Hell Is Real is a rivalry between the two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs based in Ohio: the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati. Under current MLS regular season scheduling, the series occurs twice per season as both teams are members of the Eastern Conference. The teams first met in 2017 in the U.S. Open Cup before Cincinnati joined MLS in 2019.
| Location | Ohio |
|---|---|
| First meeting | June 14, 2017 U.S. Open Cup CIN 1–0 CLB |
| Latest meeting | September 14, 2024 MLS regular season CIN 0–0 CLB |
| Stadiums | Lower.com Field, Columbus TQL Stadium, Cincinnati |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 16 |
| Most wins | Columbus Crew (7) |
| Top scorer | Gyasi Zardes (7 goals) |
| All-time series | Columbus: 7 Drawn: 5 Cincinnati: 4 |
| Largest victory | CIN 0–4 CLB MLS is Back Tournament (July 11, 2020) |
  Columbus Crew FC Cincinnati Location of the two teams in Ohio | |
Hell Is Real takes its name from a Christian highway billboard located on Interstate 71 between Columbus and Cincinnati. The two team's MLS Next Pro affiliates, the Columbus Crew 2 and FC Cincinnati 2, parody Hell Is Real for their matches and use the name Heck is Plausible.
Background
editFC Cincinnati was founded in 2015 as a United Soccer League club. After three seasons in the second-division league, Cincinnati moved to MLS in 2019 and joined the Columbus Crew, who had been a league member since their inaugural season in 1996.[1] The Ohio clubs met for the first time with lower-league Cincinnati winning 1–0 in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup fourth round.[2]
In October 2017, Columbus owner Anthony Precourt threatened to move the team to Austin, Texas, putting the prospect of an MLS rivalry between the two Ohio teams in jeopardy.[3][4][5] Precourt's proposed relocation sparked outrage in the American soccer community, creating the #SaveTheCrew movement. After a year of support by fans, rival teams,[6] local businesses, and politicians, the Crew committed to staying in Columbus in November 2018, when the Haslam family (owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, which had been the subject of a controversial relocation in the 1990s) purchased the club.[7]
History
editThe two teams met for the first time in the fourth round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, while FC Cincinnati was still a member of the United Soccer League. Cincinnati won the match 1–0 on a goal from Djiby, knocking Columbus out of the tournament and advancing to the quarterfinals.[8][9]
On August 10, 2019, the two sides played against each other in MLS league play for the first time, ending in a 2–2 draw at Mapfre Stadium.[10] Columbus earned their first win of the series in that season's reverse fixture with a 3–1 victory.[11] The highest-scoring match came in 2021, when the Crew pulled off a late comeback at their new Lower.com Field; holding a 2–1 lead in the 75th minute, FC Cincinnati surrendered two late goals to lose 3–2.[12]
The first MLS Cup Playoffs match between the two teams took place in the Eastern Conference Final on December 2, 2023. The match was hosted by FC Cincinnati and resulted in a 3–2 victory for the Columbus Crew after FC Cincinnati led 2–0 in the first half but conceded two goals in the second half. The Crew went on to score the winning goal in the 25th minute of extra time, enabling them to win the MLS Cup the following week.[13]
Name
edit
The rivalry's name was created by fans of both teams in 2017, prior to the first competitive meeting in the U.S. Open Cup. It is derived from a religious sign that reads "HELL IS REAL" located on Interstate 71, the highway that connects Columbus and Cincinnati–a distance of 110 miles (180 km).[14] The sign was installed in 2004 on a local farm in Chenoweth by a Kentucky developer who had installed similar religious signs in other states.[15]
