FCC battles the Crew: #HellIsReal 1.0!

The first installment of #HellIsReal begins tonight in Cincinnati as FC Cincy battles the Columbus Crew in a huge MLS match!

 

#AllForCincy #hellisreal
Djiby the destroyer pic.twitter.com/392iCVazhv

— Be LegenGary© (@FCUnited_3) May 20, 2023

 

 

Here are the key points for the match this evening. NEOSportsInsiders will be live-Tweeting during the match.

 

Specifics

Who: FCC vs Crew

What: MLS Regular season and Rivalry Week!

Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

When: 7:30 PM EST

 

How to watch: Apple TV+

 

Background to #HellIsReal

Watch this for a great introduction on the rivalry.

 

🔥 HELL IS REAL 🔥@susannahcollins, @CharlieDavies9 & @NotAlexis give the origin story behind the @fccincinnati x @ColumbusCrew rivalry before tomorrow night's showdown.pic.twitter.com/bpD83lURZQ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2023

 

 

News and Notes

• Cincy and CBus both come into the match with wins on Wednesday of this past week, FCC a 3-0 winner over Montreal and Columbus, 2-0 winners over LA Galaxy.
• Cincinnati is the hottest team in MLS with 27 points over only 12 matches. They are 7-0-0 (W-L-D) at home this year, while Columbus is 1-3-1 on the road.
• Cincinnati sits atop the Eastern Conference alone, while the Crew are in fifth currently. This is the highest both teams have been in the standings prior to their #HIR matches in the past!
• The Crew own a 5-1-4 record over the club on the Ohio River.
• The Crew have only won once in their last 12 away matches (1-5-6).
• FCC is 3-1-1 in their last five matches while the Crew are 1-2-2.

 

Hot and Cold

• Roman Celentano brings his six clean sheets on the year into the battle.
• The Crew lead MLS in assists and are second in goals scored.
• Cincinnati’s defense, a heralded group led by former USMNT Matt Miazga, are first in interceptions and ranked in the top for duel percentages won. They also are in the top five for headers won.
• Columbus need Cucho Hernandez and Lucas Zelerayan to look for each other more and keep Cincinnnati on their defensive heels.

Cucho and Lucas are going to bust out the fusion celebration and catch all of the thrown beer cans. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FlZkaGGWnu

— CreWario (@Crewario) May 20, 2023

Zelarayan started it from the back
Cucho with a great turn and pass

And Lucas Zelarayan strikes to open the scoring for the @ColumbusCrew. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/t2WXojDd7F

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2023

 

• Brandon Vazquez, aka SUPERMAN, is in top form  and the Crew need to send two guys on him often. His height and strength are tough to match.

Brandon Vazquez makes it THREE for @fccincinnati! pic.twitter.com/QWYxFwLdvW

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2023

 

REFS

⚽// @fccincinnati vs @ColumbusCrew (7:30PM ET)#PRO | #MLS | #AllForCincy | #Crew96 pic.twitter.com/dfCAwrMY2K

— PRO (@PROreferees) May 20, 2023

Who’s out!

Columbus is a MASH unit as their list of players unavailable continues to mount. Here are the player availabilities as of Friday.

 

• OUT: Milos Degenek (ankle)
• OUT: Luis Diaz (back)
• OUT: Kevin Molino (knee)
• OUT: Eloy Room (knee)
• OUT: Will Sands (knee)
• OUT: Josh Williams (ankle)

Cincinnati lists the following:

• OUT: Brenner (ankle)
• OUT: Arquimides Ordonez (international duty)
• QUESTIONABLE: Sergio Santos (groin)

My take? FCC takes out the frustration of the past matches to snare a 4-1 win over their older, northern rivals! Book it!

MLS Next Pro

The Crew2’s Next Pro team battles FCC2 Sunday at Northern Kentucky University at 6 PM. So not only do the parent clubs battle, but their third tier teams will strike up their rivalry, too.