Why Crew feel Hell is Real match vs FC Cincinnati lights 'a little bit bigger spark'
Before joining the club, a majority of Crew players had little reason to realize just how prominent the Hell is Real rivalry is to Columbus and FC Cincinnati.
Defender Malte Amundsen joined the Crew from New York City FC last season and was playing professional soccer in Denmark prior to New York City. There was no connection to Columbus, or even Ohio, for Amundsen before putting on a Crew jersey. But that doesn't change the feeling Amundsen says he has ahead of the Hell is Real match at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Cincinnati.
"There’s a little more," Amundsen said. "It’s hard to say that it’s not a little different, even though we try to treat it as a normal game, preparing the way we always prepare. This will light a little bit bigger spark, no matter what. And that’s great, and we look forward to that."
Amundsen got his first taste of the rivalry in the Crew's first meeting against Cincinnati in 2023, played at TQL Stadium, and Amundsen scored one of Columbus' two goals in the 3-2 loss.
Defender Yevhen Cheberko, a midseason addition for the Crew in 2023, faced Cincinnati for the first time at Lower.com Field in August 2023. The literal fire put into the Crew's pregame activities to hype the crowd, mixed with the metaphorical fire the fans had during the game, was enough for new players to understand the importance of the rivalry to Columbus.
It added even more meaning to the Crew's already highly intense 3-2 victory on the road in Cincinnati for the 2023 MLS Cup Eastern Conference title.
"It’s in one state, it’s a derby," Cheberko said. "The atmosphere, it’s electric because both sides play this game because they want to prove and show they’re the best in the state. So, there’s always a lot of tension to these games ... you want to beat them because it’s so close to your city."
Where Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati stand this season
Before the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs, the Crew finished the regular season with a 4-8-5 road record. Crew coach Wilfried Nancy says the Crew changed the narrative in the playoffs.
Prior to the victory over Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference finals, the Crew defeated Orlando City SC in overtime on the road in the Eastern Conference semifinals. With a club-best 7-3-3 road record this season, Nancy says he's excited to play at TQL Stadium.
"First of all, the stadium in Cincinnati is a really nice stadium to play, because it’s loud," Nancy said. "We like to play over there. Obviously, we wrote a lot of story over there. So, rivalry is rivalry. I don’t have to motivate players. They are ready for that.”
In the most recent meeting between Columbus and Cincinnati, on May 11 at Lower.com Field, the Crew lost 2-1. Columbus allowed two goals before scoring in the game, with Cincinnati's Kevin Kelsy and reigning MLS MVP Luciano Acosta, finding the back of the net.
Replay: Columbus Crew fall to FC Cincinnati 2-1 in first MLS home loss since April 2023
The Crew won four straight MLS games following the loss but are still being impacted by the loss in the Eastern Conference standings. Columbus is 14-7-5 with 49 points, good enough for third place, right behind Cincinnati's 16-3-8 record and 51 points.
"We know we lost the last game at home, and we want to get back and try to win the game, but every game we want to win," Cheberko said. "When you play the games and you lose, you learn something. So, after that, we get better every time, every game."
'This is not us': Seattle Sounders loss light fire for Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati
If the rivalry itself, and the most recent loss to Cincinnati, is failing to motivate Crew players for the upcoming match against Cincinnati, Amundsen suggested that a 4-0 loss to Seattle last Saturday, should do the trick.
"(We have a) fire to prove that this is not us," Amundsen said. "Other than that, I think we’ve taken that game away. We’re getting a few players back, we’re getting back to the normal group.”
The Crew's loss came during a game which they had midfielder Sean Zawadzki in goal when Columbus' only goalkeeper, Abraham Romero, was given a red card. Columbus was also without seven players, six due to international play and the other, being Amundsen due to a yellow card accumulation suspension.
All seven players are available for the Crew on Saturday, and according to midfielder Mo Farsi, who played for the Algerian national team and missed the Seattle match, want to play.
"I have two days to recover," Farsi said Thursday. "So, I’m going to take every single hour to recover, but I’ll be ready for Saturday ... I’m just going to tell them (the coaching staff) how I feel. I’ll be honest with them, and after that, they’ll make the decision."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati Hell is Real rivalry match matters
