The Columbus Crew enter rivalry week facing off against in-state rival FC Cincinnati. In the first edition of the 2024 chapter of the Hell Is Real derby, we take a more deeper look at our opponents with help from FC Cincinnati beat writer Kenta Hagiwara.

Massive Report: 13 goals for and nine goals against this season, Cincinnati’s defense is stout and hard to maneuver. What has been the key to the defense’s success so far?

Kenta Hagiwara: The addition of Miles Robinson over the offseason. FC Cincinnati saw the departure of Colombian defender Yerson Mosquera, who finished his loan with FC Cincinnati after the 2023 season and went back to Wolverhampton in the Premier League (and now on loan with Villareal in La Liga). In many ways, Miles Robinson has been an improvement on Mosquera, as he’s easily been one of, if not the, best center back in MLS so far this season. Another offseason where Celentano and Murphy, both uncapped USMNT players, have improved has certainly helped as well. 

MR: How good has Cincinnati been on the road? Will they be able to compete in a hostile environment like Lower.com Field, where Columbus hasn’t lost a game at home for  27 matches across all competitions?

KH: The baseline stats would say that FC Cincinnati has been better on the road than at home this season. In MLS competitions, they’ve been 4-1-1 (13 points) away from Cincy and 2-1-2 (8 points) at TQL Stadium. 

And when it comes to Lower.com, or any stadium where these two teams face off, all these “stats” can just be thrown out the window. The unpredictable and chaotic nature of derby matches, especially the Hell is Real derby, is what makes it exciting. Columbus has a great home record, especially against Cincinnati… but anything can happen.

MR: With Cincinnati’s 1-0 win over Orlando, that marked the Club’s 20th one-goal win since the start of 2023. Where are the goals going to come from, and who is the likely goal scorer now that Brandon Vazquez has left the club?

KH: The obvious answer is Luciano Acosta. He’s the leading goalscorer for FC Cincinnati in MLS play, 5 goals so far in 2024. But for this FC Cincinnati team, goals have been hard to come from. Luca Orellano is still growing into this team, as is Pavel Bucha in the midfield. A lot of moving parts makes this a potentially less threatening side in the attack, but they’ve certainly made up for it by improving defensively. 

MR: With Aaron Boupendza missing the game, who will Columbus have to keep an eye out for?

KH: Corey Baird and Yuya Kubo have been the striker pair up top for the last stretch of matches, and I assume that won’t change. Young U22 striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk made his MLS debut in Orlando, but I don’t expect a ton of minutes as he’s coming from a situation in Ukraine where he saw very inconsistent minutes. 

Kubo and Baird’s pressing patterns, alongside Acosta, against Columbus’ back three will be interesting to see. Expect those three to press aggressively if/when FC Cincinnati lose the ball in the final third. 

MR: Lastly, what is the key to victory for Cincinnati?

KH: The midfield battle. Can Obinna Nwobodo and Pavel Bucha contain Cucho and Rossi? Can Nagbe and Morris contain Lucho Acosta? Which wide midfielders (“wingbacks”) win their duels? Is it Yeboah or Yedlin? Orellano or… I guess Farsi is hurt so…Zawadzki? Arfsten? 

Winning those individual battles leads to chances. Cucho and Rossi beat Nwobodo and Bucha, they have open looks at the Cincy backline. Acosta and Kubo play through Morris and Nagbe, they get open chances at Columbus’ backline. 

For FC Cincinnati in particular, Bucha and Nwobodo – that pair have a tall task ahead, as they face off against Cucho and Rossi.

Special thank you to Kenta Hagiwara for helping us preview what FC Cincinnati will bring to the Hell Is Real Derby this weekend.