Hell Is Real derby explained

Hell Is Real
Team1:Columbus Crew
Team1logo:MLS crest logo RGB - Columbus Crew SC.svg
Team2:FC Cincinnati
Team2logo:MLS crest logo RGB - FC Cincinnati.svg
City Or Region:Ohio
First Contested:June 14, 2017
U.S. Open Cup
CIN 1–0 CLB
Most Wins:Columbus Crew (7)
Top Scorer:Gyasi Zardes
(7 goals)
Total:15
Series:Columbus: 7
Drawn: 4
Cincinnati: 4
Largestvictory:CIN 0–4 CLB
MLS is Back Tournament
(July 11, 2020)
Mostrecent:May 11, 2024
MLS regular season
CLB 1–2 CIN
Nextmeeting:September 14, 2024
MLS regular season
CIN v CLB
Stadiums:Lower.com Field, Columbus
TQL Stadium, Cincinnati
Map Location:USA Ohio
Map Label1:Columbus Crew
Coordinates1:40.0094°N -82.9911°W
Map Label2:FC Cincinnati
Coordinates2:39.131°N -84.516°W

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.

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

FC 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

The 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

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 .[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

Match

CompetitionsMatchesCLB winsCLB goalsDrawsCIN winsCIN goals
Major League Soccer136284316
U.S. Open Cup100011
MLS Cup Playoffs113002
Total157314419

Honors

HonorColumbus CrewFC CincinnatiTotal
scope=rowMLS Cup303
scope=rowSupporters' Shield314
scope=rowU.S. Open Cup101
scope=rowCampeones Cup101
Overall819

Match results

SeasonDateCompetitionStadiumHome teamResultAway teamAttendanceSeries (W–L–T)Ref
2017June 14U.S. Open CupNippert StadiumFC Cincinnati1–0Columbus Crew SC30,160CIN 1–0–0https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/u-s-open-cup/2017/matches/cinvsclb-06-14-2017/
2019August 10MLSMapfre StadiumColumbus Crew SC2–2FC Cincinnati20,865CIN 1–0–1https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2019/matches/clbvscin-08-10-2019/
August 25Nippert StadiumFC Cincinnati1–3Columbus Crew SC30,611Tied 1–1–1https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2019/matches/cinvsclb-08-25-2019/
2020July 11MLS is BackFC Cincinnati0–4Columbus Crew SC0†CLB 2–1–1https://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/cinvsclb-07-11-2020/
August 29MLSNippert StadiumFC Cincinnati0–0Columbus Crew SC0†CLB 2–1–2https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2020/matches/cinvsclb-08-29-2020/
September 6Mapfre StadiumColumbus Crew SC3–0FC Cincinnati1,500†CLB 3–1–2https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2020/matches/clbvscin-09-06-2020/
October 14Nippert StadiumFC Cincinnati2–1Columbus Crew SC0†CLB 3–2–2https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2020/matches/cinvsclb-10-14-2020/
2021July 9MLSTQL StadiumFC Cincinnati2–2Columbus Crew25,701CLB 3–2–3https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/cinvsclb-07-09-2021/
August 27Lower.com FieldColumbus Crew3–2FC Cincinnati19,949CLB 4–2–3https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvscin-08-27-2021/
2022July 17MLSLower.com FieldColumbus Crew2–0FC Cincinnati20,741CLB 5–2–3https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2022/matches/clbvscin-07-17-2022/
August 27TQL StadiumFC Cincinnati2–2Columbus Crew25,037CLB 5–2–4https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2022/matches/cinvsclb-08-27-2022/
2023May 20MLSTQL StadiumFC Cincinnati3–2Columbus Crew25,513CLB 5–3–4https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2023/matches/cinvsclb-05-20-2023/
August 20Lower.com FieldColumbus Crew3–0FC Cincinnati20,730CLB 6–3–4https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2023/matches/clbvscin-08-20-2023/
December 2MLS Cup PlayoffsTQL StadiumFC Cincinnati2–3 Columbus Crew25,513CLB 7–3–4https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-cup-playoffs/2023/matches/cinvsclb-12-02-2023/
2024May 11MLSLower.com FieldColumbus Crew1–2FC Cincinnati20,011CLB 7–4–4
September 14TQL StadiumFC CincinnatiColumbus CrewCLB W–L–T

† 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

P.20192020202120222023
11
2
333
4
55
6
7
88
99
1010
11
1212
13
141414
15
Total: Columbus with 3 higher finishes, FC Cincinnati with 2.