The rivalry has an alternate name, Heck is Plausible, between both club's MLS Next Pro teams, Columbus Crew 2 and FC Cincinnati 2.[16][17]
Statistics
editMatch
edit- As of September 14, 2024
| Competitions | Matches | CLB wins | CLB goals | Draws | CIN wins | CIN goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Soccer | 14 | 6 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| MLS Cup Playoffs | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 16 | 7 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 19 |
Honors
edit- As of August 27, 2024
| Honor | Columbus Crew | FC Cincinnati | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS Cup | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Supporters' Shield | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Campeones Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Leagues Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Overall | 9 | 1 | 10 |
Match results
editColumbus Crew win FC Cincinnati win Draw
| Season | Date | Competition | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Attendance | Series (W–L–T) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | June 14 | U.S. Open Cup | Nippert Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 1–0 | Columbus Crew SC | 30,160 | CIN 1–0–0 | [1] |
| 2019 | August 10 | MLS | Mapfre Stadium | Columbus Crew SC | 2–2 | FC Cincinnati | 20,865 | CIN 1–0–1 | [2] |
| August 25 | Nippert Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 1–3 | Columbus Crew SC | 30,611 | Tied 1–1–1 | [3] | ||
| 2020 | July 11 | MLS is Back‡ | ESPN Sports Complex | FC Cincinnati | 0–4 | Columbus Crew SC | 0† | CLB 2–1–1 | [4] |
| August 29 | MLS | Nippert Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 0–0 | Columbus Crew SC | 0† | CLB 2–1–2 | [5] | |
| September 6 | Mapfre Stadium | Columbus Crew SC | 3–0 | FC Cincinnati | 1,500† | CLB 3–1–2 | [6] | ||
| October 14 | Nippert Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 2–1 | Columbus Crew SC | 0† | CLB 3–2–2 | [7] | ||
| 2021 | July 9 | MLS | TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 2–2 | Columbus Crew | 25,701 | CLB 3–2–3 | [8] |
| August 27 | Lower.com Field | Columbus Crew | 3–2 | FC Cincinnati | 19,949 | CLB 4–2–3 | [9] | ||
| 2022 | July 17 | MLS | Lower.com Field | Columbus Crew | 2–0 | FC Cincinnati | 20,741 | CLB 5–2–3 | [10] |
| August 27 | TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 2–2 | Columbus Crew | 25,037 | CLB 5–2–4 | [11] | ||
| 2023 | May 20 | MLS | TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 3–2 | Columbus Crew | 25,513 | CLB 5–3–4 | [12] |
| August 20 | Lower.com Field | Columbus Crew | 3–0 | FC Cincinnati | 20,730 | CLB 6–3–4 | [13] | ||
| December 2 | MLS Cup Playoffs | TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Columbus Crew | 25,513 | CLB 7–3–4 | [14] | |
| 2024 | May 11 | MLS | Lower.com Field | Columbus Crew | 1–2 | FC Cincinnati | 20,900 | CLB 7–4–4 | [15] |
| September 14 | TQL Stadium | FC Cincinnati | 0–0 | Columbus Crew | 25,513 | CLB 7–4–5 | [16] |
† Matches played behind closed doors or reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‡ Although the match was part of the MLS is Back Tournament, group stage matches count toward regular season MLS statistics.
Eastern Conference standings finishes
editColumbus Crew FC Cincinnati
| P. | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | |||||
| 2 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | |||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | |||||
| 9 | 9 | |||||
| 10 | 10 | |||||
| 11 | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | |||||
| 13 | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | 14 | ||||
| 15 |
• Total: Columbus with 4 higher finishes, FC Cincinnati with 2.
