Does FC Cincinnati have a Columbus Crew problem? Previewing 'Hell is Real'

Does FC Cincinnati have a Columbus Crew problem?

It's a question The Enquirer considered since Columbus defeated FC Cincinnati in the Dec. 2 Eastern Conference final, and it was the opening prompt put to FCC head coach Pat Noonan during his Thursday news conference at the Mercy Health Training Center.

An intentionally open-ended question, it was going to be interesting to see how Noonan interpreted the question. This was his response: "I guess it depends on who you ask. I think they're a very good team that's a challenge for us, the same as everybody else. So, you know, again, what's, what's a 'problem?' You know, they got the better of us last year in two of the three (games). And then, I guess (in 2022), you know, different coach, different group. That year I don't think we got a victory. So, I think it's safe to say, and I'll only speak to our (staff's) period of working together, but they've gotten the better of us. So, in terms of results, that's fair."

FC Cincinnati, sitting in second in the Eastern Conference, and Columbus Crew, sitting fifth, renew the "Hell is Real" rivalry series Saturday at Lower.com Field (7:30 p.m.). Again, just as on Dec. 2, the clubs meet as part of Major League Soccer's elite class and, as always, bragging rights will be on the line.

Beyond that, there usually wouldn't be too much more to take from a regular-season match played in May. But the game might hold some added meaning for FC Cincinnati, which is seen in its region of the state as lagging behind its in-state rival.

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Even though FC Cincinnati defeated Columbus in the regular-season last year at TQL Stadium, the perception in some corners of the FCC fan base is that the Crew are getting the best of the rivalry. For some, the gap between the clubs in terms of meaningful wins is a wide one, and that's hard point to argue after the clubs' first-ever playoff meeting last year.

The prospect of revisiting Lower.com Field is an especially grim one for FC Cincinnati supporters. FCC not only has lost all three of its trips there, but it hasn't scored in 194-plus minutes of game action at the stadium.

Jaap Stam was still FC Cincinnati's head coach the last time FCC scored at Lower.com Field. Isaac Atanga and Ronald Materrita − two players that long ago departed FC Cincinnati − are the only players the club has seen score at the stadium.

FC Cincinnati is undoubtedly in a kind of "golden era" in its MLS existence. That fact is underscored by its Supporters' Shield-winning campaign in 2023, playoff berths in consecutive years, and a wide array of individual accolades achieved. Columbus still overshadows FCC in some of the most important ways, though.

A week after hoisting the Eastern Conference championship trophy at TQL Stadium, Columbus defeated Los Angeles FC to capture its third MLS Cup championship. Columbus was celebrated as a stylish champion for its attractive, on-field style, too.

That same style carried over to 2024 and helped the Crew this spring defeat back-to-back heavyweight Mexican clubs to reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup finale. A victory June 1 against CF Pachuca's in the Crew's latest tournament final would see Columbus qualify for a coveted spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Just this week, a refresh of the CONCACAF club rankings, which is affirmed by a merit-based point system, saw Columbus jump four spots to become the No. 1-ranked club in all of North and Central America, and the Caribbean.

The plaudits, trophies, and high-profile matches keep rolling in for Columbus, which is occupying a place in the domestic and international soccer universes that FC Cincinnati still aspires to.

Noonan: 'We have to respect' Columbus

The arrival of FC Cincinnati's date with Columbus on Saturday produced some gloomy conversation about the "Hell is Real" derby on social media channels even though Cincinnati happens to be rolling at the moment.

Cincinnati travels to Columbus on a three-match winning streak. It almost couldn't help winning the flawed, 1-0 match at Orlando City SC. FC Cincinnati scored 17 seconds into the contest and played up a man for almost an hour due to an Orlando red card. Eventually, FC Cincinnati ceded its man advantage due to a red card to Bret Halsey, and had to eke out the victory with Orlando threatening to equalize several times while shorthanded.

"We know that this wasn't our best performance and this was something that we could learn from because, like I said, it's good to learn from winning and to learn from when we lose," FC Cincinnati defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo said of the win at Orlando. "(That) game was supposed to be one of our best performances for us to be able to have a goal at that time a game and then having also one man up... But we were not able to do that and we almost got punished for that."

Luciano Acosta, the reigning Most Valuable Player of MLS, keyed the attack during the winning streak with a goal in each match. Acosta is already up to five goals and five assists in regular-season play.

Interestingly, FC Cincinnati's offense seems to have opened up in the absence of designated-player forward, Aaron Boupendza. After averaging a goal per game through eight regular-season matches, FCC has five goals over its last three games − a period where Boupendza was either scratched from the starting lineup twice or out due to injury.

Boupendza was benched for the April 20 and April 27 wins against Atlanta United and Colorado Rapids, respectively, and played just 15 minutes combined over those games. Boupendza was out due to a broken jaw and related surgery for Saturday's win at Orlando, and is scheduled to miss up to seven further weeks as he recovers.

Defensively, goalkeeper Roman Celentano is among the statistical leaders at his position even though he missed a month with an ankle injury. The shutout at Orlando was Celentano's league-leading fourth of 2024.

