FC Cincinnati (FCC) has seen impactful players at this level before, but the Columbus Crew's new addition also did what many stars have done before. FCC saw the same impact on the result as several of its peers did previously.
Juan Camilo Hernández Suárez, commonly referred to as "Cucho," has made waves with the Columbus Crew in his first three games. In his first two appearances, he recorded three goals, becoming the first to ever do so in his club's lengthy history.
Sunday night against FCC was no different and Cucho extended his historical streak with a goal in the 16th minute.
His career with the Crew and MLS has started off hot and he's tallied four goals in under 90 minutes of action after his header against FCC, becoming the first to ever do so in Major League Soccer (MLS) history. He was also awarded Team of the Week honors for week 20.
"He's a very good player and I think we've seen it in every game he's played in – he's scored a goal and he's scored it in impressive ways," FCC head coach Pat Noonan said postgame. "It's a goal scorers goal, the way he flicks the set piece."
Cucho was taken out of the game in the 64th minute and replaced by fellow forward Erik Hurtado. Noonan noted there were moments when he could see the pressure his team was putting on Cucho and how it was affecting him, but he was still finding creative ways to open unseen doors and escape.
In some ways, Noonan thought they did a decent job defending the English Football League superstar and he knows there's going to be more players with abilities like Cucho who will take the field against FCC soon. To him, it's about finding ways to adapt and adjust, to know how to defend in 1-v-1 moments and to know how to protect the goal.
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