FC Cincinnati Fight to Earn a Point in 1-1 Hell Is Real Draw in Columbus

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MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Fight to Earn a Point in 1-1 Hell Is Real Draw in Columbus

May 18, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


COLUMBUS - Saturday night at Lower.Com Field will go into the storied history of the Hell is Real derby in familiar, but new ways. A 1-1 draw joins the five other occurrences of level scores in the heated rivalry series, and the combined two goals is the third fewest in the derby's history, behind only the nil-nil performances from 2024 and 2020 at TQL Stadium and Nippert Stadium, respectively.

Yet still, what may make the Saturday night matchup most unique is the defensive performance FC Cincinnati put on for itself to steal a point on the road; leading for over half the match but needing a strong defensive performance in the second half just to secure that point. That in this clash of top tier Eastern Conference teams, who just happen to be separated by approximately 100 miles, FC Cincinnati came away from the match both feeling like a victory was theirs to get, but also feeling lucky for the point they got.

The Orange and Blue survived an onslaught of pressure in the second half of the 17th playing of the Hell is Real derby, and turned away Crew attempt after attempt to see out a result. Kévin Denkey announced his presence to the rivalry with authority to give FC Cincinnati the lead in the sixth minute, controlling a bicycle kicked pass from Evander to put home the opening goal. But from there played mostly on the defensive as the possession dominant home side hemmed Cincinnati into their own box to the tune of over 67.5 percent possession, and being doubled in number of passes completed.

But at the end of the day, FC Cincinnati conceded just one goal, a penalty kick earned off what can only be described as an unlucky bounce that caught the hand of Nick Hagglund. But from there, the defense held up and kept the Columbus pressure at bay.

What perhaps frustrates then, is that while the defense was there, the other part of the field were not.While in theory a road point is good, after conceding the equalizer from the spot, FCC never really gave itself a sustained chance to retake the lead and win the game outright.

"What I'll say is, I'm proud of the way the guys represented the club on a night where we were second best," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said to open his press conference after the match. "They suffered a lot, certainly more so in the second half...but they showed good character on a night where we really, really struggled to make the right decisions in transition, make the right decisions or have the right composure to just try to play and (Columbus) punished us. That's a hard-fought point, but I think we're fortunate to walk off the field with a point."

Playing in their third game of the week, FC Cincinnati collected their seventh of nine possible points from matches against Austin FC and away to Toronto FC and Columbus. They exit the week - and prepare for another stretch of three games in seven days starting next Sunday at Atlanta - tied for top of the Supporters' Shield table and earning points in nine of their last ten matches.

But this early in the season, it appears Pat Noonan is more concerned with his squads performances in the matches than the ternary outcomes of matches. That while yes, gathering results and moving up the table sets them up for success later as they're now in a competitive place, the performances in the match are the priority; and they refuse to be complacent when they know they can be better.

"We didn't play in a composed way on a consistent basis,"Noonan explained. "It was a good week as far as points gained. But, if we're looking at the week as a whole and say, 'how did we perform', there's a lot more for us to work on, to improve. So that'll continue to be the conversation. We know we've done a good job of getting points, but it's not just about surviving. It's finding more ways to have more control of games and play in a more composed way, so that we can have more clarity in everything we're doing."

A point of emphasis entering the match on Saturday night, and really all matches with Columbus Crew, is their quality in controlling play and using possession to pull teams apart to create offensive moments. The way Columbus is able to control play and play with the ball in such a dominant style is, in its own unique way, a calling card of the success they've seen since Head Coach Wilfried Nancy took charge. Thus, it makes sense that a concern chief among the problems Pat Noonan diagnosed Saturday after the match was that FC Cincinnati played directly into the hands of Columbus, rather than taking the game away from them.

The quality Columbus brings is undeniable, and thus they are able to successfully control portions of the game even when you may be at your best. "The reality is these are two really good teams competing against each other, there are going to be chances." Matt Miazga explained to that point. That said, a way you can take the game away from Columbus, and at the very least not let them be as comfortable, is to not let them have the ball as often as they'd like. But, when FC Cincinnati had opportunities to make Columbus uncomfortable, Noonan says they just didn't have the composer to execute in those moments and connect passes.

"We didn't play in a composed way on a consistent basis," Noonan explained. "So... I don't even know what the possession number was, I'm sure it was heavily in their favor... but if you can take maybe a handful of moments to just say, 'Okay, these are no pressure to the ball. Connect simple passes. Let's get into an attacking structure and look to break them down.' Those are long stretches and you take a very good team on the ball, off the ball. So that's where we just didn't get it right. Then you saw what a game looks like against a very good Columbus team when you can't connect passes, and you don't have that confidence, and then it's just 'here we go again. Here we go again.' You could feel that. Especially in the second half."

Part of that second half shift came in the aftermath of the penalty kick earned and then scored in the 53rd minute. Prior to the PK, the announced sold-out crowd of 20,283 had been lulled into a nervous sense of unsure anxiety and lost the verve from the early moments of the match that had helped create a rowdy environment. After the PK, the crowd was revitalized and energized. Only swinging the momentum further to the home side.

"I think that's what allowed us to survive and get a point," Noonan confessed. "That's where we've been pretty consistent in getting those plays right. "Roman made a couple outstanding saves...then there were a couple more where I think Matt does an outstanding job to block crosses."

"I mean, a lot of guys put their ego aside and just dug deep and defended well," Miazga said of the team's effort. "We covered each other and helped out. I was happy with the way we were a unit in shifting and covering each other and running. I mean, our midfielders, our forwards, the amount of running they did today is incredible, to be honest. So you got to give a big shout out to them."

In the end of it all, a new chapter of Hell is Real was written on Saturday with notable moments and new heroes making their mark known. Denkey scoring in his opening Hell is Real on an assist from Evander may go down in history. FC Cincinnati, while not playing up to its standards, still earned a point in the unfriendly confines of Lower.Com field.

The next challenge The Orange and Blue face is moving on from this emotionally draining match to visit Atlanta United FC at Mercedes Benz Stadium. FC Cincinnati handled a challenging week on the road and now has a full week to rest and prepare for their next opponent. That being said, in coming off this three-game stretch, there is another in an even shorter window waiting for them next.

FCC will travel to Peach State next Sunday to kick off a three-game in seven-day stretch where they'll play Atlanta United FC away, then host FC Dallas and D.C. United before the end of the week comes. In the same way that this last three game stretch challenged The Orange and Blue, this set of games will only be more taxing as it includes one fewer day between matches.

But part of what makes FC Cincinnati so capable is its depth. Pat Noonan deployed 17 players in starting roles last week with even more coming off the bench to play significant minutes.

It may not be the first page or first chapter in the book of Hell Is Real derby history, but it will go into history no matter what. So for this night, and this night alone it seems, the team will enjoy a positive result but will quickly move onto Atlanta.

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