As has been the case a lot inrecent years, FC Cincinnatiand Columbus Crew will renew pleasantries in the Hell is Real derby rivalry with only a few days to prepare.
They will face off 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 at TQL Stadium. It is the Sunday night Major League Soccer showcase on Apple TV, and four days after both played Wednesday night, Oct. 14.
After they met three times last season in the playoffs with all to play for, both teams are now in the unusual position of battling just to get into the tournament.
"We need to get past our last game pretty quickly and put our attention into an important game for more reasons than the obvious,” said FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan. “Every time that we've played in this game, (the fans have) been incredible.
We have to give them a reason to have more life because of our play. It's our job to make sure that they feel good about the team that's out there performing and that's despite everything that's led to this period because the support's been there.”
They will be in Cincinnati with the home fans looking forward to the rivalry and a crucial three points in the table.
“We need to believe we can still make the playoffs,” Evander said. “I think we need to regain our confidence and show defensively we can still make it. We need to step up and there’s not a better game to step up in. We’ll be playing at home with the fans supporting us. We need to win no matter what.
“From the first minute to the last, we need to show the energy to win the game. There’s no time to lose points anymore. We are in a tough situation and if we want to make the playoffs we need to show something different on Sunday.”
Cincinnati is in ninth place in the MLS Eastern Conference entering the weekend with 36 points (9-10-9). They are tied with Red Bull New York, which has the tiebreaker for eighth place (10 wins to Cincinnati’s nine). Orlando is seventh with 38 points. Philadelphia is in sixth place with 45.
Columbus (32 points) is four points behind Cincinnati. D.C., New York City and Toronto have 33 points. Atlanta is right behind with 30. Cincinnati has a game in hand on all of those teams except D.C. United, who they will play a makeup game with Oct. 21.
The No. 8 and 9 seeds play each other in a single-game wild-card match Nov. 18, with the winner facing the No. 1 seed in the first round best-of-three series.
A look at FC Cincinnati’s opponent, the Columbus Crew
This is Cincinnati’s 23rd game all-time with the Crew, who holds a 10-6-6 advantage.
FC Cincinnati seeks its first regular season home win over the Crew since 2023. Cincinnati did win both home games over the Crew in last year’s first-round playoff series.
The Crew are a much different side than the one FC Cincinnati saw in July after a busy transfer window over the summer. Out went Diego Rossi and Max Arfsten, in came Designated Player Brais Méndez from Spanish La Liga’s Real Sociedad and midfielder Santiago Rodríguez as a Designated Player from Brazil’s Botafogo. The two have been consistent starters since their arrival and jolted the team’s attack, with Méndez scoring in consecutive matches headed into this weekend.
“He's a very impactful player,” Noonan said. “How he moves with the game off the ball, excellent vision, set-piece delivery, you know, him and (Anass) Zaroury, who's a new addition too. Those are two pieces that we haven't seen outside of video, but they've had a huge impact on the recent look and success of the team. Unfortunately, there won't be honing in on one player because there's so much talent
Columbus had a slow start to 2026 which included the firing of first-year Head Coach Henrik Rydström. Former assistant under Wilfried Nancy then Rydström, Laurent Courtois has been interim since mid-May.
The Crew have an important match up three days later when they host St. Louis CITY SC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Oct. 21.
“We will anticipate their best, which was what we saw in the last couple games and a team that's really hitting their stride,” Noonan said. “I think their performances have been strong. There could be some adjustments, but there are also a lot of good pieces that can step in. So, as far as the style, how they're going to play the game, that's not going to change.”
Of course, Cincinnati will be looking ahead as well, hosting D.C. United Oct. 21 then playing the same team Oct. 24 in Washington.
FC Cincinnati player availability
Miles Robinson is the only player who will be out for the Columbus game. New signee Jose Martinez is also not expected to play.
Evander played 30 minutes against New England after missing the Atlanta game with a minor injury. The original plan was for him to sit out the match. Evander said Oct. 16 he is ready to play all 90.
“He got through OK, and you can see the impact that he had when he was on the field,” Noonan said. “That timeline was expected to be those minutes against Columbus, so the fact that he was able to be out there helping our group better positions him for Sunday, and I thought he had a really good influence on the game, so that was a positive.”
FC Cincinnati statistical notes
Kevin Denkey is just one goal shy of matching the all-time club records for goals scored in all competitions (22 by Evander in 2025) and in MLS play (18 - Brandon Vazquez & Brenner, 2022; Evander, 2025). With at least one goal in four-consecutive games, Denkey would tie the club record Sunday with a goal in five-straight MLS matches, set by Evander last season.
Cincinnati native Nick Hagglund’s next appearance for FC Cincinnati will be his 179th in all competitions for the club, which will level him with Yuya Kubo for the most in club history.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati hosts Columbus Crew in a key battle for the playoffs
