Cucho Hernandez returns, Columbus Crew offense struggles in 1-0 win vs. Indy Eleven

The return of Cucho Hernandez could not spark the Crew’s offense Wednesday night.

In the Crew’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup opener against the Indy Eleven of the USL Championship, Hernandez returned to the pitch after missing the last six games with a knee injury. But the Crew could not find its offense until the 83rd minute, earning the 1-0 victory against Indy Eleven after a goal by defender Mohamed Farsi.

Hernandez played the entire first half for the Crew Wednesday, recording one shot on goal on three attempts, while getting his other two opportunities blocked. He tried to give the Crew's offense life early in the first half on a bicycle kick landing just to the right of the goal.

Hernandez was not made available after the Crew's 1-0 win against Indy Eleven because the team had no translator.

Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said he wanted to give Hernandez 45 minutes to see how he responded to the physical aspects and "chaotic environment" after having not played in a game since March 11.

Cucho Hernandez returns for Crew: Columbus Crew striker Cucho Hernandez to return vs. Indy Eleven after knee injury

Even with two or sometimes three defenders, Hernandez tried to navigate through defensive pressure, giving players like Yaw Yeboah and midfielder Darlington Nagbe clear looks that were pushed away by Indy Eleven goalkeeper Yannick Oettl.

"He’s happy to come back, to be on the pitch," Nancy said. "He’s happy to make the run to try to score goals, try to defend. So good for him."

Replaced by Alex Matan in the second half, Hernandez continued his scoreless streak, failing to score a goal for the Crew in 2023, while last connecting on a goal against Inter Miami CF Sept. 13.

Heading into the Crew's game Saturday against Inter Miami CF, Nancy was non-committal about how much Hernandez would play as he continues to recover from his knee injury.

"He’s a beast," Nancy said. "He’s able to do the job. But also we have to be good in terms of his injury. The plan was to see how he reacted during this game. Now, we’re going to see what he could do against Miami. He could start, he could come also from he bench, it depends. We’re going to see tomorrow how does he feel and also in terms of data and so on. The plan was to give him 45 minutes and we’ll see for the next game."

Farsi, who checked in for Nagbe in the second half, took a pass from defender Steven Moreira from the right side, kicking it past Oettl for the team's first score in 21 shots.

Farsi credited Moriera for his score, saying his "good vision" lead to him finding the back of the net.

For the majority of its win, the Crew could not find the back of the net, even while keeping consistent offensive pressure with 22 shots and eight shots on goal while holding 66% of the possession.

"All game, it was very hard," Farsi said. "We missed a couple of chances. But what’s positive is we created a lot of chances, so that’s a positive. Of course we have to finish, but credit to the keeper. I thought he did an amazing game."

Indy Eleven mustered only two shots on goal against Crew goalkeeper Evan Bush, recording seven total shots.

The Crew advances past the third round of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2019, most recently losing to Detroit City FC in the 2022 tournament.

Since their 4-0 win against Real Salt Lake April 1, the Crew has scored five goals in its past four games.

Indy Eleven has been winless in their last five games, arriving at Lower.com Field with a 1-3-2 record after a 17-draw season in 2022.

The Crew return to its MLS schedule at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Inter Miami CF at Lower.com Field.

The Crew's fourth-round game of the U.S. Open Cup will be held May 9-10.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew earns 1-0 win vs. Indy Eleven in U.S. Open Cup