Sustained success has been the hallmark for the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, but the latest edition of the Hell Is Real derby has them in precarious positions as the playoffs draw nearer.
Host Cincinnati (9-10-9, 36 points) holds the ninth and final Eastern Conference spot but is 1-4-3 in the past eight matches.
This coming from a franchise which has the most regular-season points since the start of the 2023 season with 229, four more than Inter Miami, and was the No. 2 seed in the East last season.
“This club in the previous years has always been on top, so I think everybody’s expecting that we should be on that level as well,” Cincinnati defender Tyrell Malacia said.
The Crew (9-15-5, 32 points) are teetering even more. Despite winning three of four, they are 13th with five matches left, an unfamiliar position for the 2023 MLS Cup champion and 2024 Leagues Cup holder who lost in the playoffs to Cincinnati last season as the No. 7 seed.
It may be a case of too little, too late for Columbus. After a summer makeover which brought in 10 players such as Brais Mendez, Santi Rodriguez and Josef Martinez, the offense is humming.
In the past two matches, the Crew has generated 60 shot attempts with 28 on target, including a club-record 22 attempts in the first half of a 3-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday.
One of the beneficiaries is 20-year-old Taha Habroune with a goal in each of the past two outings.
“I believe we have the best players probably in the league,” Habroune said. “So, if we just keep that confidence up, I don’t think there’s anyone that can stop us.”
The match could be high scoring, so Cincinnati will look to Kevin Denkey. He has at least one goal in four consecutive matches — six total during the run — and is one shy of the team season record for goals in all competitions (22) and MLS (18).
“We need to take points. We need to win. It’s against Columbus, it’s against whatever, we need to win,” Denkey said. “I’m not even looking at it as a derby. We just need to win games and not lose games and take points to go to the playoffs.”
–Field Level Media
