The Hell is Real rivalry is back.
On Oct. 18, the Crew will head south on I-71 to face FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in a match between the two Ohio-based MLS teams.
The Crew last faced Cincinnati on July 25 and won 2-1 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Tension in the rivalry game heightened in second-half stoppage time when Cincinnati midfielder Gerardo Valenzuela committed a yellow-card foul against Columbus forward Taha Habroune. The hit led to both teams scuffling at the site of the foul, and Valenzuela earning a red card for violent conduct.
As a result, three Crew players were fined for inciting and/or escalating a mass confrontation. Cincinnati's Valenzuela, already suspended one match for the red card, was suspended an additional match and fined for violent
conduct during stoppage time. Cincinnati forward Ayoub Jabbari and assistant coach Kenny Arena were also fined.
FC Cincinnati sits ninth in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with 36 points. The Crew are four points back in 13th place.
Learn how to watch the Hell is Real derby and more history about the rivalry below.
When is the Hell is Real rivalry game, FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew?
The Crew and FC Cincinnati face off at 5 p.m. Oct. 18.
What channel will the Columbus Crew-FC Cincinnati game be on?
TV: None
Streaming: Apple TV
The Hell is Real Derby is exclusively on Apple TV. Plans start at $14.99 per month and include a seven-day free trial.
How did the Hell is Real derby get its name?
The name of the rivalry comes from a billboard on I-71 paid for by Kentucky real estate developer Jimmy Harston, who spent thousands of dollars on at least 20 different billboards with religious messages, including the Ten Commandments and "Hell is Real."
The sign that gave rise to the rivalry's name is located around 30 miles southwest of Columbus on I-71 in the town of Chenoweth. "Hell is Real" is in bold white text, except for the letter "H," which is red. A few of the Ten Commandments are on the other side of the billboard.
Since its original installation in 2004, the sign has become a part of regional lore. Google Maps has even designated it a "cultural landmark." (For the curious, its coordinates are 39.7375N, 83.347778W.)
The sign has been occasionally updated by Harston, most recently in 2023 after the billboard was defaced with a demon face by a street artist.
Ahead of a potential meeting in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, the frontman of the Save the Crew movement, Morgan Hughes, connected with Cincinnati soccer fans Mike Burkel and Steven Williams to invent a "Cup" for the winner of the matchup.
Both Hughes and Burkel suggested the name "Hell is Real Cup," which immediately stuck, even though the 2016 game never came to be.
When did the Hell is Real rivalry begin between the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati?
The first Hell is Real matchup took place in June 2017, when Cincinnati competed in the United Soccer League, a second-tier U.S. soccer league. At Nippert Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team, the Crew faced their rival in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup playoffs.
FC Cincinnati pulled off a shocking upset with a 1-0 win off a header from Djiby Fall in the 64th minute, despite it being the first time the club had played an MLS opponent. The Crew fans among the 30,160 in attendance exchanged some angry words with Crew coach Gregg Berhalter after the loss.
Cincinnati joined MLS in 2019, and during that season, the teams met again. That meeting at Historic Crew Stadium ended in a draw. In the second MLS meeting of the clubs in 2019, the Crew won 3-1 and referenced the rivalry name and famous sign on social media.
The Crew now have a 10-5-6 record (10 wins, five losses and six draws) in MLS games against FC Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How to watch Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati, Hell is Real derby
