons and trophies from an import such as Cucho and then selling a profit is an unmistakable success. Teams improve the right players for their record -enhancing deals and as long as that continues, there will be no shortage of tradable stars in the competition. Thiago Almada left for Botafogo and Atlanta United Lionel Messi and Inter Miami continued to beat the MLS Cup -Play -offs. The crew will even move forward without cucho and with the money to find the next star abroad.