FC Cincinnati stuns Columbus Crew in latest edition of "Hell is Real" | Replay

COLUMBUS − This win was sweeter than most for FC Cincinnati.

That fact was evident in a corner of Lower.com Field on Saturday where, after FC Cincinnati defeated Columbus Crew, 2-1, Cincinnati players, coaches and other staffers celebrated with a section of traveling supporters seated in section 209.

In a venue where FC Cincinnati rarely scored and had never won, the club had finally prevailed. Pat Noonan, FCC's typically-stoic head coach, conceded quickly the victory was one of the most satisfying results of his FCC tenure.

It wasn't Noonan's first against Columbus, but the disappointments against FC Cincinnati's arch-rival were starting to noticeably outnumber the successes. That the celebrated rivalry was increasingly tilting in Columbus' favor was a point of conversation in the days leading up to Saturday's "Hell is Real" showdown at Lower.com Field, and FCC heard it loud and clear.

"There was certainly a lot of talking points and previous disappointments but it was nice for (us) to, I don't want want to say put some of it to rest because it's one game, but there was enough talk about our struggles against a good team and tonight, we just focused on playing a good game and hoping that our performance would result in a good outcome, and I think we did," Noonan said. "This is up there. It feels that way because of where both teams are at in this moment. I think, again, they're a very strong team. I give credit to Wilfried (Nancy, Crew head coach) and those players because they're a very tough team to play against... You could see how much it means. We've had some failures in the past as far as results go, and certainly in meaningful games. It's nice to go on the road and win this game."

Snapping the scoring drought in Columbus

FC Cincinnati opened the scoring Saturday against Columbus through Kevin Kelsy in the 74th minute. Luciano Acosta lofted a ball across the face of the Columbus net. Kelsy was waiting at the back post to nod the ball home in front of the Nordecke, the Crew's supporters stand.

Kelsy's goal ended a scoreless drought for FCC at Lower.com Field that dated back to Aug. 27, 2021, and helped propel FC Cincinnati to its first-ever win in Columbus, be it at the Crew's current venue or its former home, Crew Stadium.

Two minutes later, and perhaps with the Crew still reeling from FCC's stunning opener, Acosta scored his team-leading sixth goal of 2024. It was also Acosta's fourth goal in four matches.

"It feels good. We came here with a job to do, and we did that well," Acosta said. "We knew we had to be at our best today because this is a really, really tough opponent. We did what we needed to to come home with three points."

Max Arfsten curled a shot past FCC goalkeeper Roman Celentano for 2-1 in the 89th minute. That restored anxiety to the proceedings, but Cincinnati fans were the ones dancing at the final whistle with their beloved team.

"Thank you for the traveling fans," Noonan said. "They were outstanding tonight. Thank you for those supporters groups who sent us off, you know, in such a unique way from (Mercy Health Training Center) yesterday, that was special. And now you start to see in those moments, just the love they have for this team and it's nice to share the joy of a moment like tonight. I know it's just one game, but to see what it means to them. that matters so I'm pleased for them."

For Columbus, the loss ended a 27-match unbeaten run at home. The streak spanned more than a year, and included playoff matches, the 2023 MLS Cup final, and late-round CONCACAF Champions Cup games against powerhouse Mexican clubs.

FC Cincinnati improved to 7-2-3 with the win, moving to 24 points on the year. The victory allowed FCC stay tight with Inter Miami CF, which is still pacing the Eastern Conference and all of Major League Soccer on an 8-2-3 record (27 points).

Celentano made two saves in the victory. His effort was part of a generally strong showing from Cincinnati defensively.

To underscore FCC's defensive prowess, Crew leading scorer Cucho Hernandez was limited to one on-target shot − a free-kick in the first half that Celentano made comfortable work of saving.

