FC Cincinnati host cross-state rival Columbus Crew this weekend at TQL Stadium for the 18th playing of the Hell is Real derby, bringing all eyes in Major League Soccer to Ohio as two teams at the top of the Eastern Conference face off once again.
In the last edition of the Hell is Real derby earlier this year in Columbus, Kévin Denkey announced himself to the rivalry by giving FCC an early lead at Lower.Com Field. Still, it was the defense that ultimately secured the result as they held strong to earn a valuable road draw.
Now, with the rivalry series coming back home to Cincinnati, The Orange and Blue are looking to secure a second season of getting the better of Columbus and keep an undefeated streak against their rivals to the North of four matches.
"There's more awareness of what the game means," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Thursday at a pre-match press conference at Mercy Health Training Center. "It's been good focus, good training intensity and trying to get the details right in terms of how we approach the game, to have a good day."
"When we play at home, it's a totally different atmosphere. We have the fans on our side (and) we play with them, they're there to support us and they give us that extra motivation, extra push," Evander said Thursday after training. "So it's important to have them on our side and play at home, because there's no atmosphere better."
The tilt brings an extra energy to any typical match day, elevating not only performances but also the atmosphere that comes along with it. This year, for the game in Cincinnati, TQL Stadium will be decked out in Orange as the club encourages fans to remind everyone that Ohio is Orange and Blue. For Noonan, it is exactly that kind of fan engagement that makes this match special.
"The fans typically help define what that feels like. I'll speak to our environment at TQL Stadium, those games feel different and it's fun to be a part of," Noonan said Thursday ahead of training. "I think both teams have been successful over the last few years, and that's made for, I think, entertaining games.
"It's just an exciting game to be a part of, I think, for both clubs," Noonan continued. "For the state and for the league. So I think each club is representing themselves and the league in a good way and trying to approach the game with the right mentality to entertain and to make your respective fan bases and clubs proud."
FC CINCINNATI vs Columbus Crew – Saturday, July 12, 2025 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
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Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM
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Orange Out
Saturday night at TQL Stadium will be an “Orange Out” as FC Cincinnati look to remind MLS that Ohio is Orange and Blue! All fans in attendance, and truly any and all in Cincinnati, are encouraged to wear Orange for the match on Saturday to help Orange Out TQL Stadium!
For more information, click here.
Hell is Real History
The Hell is Real derby is the definitive rivalry matchup in Major League Soccer, pitting two of the most passionate fan bases in the country against each other and two of the best teams in the league on the field for a battle each and every time. Earlier this year, FC Cincinnati traveled to Columbus Crew and earned a draw in one of the lowest-scoring Hell Is Real matches of all time, as the FCC defense stood tall and kept things even at 1-1.
All-time, FC Cincinnati is 4-7-6 against the Columbus Crew, including the famed inaugural match of the derby when FCC defeated the Crew in the US Open Cup at Nippert Stadium as a USL side. FCC are also undefeated in each of the last three playings of the derby, earning a win and two draws dating back to the start of 2024.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
Evander on a roll – FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander seeks a goal in his fourth consecutive match, which would match FCC’s MLS Regular Season club record goal streak, accomplished three prior times.
Per Sportec Solutions, Evander also leads MLS in:
– Free-kick goals in 2025 (3, two more than any other player)
– Goals outside the penalty area in 2025 (7, three more than any other player)
– Goals outside the penalty area since the start of 2023 (15, seven more than any other player – Carles Gil and Lionel Messi – 8).
Home Stretch – Saturday is the second of three straight home matches for Cincinnati. Including Saturday night, eight of FC Cincinnati’s 13 remaining MLS Regular Season matches in 2025 will be played at TQL Stadium. And 11 of the club’s 16 remaining scheduled games in 2025 – including Leagues Cup Phase One – will be hosted in the Queen City.
Returning from Duty – FC Cincinnati center back Miles Robinson returns to FC Cincinnati after spending June and early July with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Robinson has made 19 appearances, all starts, with FC Cincinnati in all competitions in 2025.
Seeking 4 points again – After taking 4 of 6 points from Columbus in 2024, Cincinnati seek to do the same in 2025. The Orange and Blue and the Crew drew, 1-1, earlier this season on May 17 at Lower.com Field in Columbus. Kévin Denkey’s 6th minute goal sent FCC ahead until Diego Rossi equalized from the penalty spot in the 54th minute.
