After setting off a wonder career in his run with the Columbus Crew in the MLS, Cucho Hernandez now moves on to bigger horizons with the striker now taking his talents to the La Liga in Spain as he is set to play for Real Betis in the 2025 season – sending a power shift in the MLS at this point in time.

What could have been a redemption year for Columbus Crew now ends up being a questionable one as their main star in Cucho Hernandez is now gone – and so are the postseason aspirations for the team considering the fact that there are a lot of bigger teams to look out for in the MLS now more than ever.

It can be remembered that Hernandez was a pivotal piece in helping the Columbus Crew win the 2023 MLS Cup – beating LAFC 2-1 and even coming up with the MLS Cup MVP award and was also named to the Best XI in that squad. Hernandez also led the team to a Leagues Cup triumph last year, earning him the Man of the Match in the Final and was also named the Leagues Cup Best Player award.

What does the Hernandez Departure Mean?

The Columbus Crew were locked in as one of the favorites to win in the MLS Cup this season and was even hyped as a contender to look out for in the season. Instead, the team now enters a state of limbo with the way their roster is left bare with their top star gone. Columbus Crew GM Issa Tall did not even expect it to happen, and yet it happened.

“Our message was, ‘Hey, look, you’re 23, you're talented, and you play in the Premier League. I know you probably don't have MLS in your sights, but here is something for you: Come to us, regain playing time, regain confidence, be the player you are, then become the star of our club, the star of our league,” Tall said. “Go back to your national team, and one day, maybe you return to a top-five league in Europe. We believe there's a pathway there, and let's try to make it happen.’”

Cucho made the most of that chance, becoming a legend in Crew history as he led the Ohio-based club to the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup in just a short span of time, even a show to last year’s Concacaf Champions Cup final – even being named an All-Star and two nods to the Best XI among other individual achievements.

What’s Next for the Columbus Crew?

In his time with Columbus, Hernandez scored a total of 44 games across all competitions in 70 games from 2022 to 2024. That has opened up a wide array of opportunities for Cucho, and it seemed that Real Betis’ interest in the striker was the best that he could get to elevate his career further. It was a move he wanted to make.

This is a frustrating end for the MLS as a whole. But it also puts the Columbus Crew in a tight and yet disheartening position now more than ever. To start off the offseason, Columbus Crew was a +800 in the odds to win the MLS Cup, and now that has seen them drop to +1000 after the Cucho transfer at this point.

The odds may be no longer on their side on a positive note, but it does seem that there are a lot of talks as to how they can manage and find their path to the top of the league once more while embracing life with out Cucho.