Top goalscorers
edit_(cropped).jpg)
- As of September 14, 2024
| Pos. | Name | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gyasi Zardes
|
Columbus Crew | 7 |
| 2 |  Luciano Acosta
|
FC Cincinnati | 5 |
 Lucas Zelarayán
|
Columbus Crew | ||
| 4 |  Miguel Berry
|
Columbus Crew | 3 |
 Pedro Santos
| |||
| 6 |  Cucho Hernández
|
Columbus Crew | 2 |
| Brandon Vazquez
|
FC Cincinnati | ||
| 8 |  Malte Amundsen
|
Columbus Crew | 1 |
| Maximilian Arfsten
| |||
 Luis Díaz
| |||
 Derrick Etienne
| |||
 Youness Mokhtar
| |||
 Steven Moreira
| |||
| Aidan Morris
| |||
| Christian Ramirez
| |||
 Jacen Russell-Rowe
| |||
 Diego Rossi
| |||
 Isaac Atanga
|
FC Cincinnati | ||
| Edgar Castillo
| |||
 Djiby Fall
| |||
| Nick Hagglund
| |||
 Kevin Kelsy
| |||
 Yuya Kubo
| |||
| Emmanuel Ledesma
| |||
 Kekuta Manneh
| |||
| Rónald Matarrita
| |||
 Darren Mattocks
| |||
| Matt Miazga
| |||
| Júnior Moreno
|
Own goals
edit
Alvas Powell (December 2, 2023)
Players who played for both clubs
edit- As of December 10, 2023
| Player | Columbus career | Cincinnati career | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Span | Apps | Goals | Span | Apps | Goals | |
 Cristian Martínez[a]
|
2016–2018 | 31 | 3 | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Kekuta Manneh
|
2017 | 19 | 4 | 2019–2020 | 29 | 4 |
| Derrick Etienne
|
2020–2022 | 83 | 11 | 2019 | 5 | 0 |
 Fanendo Adi[a]
|
2020 | 12 | 0 | 2018–2019 | 25 | 5 |
| Fatai Alashe[a]
|
2020 | 9 | 1 | 2018–2020 | 21 | 2 |
| Saad Abdul-Salaam
|
2021 | 19 | 0 | 2020 | 8 | 0 |
 Gustavo Vallecilla
|
2023 | 16 | 0 | 2021–2022 | 25 | 2 |
- ^ a b c Played for FC Cincinnati in the United Soccer League, before they joined MLS.
See also
edit- MLS rivalry cups
- Bengals–Browns rivalry, American football rivalry between the NFL's two Ohio franchises
- Ohio Cup, baseball rivalry between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians of MLB
References
edit- ^ "FC Cincinnati to join MLS as an expansion team next season". ESPN.com. May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati 1, Columbus Crew SC 0 2017 U.S. Open Cup Recap". mlssoccer.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "Columbus Crew Angling Toward Relocation to Austin in 2019". SI.com. October 16, 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati on the verge of losing its biggest MLS rival, Columbus Crew SC". WCPO.com. August 15, 2018. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "Hell is Real: Saving the Budding FC Cincinnati – Columbus Crew Rivalry is a Must". cincinnatisoccertalk.com. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati fans heading to Columbus to Save the Crew". abc6onyourside.com. June 9, 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Save The Crew stopped a bad sports owner from relocating their team, and so can you". SBNation.com. November 13, 2018. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati douses Columbus Crew SC in 'Hell Is Real Derby'". soctakes.com. June 15, 2017. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ ""Hell Is Real": Welcome to the Ohio derby Columbus vs. Cincinnati". YouTube.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Columbus Crew SC 2, FC Cincinnati 2 – 2019 MLS Match Recap". mlssoccer.com. MLS. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati 1, Columbus Crew 3". MLSSoccer.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "CINvsCLB 12-02-2023". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ Bengel, Chris (August 23, 2019). "Ranking the best rivalry names in Major League Soccer ahead of Rivalry Week 2019". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Myers, Jacob (August 9, 2019). "How the 'Hell Is Real' rivalry between Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati got its name". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Buchanan, Tyler; Widman Neese, Alissa (August 18, 2023). "It's "Hell Is Real" soccer rivalry weekend". Axios Columbus. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "Crew host inaugural Hell is Real Pig Roast prior to Crew 2's Heck is Plausible match against FC Cincinnati 2" (Press release). Columbus Crew. August 14, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.