Columbus Crew announce 2024 Club Award winners

The Columbus Crew announces their end-of-year Club award winners at the end of every season. Wednesday morning, the Crew announced their award winners for the 2024 season, with striker Cucho Hernandez leading the way with two awards.

Most Valuable Player: Cucho Hernandez

The Colombian striker claims his second consecutive MVP award for the Crew. Named to the 2024 MLS Best XI and runner-up of the Landon Donovan MVP award, Hernandez closed out his 2024 campaign with 19 goals and 14 goals in just 27 league appearances, setting a new Crew record for goal contributions (33). Hernandez was also named Best Player of the Leagues Cup 2024 after registering two goals and one assist in the final win over LAFC.

In July, Hernandez was also named to the MLS All-Star squad, helping represent the Crew in the Skills Challenge. Hernandez would also go on to score in the match itself in the 17th minute, in front of a soldout Lower.com Field.

Golden Boot: Cucho Hernandez

The awards didn't stop there, as Hernandez also claimed his second consecutive Columbus Crew Golden Boot award, leading the team with a career-high 19 goals during the 2024 MLS campaign. Hernandez tallied 20 goals and 16 assists in 25 matches across all competitions after the Concacaf Champions Cup final that was held in June. In just his second full year with the Crew, Hernandez became the first player in franchise history and the 19th in MLS history to post multiple seasons with both 10+ goals and assists.

Defensive Player of the Year: Steven Moreira

The 2024 MLS Defender of the Year recipient Steven Moreira appeared in 27 regular season matches (23 starts), tallying two goals and four assists while racking up over 2,200 minutes. Columbus conceded just 29 goals (1.26 goals per game) when the Cape Verde international started and the fourth fewest goals in MLS this season with 40 overall. Moreira featured in six of the 10 matches that Columbus recorded a shutout and ranked just sixth among all MLS defenders in goal contributions with six. Holding a 95.3 passing accuracy percentage during the regular season, Moreira became the 16th player to record at least 20 assists in regular season play in Club history.

Kirk Urso Heart Award: Evan Bush

Goalkeeper Evan Bush is just the 11th player to receive the award. Bush was chosen as he exemplified the qualities of a teammate, becoming "the heart" inside of the locker room. In his 13th season in MLS, Bush appeared in two matches for the Black & Gold, earning both starts against Charlotte FC in March and Real Salt Lake in April.

Displaying his veteran leadership and drive to compete not only on the pitch but off of the pitch as well, Bush battled through an injury that saw him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Bush handled the setback with professionalism and positivity, setting an example to not only the first team but also those in Columbus Crew 2 and the Columbus Crew academy that were able to see the dedication to seek improvement for not only himself, but those around him.

Humanitarian of the Year: Darlington Nagbe

Darlington Nagbe is a two-time Humanitarian of the Year and the 2024 Audi Goals Drie Progress Impact Award winner by MLS. Selected for his efforts in working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio. Along with his dedication to the organization, the Lakewood, Ohio native has an outstanding MLS career with a longstanding commitment to impact his community positively. In Columbus, Nagbe has collaborated with a number of organization, including but not limited to Nationwide Children's Hospital and the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children's Mental Health.

A four-time MLS Cup champion and current captain of the Black & Gold, Nagbe is a well-respected player around the league. In just his last two seasons with the Crew, he was named a 2024 MLS All-Star and helped Columbus win the 2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi and the 2024 Leagues Cup.

Academy Player of the Year: Chase Adams

Chase Adams is recognized as the Columbus Crew Academy Player of the Year, representing Columbus Crew 2 on an amateur agreement at just 16 years old. Earning an MLS Next Pro contract in August, Adams appeared in 19 games (16 starts), leading the Capybara's with 10 goals and helping guide Crew 2 to their third consecutive Eastern Conference Final.

Recognized for his efforts, Adams was named to the 2024 MLS Next All-Star Game, starting and captaining his side in the first half of the match that was held at Historic Crew Stadium.

Adams would go on to make two appearances for the U.S. Under-16 Men's Youth National Team before being called up to the U-17's appearing in three matches (two starts).