After a 2-0 loss midweek at the Houston Dynamo, the Columbus Crew traveled north to Canada to take on CF Montreal. A homecoming for head coach Wilfried Nancy and defender Rudy Camacho, the Black & Gold got back on track with a 4-2 win thanks to a first hat trick from Designated Player forward Cucho Hernandez.

The opening minutes of the game did not reflect the final score, as Columbus struggled to settle in. The home side pressed high to try and disrupt the Crew but quickly regretted this tactic.

Columbus got going in the game with a goal in the 14th minute. Wing back Julian Gressel sent in a low cross toward forward Christian Ramirez, but Montreal defender Gabriele Corbo first got to the cross with an attempted clearance, but pushed the ball past goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois to give the Crew a 1-0 courtesy of an own goal.

Forward Diego Rossi found himself in on goal minutes later, but was fouled just outside of the 18-yard box. Hernandez took the ensuing free kick, but sent the attempt just high over the crossbar.

The Black & Gold doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Rossi whipped in a cross to a wide open Hernandez all alone in the penalty box for the diving header past Sirois. Hernandez then gave Columbus a 3-0 lead just before the halftime whistle when wing back Yaw Yeboah found the Colombian in the middle of the 18-yard box. Hernandez comfortably found the back of the net.

Ramirez and Rossi both came close to getting their names on the scoresheet before the halftime break, but Sirois stood tall to deny the attempts.

The home side got a goal back early in the second half, when Camacho was dispossessed in his own defensive penalty area. Forward Kwadwo Opoku pounced on the loose ball to put it past Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.

Columbus was awarded a penalty kick in the 65th minute when Hernandez was clipped just inside the side of the penalty box. The call was not made on the field but the referee checked the VAR monitor and awarded the spot kick. Hernandez converted the attempt, giving the Black & Gold a 4-1 lead and giving himself the hat trick.

Just minutes later, Montreal added a second from forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint from a cross towards the back post. Vilsaint was able to slot the ball through the legs of Schulte, making the score 4-2.

Despite valiant efforts to snag another goal, Montreal could not beat Schulte again. The Crew claimed all three points just before the international break.

Goals galore

With three goals in the first half and one in the second, the Black & Gold again sit atop of MLS’s scoring charts. St. Louis CITY SC past Columbus during the week but the Crew’s four-goal outing put the Black & Gold on 54 goals for the year, one more than St. Louis. With this performance, Columbus scored a goal in each half for the 16th time this season, also tops in the league.

Cucho hat trick

Hernandez has come close to securing his first MLS hat trick in the past with multiple two-goal performances since joining the Crew last summer. He was finally able to cross that off of his list with his three goals in the win. The Black & Gold need Hernadez to be more clinical to close out this season after the departure of leading scorer Lucas Zelarayn in the summer window.

What’s next

Columbus is on the road at Orlando City SC on Saturday, September 16. Kick off for that match is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and is available on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.