{"id":922483,"date":"2026-07-25T21:15:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T02:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/hell-is-real-columbus-crew-host-fc-cincinnati-in-rivalry-clash-mlssoccer-com\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T21:15:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T02:15:04","slug":"hell-is-real-columbus-crew-host-fc-cincinnati-in-rivalry-clash-mlssoccer-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/hell-is-real-columbus-crew-host-fc-cincinnati-in-rivalry-clash-mlssoccer-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Hell is Real! Columbus Crew host FC Cincinnati in rivalry clash | MLSSoccer.com"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\n<p>  <main role=\"main\" id=\"main-content\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"Page main content\"><\/p>\n<div data-bucket-name=\"main-content-before-middle-adv\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>One of MLS&#8217;s biggest rivalries awaits on Saturday evening, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/columbus-crew\/\">Columbus Crew<\/a> host\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/fc-cincinnati\/\">FC Cincinnati<\/a> in the heated Hell is Real derby.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>How to watch &#038; stream<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soc.cr\/4eVIHvy\" target=\"_blank\">Apple TV<\/a><\/li>\n<li>FS1,\u00a0FOX Deportes<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>When<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/clbvscin-07-25-2026\/\">Saturday, July 25<\/a> | 7:15 pm ET\/4:15 pm PT<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Where<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Columbus, Ohio<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>Standings<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>11th in Eastern Conference<\/li>\n<li>16 points (4W-8L-4D)<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Last game<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Columbus returned from the 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/fifa-world-cup\/\">FIFA World Cup<\/a> break with a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/clbvsnyc-07-22-2026\/\">2-1 home defeat<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/new-york-city-football-club\/\">New York City FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/nicolas-fernandez-mercau\/\">Nicol\u00e1s Fern\u00e1ndez Mercau<\/a> opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 28th minute before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/agustin-ojeda\/\">Agust\u00edn Ojeda<\/a> doubled NYCFC&#8217;s advantage in the 70th, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/daniel-gazdag\/\">D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a>&#8216;s second-half stoppage-time penalty providing only late consolation.<\/p>\n<p><h3>Players to watch<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Max Arfsten:<\/strong> One of MLS&#8217;s top attacking fullbacks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/maximilian-arfsten\/\">Arfsten<\/a> has 4g\/4a this season after representing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/us-men-s-national-team\/\">USMNT<\/a> at the World Cup.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Steven Moreira:<\/strong>\u00a0The 2024 MLS Defender of the Year remains a cornerstone of Columbus&#8217; back line and returns to club action after helping Cape Verde author a memorable Cinderella run at the World Cup.<\/li>\n<li><strong>D\u00e1niel Gazdag:<\/strong> Acquired in a blockbuster <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/columbus-crew-acquire-daniel-gazdag-from-philadelphia-union\">cash-for-player trade<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/philadelphia-union\/\">Philadelphia<\/a> last season, the Hungarian midfielder is the Union&#8217;s all-time leading scorer with 72 goals in 161 appearances (all competitions).<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Need to know<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s been a challenging season for Columbus, who parted ways with head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/columbus-crew-part-ways-with-henrik-rydstrom-of-head-coaching-dutiespa\">Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m<\/a> before the World Cup break. Laurent Courtois took over on an interim basis.<\/p>\n<p>But with plenty of proven talent on the roster, and the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/brais-mendez\/\">Brais M\u00e9ndez<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/eric-bailly\/\">Eric Bailly<\/a> en route as summer signings, the Crew have ample opportunity to turn their season around.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welcome to your new home, Brais \ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9b <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xhbBPRbqar\">pic.twitter.com\/xhbBPRbqar<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ColumbusCrew\/status\/2080383715188920398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>Standings<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>5th in Eastern Conference<\/li>\n<li>23 points (6W-5L-5D)<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Last game<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Cincinnati returned from the World Cup break in style, outlasting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/clubs\/vancouver-whitecaps-fc\/\">Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/competitions\/mls-regular-season\/2026\/matches\/cinvsvan-07-22-2026\/\">wild 4-3 thriller<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/evander\/\">Evander<\/a> starred with a spectacular goal and an assist, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/pavel-bucha\/\">Pavel Bucha<\/a> added a brace to help Cincy emerge from a back-and-forth affair with three points and a potentially momentum-building victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><h3>Players to watch<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Evander:<\/strong> One of MLS&#8217;s premier No. 10s, the Brazilian has 10g\/7a this season and is capable of producing a match-changing moment at any time.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>K\u00e9vin Denkey:<\/strong> The imposing striker gives Cincinnati a powerful focal point up top and has consistently found the net since arriving from Belgian side Cercle Brugge, with 32 goals in 55 matches across all competitions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Miles Robinson:<\/strong> The two-time MLS All-Star and Best XI selection remains one of Cincinnati&#8217;s defensive anchors after adding a World Cup appearance to his extensive USMNT r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><h3>Need to know<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p>After establishing themselves among the Eastern Conference elite under Pat Noonan in recent seasons, Cincinnati haven&#8217;t consistently reached those heights in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>But their thrilling win against Vancouver offered a reminder of their potential, with an Evander-led attack looking capable of overwhelming even the league&#8217;s top teams.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Despite falling in their last match, the Crew hold 55% of the market, while rivals Cincinnati, who will be on the road, are at 24%, looking to make it three wins in a row.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Market insights shared are current as of Friday, July 24 at 10:30 am ET.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/main><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/news\/hell-is-real-columbus-crew-host-fc-cincinnati-in-rivalry-clash-md18-2026\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Margarett Ramage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer One of MLS&#8217;s biggest rivalries awaits on Saturday evening, as the Columbus Crew host\u00a0FC Cincinnati in the heated Hell is Real derby. How to watch &#038; stream Apple TV FS1,\u00a0FOX Deportes When Saturday, July 25 | 7:15 pm ET\/4:15 pm PT Where ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Columbus, Ohio Standings 11th in Eastern Conference 16 points [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":922484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772,25415,2005],"tags":[7456,7504],"class_list":["post-922483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cincinnati","category-columbus","category-soccer","tag-cincinnati","tag-columbus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=922483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/922484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=922483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=922483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=922483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}