For the 22nd time in the esteemed history of Ohio soccer, FC Cincinnati will do battle with the Columbus Crew in the Hell is Real derby, presented by TourismOhio! The matchup between two of the most successful sides in Major League Soccer over the last five years renews a feud that dates back nearly a decade and has grown into one of the most intense and well-regarded rivalries MLS has to offer.
In their first week back after a two-month hiatus, there is no better way to reset the tone for the season than by the challenges that FC Cincinnati have and will face this week. After a win on Wednesday over the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps, The Orange and Blue now hit the road and go up I-71 to meet their bitter rivals, the Columbus Crew, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan will be leading the side for the 12th time when things kick off on Saturday Night, making him the most-capped Head Coach in the history of the rivalry and having served for over half of the contests since taking over FCC in 2022.
As Noonan has become more familiar with the rivalry matchup, he says his appreciation for the stakes and the passion behind it has only grown, and continues to with every all-Ohio clash.
“I appreciate the fan support on both sides. I appreciate the history of what it means for people, and I like where both teams have been at for quite some time,” Noonan said Friday before training and just a few hours before the club departed for the match. “I think the games have been with good intensity, and meaningful even outside of just a rivalry with what it typically has meant with regular season play, and then in the playoffs, because we've seen that as well.
“So there's been memorable games with strong teams, and that certainly adds to the rivalry.”
The Orange and Blue and Columbus Crew have met in the playoffs twice in the last three years, and have typically only met in the regular season with one or both sides atop the Eastern Conference. This time that’s not quite the case. FCC enter the match in fifth place in the East after a challenging first portion of the season, and the Columbus Crew are currently outside of the playoff picture in 11th place and recently dismissed a Head Coach and transferred out a key and historic player.
That said, given the emotional stakes of the rivalry, details and current form can be thrown out the window.
“Positioning going into this game I don't think will ever matter with the expectations of both sides to have success,” Noonan said Friday. “Over the first half of the season, both teams would like to be in a better place, and have been in a better place. But that's the past, so we go into this game with our current situation, which is coming off of a good win against a very good team with plenty to still improve upon. But of course, it’s always difficult when you go on the road against a rival. So it's going to take a very strong performance tomorrow.”
After a challenging start to the season, FC Cincinnati are looking to continue their positive run of results that date back to before the summer break and get a victory in Columbus for just the second time in the history of the Hell is Real derby.
FC Cincinnati at Columbus Crew – Saturday, July 25, 2026 – 7:15 p.m. ET – ScottsMiracle-Gro Field
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Hell is Real History
Saturday marks the 22nd all-time meeting and the 21st since FC Cincinnati joined MLS in 2019 between The Orange and Blue and in-state rivals Columbus Crew in the Hell is Real derby.
For a third-straight season, the first leg of the regular season battle for Ohio takes place in
the state capital in Columbus.
Saturday marks the first meeting between the sides since the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, when FC Cincinnati earned a 2-1 series victory over the Crew in the Round One Best-of-3 series. After going down a goal in the 63rd minute, goals from Brenner in the 67th and 86th minutes gave Cincy the come-from-behind decisive Game 3 win.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
(Courtesy of *FC Cincinnati Communications*)
Regain Road Form – FC Cincinnati’s 30 road wins since the start of the 2023 season lead all teams in MLS over that span. Despite a slow start in 2026 on the road, Cincinnati enter Saturday unbeaten in five straight away from home, tied for the second-longest active streak in MLS (MIA, 8) and the fourth-longest streak in FCC’s MLS history.
Strong On Short Rest – Following Wednesday’s match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Saturday marks a quick turnaround for FC Cincinnati. Since 2022 under Head Coach Pat Noonan, FCC are 22-11-11 in 44 matches playing a game just three days following another, across all competitions.
Entering With Momentum – Speaking of Wednesday, FC Cincinnati are coming off a 4-3 win over Western Conference first-place side Vancouver Whitecaps. A brace from Pavel Bucha and goals from Kévin Denkey and Evander pushed Cincy to a first win in club history over the ‘Caps.