Top goalscorers

Pos.NameTeamGoals
1 Gyasi ZardesColumbus Crew7
2 Luciano AcostaFC Cincinnati5
Lucas ZelarayánColumbus Crew
4 Miguel BerryColumbus Crew3
Pedro Santos
6 Cucho HernándezColumbus Crew2
Brandon VazquezFC Cincinnati
8 Malte AmundsenColumbus Crew1
Maximilian Arfsten
Luis Díaz
Derrick Etienne
Youness Mokhtar
Steven Moreira
Aidan Morris
Christian Ramirez
Jacen Russell-Rowe
Diego Rossi
Isaac AtangaFC 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

Players who played for both clubs

PlayerColumbus careerCincinnati career
SpanAppsGoalsSpanAppsGoals
Cristian Martínez2016–2018313201710
Kekuta Manneh20171942019–2020294
Derrick Etienne2020–20228311201950
Fanendo Adi20201202018–2019255
Fatai Alashe2020912018–2020212
Saad Abdul-Salaam2021190202080
Gustavo Vallecilla2023–present1602021–2022252

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FC Cincinnati to join MLS as an expansion team next season. ESPN.com. May 29, 2018. July 15, 2019. July 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715225347/https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3512103/fc-cincinnati-to-join-mls-as-expansion-team-next-season. live.
  2. Web site: FC Cincinnati 1, Columbus Crew SC 0 2017 U.S. Open Cup Recap . mlssoccer.com . July 15, 2019 . May 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190512072311/https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2017-06-14-fc-cincinnati-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap . live .
  3. Web site: Columbus Crew Angling Toward Relocation to Austin in 2019. SI.com. October 16, 2017 . July 15, 2019. April 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190407105811/https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/16/columbus-crew-austin-texas-anthony-precourt-stadium. live.
  4. Web site: FC Cincinnati on the verge of losing its biggest MLS rival, Columbus Crew SC. WCPO.com. August 15, 2018. July 15, 2019. July 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715230451/https://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/fc-cincinnati-on-the-verge-of-losing-its-biggest-mls-rival-columbus-crew-sc. live.
  5. Web site: Hell is Real: Saving the Budding FC Cincinnati – Columbus Crew Rivalry is a Must. cincinnatisoccertalk.com. July 26, 2018. July 17, 2019. July 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190717030223/https://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2018/07/26/hell-is-real-saving-the-budding-fc-cincinnati-columbus-crew-rivalry-is-a-must/. live.
  6. Web site: FC Cincinnati fans heading to Columbus to Save the Crew. abc6onyourside.com. June 9, 2018. July 17, 2019. July 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190717030218/https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/fc-cincinnati-fans-heading-to-columbus-to-save-the-crew. live.
  7. Web site: Save The Crew stopped a bad sports owner from relocating their team, and so can you. SBNation.com. November 13, 2018. July 15, 2019. July 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715230448/https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2018/11/13/18085660/save-the-crew-columbus-anthony-precourt. live.
  8. Web site: FC Cincinnati douses Columbus Crew SC in 'Hell Is Real Derby'. soctakes.com. June 15, 2017. July 15, 2019. July 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715053516/https://www.soctakes.com/2017/06/14/fc-cincinnati-columbus-crew-sc-hell-is-real-derby/. live.
  9. Web site: "Hell Is Real": Welcome to the Ohio derby Columbus vs. Cincinnati . YouTube.com . Major League Soccer . 23 August 2019 . August 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190815105749/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBmdts-K8fQ&gl=US&hl=en . live .
  10. Web site: Columbus Crew SC 2, FC Cincinnati 2 – 2019 MLS Match Recap. mlssoccer.com. MLS. August 20, 2019. August 11, 2019. August 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190812002621/https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2019-08-10-columbus-crew-sc-vs-fc-cincinnati/recap. live.
  11. Web site: FC Cincinnati 1, Columbus Crew 3. MLSSoccer.com. August 26, 2019. August 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190826001033/https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2019-08-25-fc-cincinnati-vs-columbus-crew-sc/feed. live.
  12. Web site: Archived copy . September 25, 2021 . September 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210925033546/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2021/08/27/fc-cincy-columbus-crew-battle-final-hell-real-match-2021/5618277001/ . live .
  13. Web site: CINvsCLB 12-02-2023 . Major League Soccer. MLSSoccer.com. December 2, 2023. December 2, 2023.
  14. Web site: Bengel . Chris . Ranking the best rivalry names in Major League Soccer ahead of Rivalry Week 2019 . CBSSports.com . August 23, 2019 . 23 August 2019 . August 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190823191210/https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/ranking-the-best-rivalry-names-in-major-league-soccer-ahead-of-rivalry-week-2019/ . live .
  15. News: Myers . Jacob . August 9, 2019 . How the 'Hell Is Real' rivalry between Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati got its name . The Columbus Dispatch . August 9, 2019 . August 10, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190810044101/https://www.dispatch.com/sports/20190809/how-hell-is-real-rivalry-between-columbus-crew-and-fc-cincinnati-got-its-name . dead .
  16. News: Buchanan . Tyler . Widman Neese . Alissa . August 18, 2023 . It's "Hell Is Real" soccer rivalry weekend . Axios Columbus . November 26, 2023.
  17. August 14, 2023 . Crew host inaugural Hell is Real Pig Roast prior to Crew 2's Heck is Plausible match against FC Cincinnati 2 . Columbus Crew . November 26, 2023.