FCC's team defending is tied with Real Salt Lake and Columbus for the fewest goals allowed in 2024 (nine).

The latest on Columbus

Columbus' position in 12th place in the league-wide standings might look pedestrian, but that's a deceiving look. The Crew (3-1-6) have lost just once in their opening 10 league matches, and that's come during a head-turning run in Champions Cup.

With the June 1 Champions Cup final weeks away, and not having played since closing out CF Monterrey May 1 in the Champions Cup semifinal round, FC Cincinnati is preparing for the Crew's strongest-possible lineup on Saturday.

"I think they'll have their strongest group available and you know, that could be any number of players, because they do have, I think, really good depth," Noonan said. "So, I see no reason why we wouldn't get the strongest version of them. And I think they've navigated the Champions Cup in a really good way to obviously get to this point and to get to a final. But you look at their league play performances and having to rotate players at different times, (Columbus) still, you know, only lost one game. And while there's a lot of draws in there, if you just look at the performances of the group and the consistency in them, they're still performing in a strong way in league play, but we certainly expect their best."

Cucho Hernandez is pacing the Crew with four goals while Yaw Yeboah and Diego Rossi have notched four and three assists, respectively.

Columbus head coach Wilfried Nancy, who successfully implemented a high-tempo, possession-oriented style in his first season with the Crew in 2023, has proven to be a tough out for FC Cincinnati. Since Nancy became head coach of CF Montreal in 2021, FCC is 2-5-1 against Nancy, who is widely respected and praised by his peers.

One criticism of Columbus so far in 2024 might be that its possession hasn't yet produced high-volume scoring. The club's 12 league goals − that's one fewer goal than FCC, whose scoring difficulties have been well-documented and oft-dissected − rank 21st out of 29 MLS teams.

That statistic is limited to MLS regular-season play, though. In Champions Cup, Columbus has proven itself a viable attacking threat and, over two matches against now-former No. 1-ranked CONCACAF side CF Monterrey, the Crew pushed five goals past "Rayados." That included a 3-1 win at Monterrey's Estadio BBVA.

Cincinnati scored just once against the same Monterrey team in the tournament's Round of 16.

"I think their composure under pressure is certainly something that separates them," Noonan said. "You can have good ideas about how you want to get pressure to the ball, and they can still have one-versus-one moments from the backline all the way, you know, to their front.. They all can play under pressure. And so if you lose those individual matchups and that initial pressure's broken, well, now they have really good movements and players that can advance with the ball, players that can find forward passes that really put your team under pressure, and backlines under pressure.

"So, that I think with the ball is certainly something that continues to stand out (about Columbus). I also think that, defensively, they probably don't get enough credit or talked about enough because, in certain ways, because of how they move up the field, they do a good job of being able to win balls immediately or at least find ways to get pressure to the ball immediately.

"It's not one player. We know who carries the load at times with Cucho, Rossi, he's obviously a big piece there. But you could look at Yeboah, (Mohamed) Farsi, (Alexandru) Matan. . . I haven't even mentioned the midfield, I think the midfield pairing of (Aidan) Morris and (Darlington) Nagbe is as strong as we have in the league, if not the strongest. So it's just a well balanced team. And we have to respect that."

The game

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. | Lower.com Field, Columbus

Broadcast: Fox Sports 1, Apple TV's MLS Season Pass (free for the game); ESPN 1530 (radio).

All-time series: Columbus leads the all-time series with FC Cincinnati with an 8-3-4 record. Saturday is the club's 16th all-time meeting.

Cincinnati.com prediction: Columbus Crew 3, FC Cincinnati 1.

FC Cincinnati

Record (MLS): 6-2-3, 21 points; second place in Eastern Conference

Goals for: 13 (Tied for No. 8 in east)

Goals against: Nine (Tied for No. 1 in MLS)

Head coach: Pat Noonan, third season as head coach

Projected starting XI: Roman Celentano, goalkeeper; Luca Orellano, left wing back; Ian Murphy, center back; Matt Miazga, center back; Miles Robinson, center back; Alvas Powell, right wing back; Obinna Nwobodo, midfielder; Pavel Bucha, midfielder; Luciano Acosta, midfielder; Corey Baird, forward; Yuya Kubo, forward.

Columbus Crew

Record: 3-1-6, 15 points; Fifth place in Eastern Conference

Goals for: 12 (Tied for No. 12 in east)

Goals against: Nine (Tied for No. 1 in MLS)

Coach: Wilfried Nancy − Second season at Columbus

Projected starting XI: Patrick Schulte, goalkeeper; Steven Moreira, center back; Rudy Camacho, center back; Yevhen Cheberko, center back; Yaw Yeboah, wing back/winger; Aidan Morris, midfielder; Darlington Nagbe, midfielder; Sean Zawadzki, wing back/winger; Diego Rossi, winger; Cucho Hernandez, forward; Marino Hinestroza, winger.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Does FC Cincinnati have a Columbus Crew problem? 'Hell is Real' preview