Scouting Columbus Crew (4-8-4, 16 Points, 11th in the Eastern Conference, L-W-D-L-L)
After restarting their MLS season this Wednesday with a loss to NYCFC at home, the Columbus Crew will be looking to get their season on track in one of the fiercest rivalries in all of American soccer on Saturday when FC Cincinnati come to town. With a 4-8-4 record thus far, Columbus sit well below The Orange and Blue and out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Still, it is well known that table standings and previous form often have little correlation to the intensity or outcomes in Hell is Real matches.
Columbus will also be looking to avenge their last matchup with FC Cincinnati, going back to last fall when The Orange and Blue eliminated the Crew from the MLS Cup Playoffs and ended their 2025 season.
This version of the Columbus Crew looks a lot different than that Crew, though, and some of the changes may leave the squad undermanned for this match due to some awkward timing. For starters, this summer – during the World Cup break – the Columbus Crew transferred out their leading scorer and talisman Designated Player Diego Rossi to CF Monterrey of Liga MX for a reported 8 million USD. A neat bit of business, perhaps, but they are now without their leading minutes-getter and goal scorer.
Their other current Designated Player, Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali, is out with a season-ending injury after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury to Ali left the Crew behind the eight ball all season, but now the added impact of Rossi’s departure has only made things more dire.
Help is on the way for the Columbus Crew, but reports indicate it may not arrive before Saturday’s match. With the transfer window open, they have been busy; first to be announced was Argentine midfielder Lautaro Giaccone, who joined Columbus from Argentinos Juniors on loan through June 2027. Then the big domino fell when new Designated Player Brais Méndez of Spain was announced. Méndez, 29, has played for the Spanish national team and joined the club from La Liga side Real Sociedad. Then finally, in a somewhat smaller move, Eric Bailly of Ivory Coast signed with the club as a free agent to help shore up their defensive line.
The issue is that, as of the time of publishing, the Crew have said that none of the three players will be available for this Hell is Real matchup as they await clearance of their immigration and work papers for their arrivals. On Wednesday night, DP Méndez was introduced to the Columbus fan base at their match versus NYCFC, but he had only arrived earlier that day and had not trained with the team yet. The other two newcomers are still TBD regarding their arrival and thus are increasingly unlikely to appear.
Of those who are likely to appear on Saturday night in the 22nd playing of Hell is Real, USMNT selection at the FIFA World Cup Max Arfsten and Cape Verde World Cup standout Steven Moreira have been key contributors on the defensive side of the ball. Arfsten has also shown a scoring touch and, by virtue of Rossi’s departure, is now the active leader in goals scored for Columbus with four goals and four assists.
Another key midfielder to keep an eye on is Hugo Picard, a U22 Initiative French player who has earned four goal contributions this season in 16 appearances. He is often a dynamic change off the bench but has also made eight starts this season.
Between the pipes for the Crew is another familiar face in Patrick Schulte, who has played every moment possible for Columbus and is now in his fourth year as the starting keeper. An MLS Superdraft selection, Schulte has logged 99 appearances and 99 starts in MLS action so far, and will look to make it to the century mark on Saturday. This season he has made 39 saves while conceding 25 goals, and earned 3 clean sheets in total.
Head Coach Laurent Courtois is the current interim manager for the club, taking over after Henrik Rydström was relieved of his duties after just five months of service. Appointed as Head Coach in December, with Courtois joining his staff as an assistant, Rydström was relieved in May, just before the MLS season paused for the summer, with Courtois taking over.
Courtois comes with Head Coaching experience, having served as CF Montréal’s manager in 2024 and 2025. Otherwise, the French native, who first came to MLS as a player in 2011, has been a long-time staff member at the Columbus Crew, serving as an assistant and as Head Coach of the MLS NEXT Pro side before his turn as interim.
Having now led the squad in two matches as interim, Courtois has deployed his side in a 4-4-2 formation in both games.