"Defensively, we were very strong," Noonan said. "Yeah, he still makes so many plays, you know, I'm watching over there of getting pressure to him, our center backs having to really set the line and doing everything they can to prevent him from connecting a pass that gets him attacking the goal. And even, you know, towards the end there, he's megging guys, he just makes plays, and gets them in front of goal. So I think we did a good job of limiting how close he could get to goal to finish off plays. You know, had a header there in the second half, but, you know, it's a credit to, you know, that performance defensively as a whole.

"But I thought the guys adjusted in the right moments for majority of the game to defensively be strong."

First impressions of "Hell is Real"

FC Cincinnati boasted consistency on the personnel side from the 2022 season to 2023, but 2024 has seen an injection of new talent into the squad. So, for players like Corey Baird, Pavel Bucha, Miles Robinson and others, the intensity of "Hell is Real" on Saturday was their first taste of the rivalry series.

Several first-year FCC players agreed the atmosphere was atypical when compared against other marquee matchups across the league.

"It was definitely a good atmosphere − loud, intense," Robinson said. "I felt that energy. Those are the guys that us as players love. We stepped up and played well."

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A big, big win for FC Cincinnati

Columbus' 27-match unbeaten run at Lower.com Field is over, and FC Cincinnati has its first-ever win in Columbus. This rivalry is alive and well.

Welcome back to "Hell is Real," Luciano Acosta (76')

FC Cincinnati got back on the ball following the restart from Kelsy's goal, found Luciano Acosta and he practically walked the ball into the goal for 2-0.

So long, Lower.com Field goalless drought. And soon, we might be saying "so long, losing streak at Lower.com Field."

Welcome to "Hell is Real," Kevin Kelsy (74')

Luciano Acosta danced on the ball and found the newly-acquired Kevin Kelsy at the far post for a simple tap-in header. Now, can FCC close it out?

An alteration for FC Cincinnati (67')

Kevin Kelsy will enter the match for his second appearance in as many weeks. This will be a taller order for the striker than last week, when he entered the match with FCC in control.

Scoreless at the intermission

It's now been 239-plus minutes since FC Cincinnati last scored at Lower.com Field. Fortunately, that drought hasn't set the club back so far in this edition of "Hell is Real" as Columbus was kept off the scoreboard in the first half, too.

Scoreless opening half-hour (30')

It's been a pretty defensive battle thus far. Diego Rossi probably had the best chance of the match when his volley from a wide angle hit the base of Roman Celentano's righthand post. Other than that, it's been a physical rivalry game.

An early, unplanned sub for FCC (13')

Gerardo Valenzuela is coming on in place of an injured Alvas Powell. Valenzuela will pair up top at the forward position with Corey Baird and Yuya Kubo, who started alongside Baird, drops back to Powell's right wing-back position. We'll see what Valenzuela can do but this is the biggest spot of his young career, and it moves Kubo and his four goals to the back line.

Hell is underway (1')

FC Cincinnati has had a few good movements up the field inside of 90 seconds, plus a corner that saw Yuya Kubo sky his shot off the second ball high over the bar. Away we go.

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

The starting lineups

• FC Cincinnati starting XI: Roman Celentano (GK), Luca Orellano, Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, Alvas Powell, Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta, Pavel Bucha, Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

• Cincinnati bench: Alec Kann (GK), Nick Hagglund, Kipp Keller, Sergio Santos, Kevin Kelsy, Gerardo Valenzuela, Malik Pinto, Isaiah Foster, Steven Jimenez.

• Columbus Crew starting XI: Patrick Schulte (GK), Rudy Camacho, Darlington Nagbe, Aidan Morris, Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi, Malte Amundsen, Jane Russell-Rose, Alexandru Matin, Sean Zawadzki, Steven Moreira.

Pre-match notes

• Starting lineups are expected around 7 p.m.

• FC Cincinnati midfielder Yamil Asad is out for this game.

• For Columbus, backup goalkeeper Evan Bush is out and Mo Farsi is questionable for the FC Cincinnati match.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati stuns Columbus Crew in latest edition of "Hell is Real"