FC Cincinnati Midfielder Ewender (10) shoots on a second half against Chicago Fire at TQL Stadium in Sinsinti on Saturday, 5 July 2025. FC Cincinnati is set to host the Columbus Crew in “Hell is Real Derby” on Saturday night with pole positioning in supporters’ shield race.
Cincinnati (13–5–3, 42 points) is at a four-match winning streak, including 2–1 domestic victory against Chicago last Saturday night, which placed it in the first place in the Eastern Conference and top of the MLS table.
His all-star midfielder, Evander, scored in three consecutive matches, and a goal on Saturday will match FC Cincinnati’s MLS regular-season club records for consecutive matches.
Cincinnati’s head coach Pat Nunnan said, “This is just an exciting game, I think, for both clubs,” said Cincinatti’s head coach Pat Nunn. “For the state and for the league, so I think each club is representing itself and the league in a good way and trying to contact the game with the right mentality for entertainment and to proud its respective fan bases and clubs.”
Columbus (10-3-8, 38 points) is at an unbeaten line of four matches, including 1-1 earnings made hard work in Seattle Sunday to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Goalkeeper Ivan Bush has started the last four matches for Columbus, and he has scored Seattle for the last 47 minutes and additional time on Sunday.
Bush said, “These two good teams, two structured teams, two-well-cooked teams, playing like a cat-and-raw, had to give a little bit,” Bush said. “I think it was not as independent and open as it would probably be some other games because these are two good teams.”
The crew was further led by Diego Rossi, who scored four assistance and 10 goals in this season. It was Rossi’s 54th-minute penalty kick goal that matched the first “Hell is Real Derby” in Columbus on 17 May this season, a match that ended in a 1–1 draw.
The Cincinnati is unbeaten in three straight matches against the crew, and both teams played in 2024 for a scorer draw in Cincinnati.
A win on Saturday, Cincinnati will win its second five matches this season.
-Bield level media