SCOUTING Columbus Crew (10-3-8, 38 Points, 4th in Eastern Conference)
Much like FC Cincinnati, the Columbus Crew enter this Hell is Real derby on a four-match unbeaten streak, but come into this one after a draw with the Seattle Sounders in Seattle. In that match, the Crew took a point from Seattle but couldn’t capitalize in extra time when the home side took a red card and gave the Crew a handful of minutes to try and find a winner. That match was unfortunately called off early when an injury to Seattle’s goalkeeper required an ambulance to help him leave the field, and both sides decided to end the match.
The Crew have continued to be one of the most consistent sides in Major League Soccer this season, losing just three times and always finding a way to get a result. This season has been, perhaps, one of the more challenging seasons for Head Coach Wilfried Nancy, as he has been able to achieve these results despite offseason sales, including that of striker Cucho. Even without that star in the lineup, the Crew are once again positioned to be towards the top of the MLS table.
At home, the Crew have been near unbeatable with a 7-1-4 record, but on the road, it has been more of a challenge for the MLS charter club as they’ve only had a 3-2-4 record away from Lower.Com Field. (It’s also worth noting Columbus’s lone home loss was to Inter Miami CF in April, in a match held in Cleveland rather than Columbus.)
Forward Diego Rossi has continued to be a star for The Crew since joining the club in 2023, adding a team-high 10 goals and four assists this season. Rossi, 27, scored the lone goal for Columbus in the first Hell is Real this season by converting a penalty kick to equalize the score at 1-1, where the score would eventually finish. The Uruguayan native is in his seventh MLS season, his third with Columbus, after taking a brief hiatus in 2022, during which he had previously played for LAFC in the Western Conference.
Other attacking options for Columbus include young forward Jacen Russell Rowe, a Canadian international who was developed in the MLS NEXT Pro ranks for Columbus. he has earned a career high of seven goals this season in his 21 games played. Daniel Gazdag, formerly a member of the Philadelphia Union who was sent to Columbus earlier this year in a Cash-for-Player trade, is the other DP for Columbus. While the Hungarian star is not off to a great start with his new team (he has not scored in any of his 13 appearances for the team), he has been a dangerous figure when playing for FCC. In 10 appearances against FCC, Gazdag has scored two goals and provided two assists, while also playing a key role for his club in each of those matches.
Darlington Nagbe is the captain of the Columbus Crew, and the MLS legend has remained a vital part of how Columbus operates in the midfield, both as a connective attacking piece and defensive rock. In his 15th MLS season, and sixth with Columbus, the Ohio local has made over 435 appearances in MLS and has earned every accolade he is eligible to receive.
“I think the way they can handle pressure, they're, for me, one of the top if not the best in the league at being able to play under pressure, be able to make adjustments and move players around in different ways to create advantages to attack,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of what has helped Columbus be consistently good over multiple years. “So even if you have compressing ideas and a good defensive structure, they can still play through you if you don't get the press right. If you don't make them uncomfortable at the right time and step as a group, if you're a piece off, they'll find it, they'll find that space, that weakness. So I think that's what has made them very successful.”
Who plays in the new for Columbus is not a nailed-on fact for Columbus, as typical starter Patrick Schulte has been out injured of late, but has been in training with the team, per Brianna MacKay of the Columbus Dispatch. Schulte also travelled to Seattle for their last match but was left off the matchday roster. Backup keeper Nicholas Hagen is also out injured after a knock picked up in the Gold Cup, leaving Evan Bush to start for the Crew.
Bush, 39, is an Ohio native and has made five appearances for The Crew this season. Prior to joining Columbus in 2023, he played for CF Montréal for eight seasons, during which he was the starter for six of them. Should Schulte be fit to return, it would be his first match since the earlier playing of Hell is Real on May 17 in Columbus.
Wilfried Nancy is the Head Coach of the Columbus Crew and is in his third season managing the club after joining from CF Montréal in the offseason between 2022 and 2023. Known for his managerial acumen in instilling a specific style of play in his players, Nancy teams are known for their courage on the ball and possession-based play. Columbus has had greater than 50 percent possession in all but two of their matches (a 5-1 loss to Inter Miami CF and a 1-1 draw with San Diego FC) and has earned as high as 69 percent possession in a draw with Philadelphia earlier this season. Per Sportec Solutions, Columbus leads MLS with 59.4 percent possession on average in 2025.
Much like FC Cincinnati, who have Miles Robinson returning from International Duty with the US Men’s National Team at the Concacaf Gold Cup, Columbus have defender Max Arfsten returning as well. Arfsten has typically been used as a left back for Columbus, but has also been known to shift further up the field to midfield or even winger when needed. He is third on the team this season with six goal contributions (3 goals, 3 assists).
