Rivalry renews as East powers Cincinnati, Columbus clash

FC Cincinnati will try to put some distance between themselves and their biggest rival when they visit the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

While Cincinnati (9-3-1, 28 points) has won two straight and seven of eight to move atop the Supporters' Shield standings, the Crew (7-1-5, 26 points) have consecutive draws on the road to fall to third in the Eastern Conference behind their Ohio neighbor and the Philadelphia Union.

That's why the latest edition of the Hell Is Real derby takes on added significance for the Crew.

"It's going to be an intense game," Columbus forward Jacen Russell-Rowe said. "Cincy loves to be on the front foot, and it's a big rivalry."

Despite a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC on Wednesday, Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan was not satisfied but opted to look ahead to the Crew.

"Not anywhere close to a standard we expect," he said. "We know we have quick turnaround and an important game, so we'll try to keep the mood right going into a tough matchup."

His demeanor brightened when talking about the preseason acquisition of Togolese forward Kevin Denkey, who is tied with Evander for the team lead with seven goals.

The most recent for Denkey was a brilliant dribble and shoot around three Toronto defenders.

"He's had moments earlier this season where he was able to turn defenders and run at multiple defenders and show 1 v. 1 ability," Noonan said. "That was certainly the 1 v. 1 attacking moment of the year for him."

Midfielder Dylan Chambost, the Crew assist leader (five), joined the team in July 2024 but already understands what it means to play FC Cincinnati, which last season won 2-1 in Columbus and tied the Crew 0-0 at home.

"We know it's an important game for our fans, for us, for the city," he said. "We know the stadium will be crowded, and we are excited to play this game. We can't wait until Saturday."

The Crew, 5-1-2 in the past eight games, and Vancouver (8-1-3) are the only teams in MLS with one loss.

--Field Level Media