FC Cincinnati Look to Secure Advancement in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs in Game 2 against Columbus Crew
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Look to Secure Advancement in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs in Game 2 against Columbus Crew

Published on November 1, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati head up I-71 this weekend for what could be a clinching game in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, taking their 1-0 series lead earned last Monday at TQL Stadium to Lower.Com Field for the second playing of the Hell is Real derby this week. A win for The Orange and Blue, in regulation or penalty kicks, would secure a series victory and passage to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

To win the series FC Cincinnati will have to once again go into the belly of the beast against their fiercest rivals and come out victorious. After a successful Game 1, the approach The Orange and Blue are looking to take is one of even keeled preparation and, in the words of one FCC defender, a healthy mixture of confidence and pessimism.

"It was a good performance. We won the game. But the series isn't over, and I think it's about staying in the middle, not getting too high, and being just as cautious and not getting complacent about what we've done and get our heads right," FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund said Thursday ahead of the match "This last game allowed us to continue to believe in what we do and how we do it. But I feel like there's an emphasis on just making sure that all the little details (work) because not everything went perfectly in the game. Look at those, make sure those get tightened up and continue to get better."

The trip to Columbus allows for both sides to make adjustments and come out with a new look to try to get the best of their opponent. The Best-of-3 nature that is so unique to world soccer introduces a wrinkle you never have in the regular season by facing off against one opponent back-to-back weeks and needing to only focus on that opponent.

The expectation is that Columbus Crew, losers of Game 1, will make adjustments to find a new result this time, so FC Cincinnati will need to be ready with their own set of changes to keep their opponent off balance for this game.

"I don't think you can just do the same thing and expect the same results," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Friday at his prematch press conference. "We have to be prepared, and prepare ourselves for some slight adjustments.

"So I would say that going into the game, there's a couple things that we know on both sides of the ball will have to look a little bit different. We anticipate adjustments on their side, and we'll have adjustments on our side."

FC Cincinnati will look to close out the series this weekend with a victory but even with a win the job will be far from done. With their eyes set on MLS Cup, FCC would have to win three more games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Eastern Conference Finals and MLS Cup Finals to lift the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy. So the work is far from done.

"The MLS playoffs is always about peaking at the right moment," Hagglund said. "So we have a good starting point, but we can get better."

Should FC Cincinnati not secure advancement in this game, the series would return to TQL Stadium on Saturday, November 8 for a deciding Game 3. Kickoff for that match is yet to be announced.

FC CINCINNATI vs Columbus Crew - Sunday, November 2, 2025 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Lower.Com Field

TV Talent (ENG): Jake Zivin (PxP), Taylor Twellman (Analyst), Jillian Sakovits (Sideline)

TV Talent (SPA): Sammy Sadovnik (PxP), Diego Valeri (Analyst)

Cincinnati Radio Talent (ENG): Tom Gelehrter (PxP), Kevin McCloskey (Analyst)

Cincinnati Radio Talent (SPA): Gustavo Luques (PxP), Emmanuel Ledesma, Antonio Fernandez (Analysts)

Watch/Stream (English/Spanish): Apple TV

English Local Radio: iHeart Media: FOX SPORTS 1360

Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM

FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS and Android

Playoff Format Explained

The Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs are back for the third season under its current format all eyes will be on the Hell is Real derby in the opening phase of the tournament as FC Cincinnati take on Columbus Crew.

To lift the MLS Cup at the end of the playoffs, FC Cincinnati will have to win four rounds of competition. - Round One being a Best-of-3 series with the following three rounds being single elimination.

In Round One, teams will play three matches against each other (if necessary) and advance from the series after winning two games. Like some other Cup competitions there will be no draws, however, unlike others, should a game be level after 90 minutes a winner will be decided immediately via penalty shootout rather than go to extra time first. A win in the shootout will be as good as a win in regular time. After Round One though, extra time will be utilized as normal and if things are still level then, a shootout will decide a winner.

The Best-of-3 series makes the opening match vital to success as not only does the home team get the third game played at home should they need it, but historically teams who win Game One (in regular time or shootout) advance to the Conference semifinals 87% of the time.

Hell is Real

The most prominent rivalry in Major League Soccer gets a third, fourth and maybe fifth edition this season as FC Cincinnati take on Columbus Crew in the Hell is Real derby to open the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. The two sides have met twice before in Cup competition dating back to the 2017 US Open Cup matchup where then USL side FC Cincinnati played giant slayers by defeating the MLS Crew side 1-0 in the Fourth Round.

All-time, FC Cincinnati is 5-8-6 against the Columbus Crew, including the 1-1-1 record from this season including Monday's Game 1 victory. In FCC's last two visits to Columbus they are undefeated with a win in 2024 and a draw in 2025.

Orange Out

Monday night's MLS Cup Playoffs opener at TQL Stadium will be an "Orange Out" as FC Cincinnati look to remind MLS that Ohio is Orange and Blue! All fans in attendance, and truly any and all loyal to FCC, are encouraged to wear Orange for the match to help Orange Out TQL Stadium, Cincinnati and anywhere FC Cincinnati fans gather!

FC CINCINNATI MATCH NOTES

Looking to Clinch - FC Cincinnati defeated the Crew, 1-0, Monday evening at TQL Stadium. In the third season of the current MLS Cup Playoffs format, FCC have won Game 1 all three times, outscoring opponents 5-0, but have yet to outright win a Game 2 (0-1-1). Two years ago, FCC closed the series out with a shootout win at New York Red Bulls; last year FCC suffered a 3-1 loss at NYCFC in Game 2 and would go on to lose Game 3 in a shootout.

On The Road Again - FC Cincinnati have not lost a road match since May 25

at Atlanta United - FCC closed the season unbeaten in eight straight on the road (7-0-1). This season, FC Cincinnati went 11-4-2 on the road in league play, becoming the first team in the post-shootout era to win 11+ road games in consecutive seasons, after posting an identical 11-4-2 road record in 2024

Playoff Debut Makers - Four FC Cincinnati players earned their MLS Cup Playoffs debut Monday night, three in the Starting XI (Denkey, Gidi, Echenique) and one off the bench (Flores). With his game-winning goal, Kévin Denkey became the second FC Cincinnati player to score in their debut in the MLS Cup Playoffs (Brandon Vazquez).

Good in Tight Games - Winning one-goal games have been a staple under fourth year Head Coach Pat Noonan. Only five teams in MLS' post-shootout era have won 14+ games decided by one goal in a single season: three of those teams are FC Cincinnati.

SCOUTING Columbus Crew (14-8-12, 54 Points, 7th in the Eastern Conference)

After a loss in Game 1 of the Best-of-3 series, Columbus Crew come into this match with their season on brink and needing a win in the most desperate of ways. The Crew face their second season in a row being eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs, as well as their second season being swept in said opening round should FCC prevail.

The Crew came into this playoff series after one of their worst stretches of play in the Wilfried Nancy era, but also on a high note as emphatic winners on the final day of the regular season to escape the Play-In game. The Crew, who defeated the New York Red Bulls on Decision Day 3-1, leapt from the 9th seed to the 7th on that final day to set up the match with FCC in Round One. But prior to that victory Columbus had only won once in their previous 10 games and had earned just four draws in that stretch as well.

But that poor run matters not now, the records have been wiped away and all that is left is a 0-0 score line. While FC Cincinnati has the advantage in the series entering Game 2, Columbus is more than capable of defending their home turf as they own a 9-3-5 record at home this season.

This biggest question for the Columbus Crew is the health of its stars. Diego Rossi, who led the team in goals scored this season at 16, appeared in Game 1 but only played 75 minutes as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury that left him out of action for most of the final two months of regular season action. Newly acquired Designated Player striker Wessam Abou Ali has been sidelined for a reported six-weeks after he sustained a hairline fracture in his right ankle during a game against Toronto FC on September 20th. Ali was absent for Game 1 and was confirmed as out by Columbus Head Coach Wilfried Nancy for this game as well on Thursday.

With those two DP's out, the lineups they have put together in that stretch have relied on their depth and youth to see them to this point. While known MLS star Darlington Nagbe has been ship stabilizer during this period, young players like Jacen Russell-Rowe, Sean Zawadski and Max Arfsten have stepped up to take on a bigger role. And they will continue to have to if they want to find success.

Another key contributor to overall team success this season is French midfielder Dylan Chambost, who led the team in minutes played this season and assists with eight. The 28-year-old joined the side in 2024 after the summer window and has since appeared in every match for the Crew and started in 30 of 34 matches this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Steven Moreira has been the key cog in the backline playing 30 matches this season and logging just under 2500 minutes. Malte Amundsen has been the other defender in the formation to step up this season with 2024 MLS All-Star Rudy Camacho out for the season to this point (though Camacho did make his first appearance on the bench this past week).

Wilfried Nancy's Columbus side plays, most often, a 4-3-3 formation with Nagbe as the center midfielder of the group to play as quarterback. Of late, with Rossi and Ali out, Russell-Rowe has been the starting forward at the top of the forward three with Hugo Picard and Lassi Lappalainen on the outside.

American keeper Patrick Schulte has been the man between the pipes for Columbus for years now after being drafted ahead of the 2022 MLS season. The Saint Louis University Billiken's product played one year with the MLS NEXT Pro side Columbus Crew 2 before making the leap to starter in 2023 where he has since played 83 matches in three seasons. This season, Schulte has made 65 saves on 101 shots and earned three clean sheets, both of which (saves and clean sheets) are career lows.

Check out the FC Cincinnati Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 1, 2025


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