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Columbus Crew defeat FC Cincinnati in Game 2 of Hell is Real playoff series: Takeaways
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- Columbus Crew defeat FC Cincinnati in Game 2 of Hell is Real playoff series: Takeaways
The Crew flipped the momentum of their first-round playoff series against FC Cincinnati with a 4-0 victory at Lower.com Field in Game 2 on Nov. 2 , forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 at 6 p.m. on Nov. 8.
The Crew lost 1-0 in Game 1 , but coach Wilfried Nancy walked away from TQL Stadium confident his team could break through Cincinnati's defense. He said he had witnessed glimpses of it. The Crew just needed to improve their offensive execution.
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"We did a lot of similar things compared to the last game, but this time, we kept the time edge that we created," Nancy said. "We unbalanced them. The game before, we didn't keep the fact that we unbalanced them. We played back or we missed the execution. Tonight, everything was clean."
More: Columbus Crew record dominant win vs Cincinnati in Game 2 of Hell is Real playoff series
Cincinnati opted for a defensive-focused approach in Game 2, and the Crew took advantage by recording a 62.4% possession rate and a 91% passing accuracy rate.
Using a combination of long balls and short back-to-back passes to push upfield, the Crew saw the fruits of their labor in the 33rd minute when forward Diego Rossi assisted midfielder Max Arfsten for the opening goal.
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"We felt like last week, in (Cincinnati), we had some good movements and patterns," Arfsten said. "But the final pass or execution was bad, and we worked on it a lot. So I thought tonight it was good just being confident and taking those chances."
Crew midfielder Taha Habroune (16) and forward Diego Rossi (10) celebrate a goal by forward Max Arfsten (27) on Nov. 2.
The Crew's crisp passing put Cincinnati in a vulnerable position. At the 38-minute mark, midfielder Yuya Kubo committed a second yellow-card foul, resulting in a red card and leaving his team down a man for the rest of the match.
Both of Kubo's violations occurred while he was attempting to stop Crew midfielder Andres Herrera from breaking away inside Cincinnati's box.
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"The coach had said we had to try to get in behind the defense any time our goalkeeper ( Patrick Schulte ) had the ball," Herrera said via translator. "So, I think the tactic worked."
FC Cincinnati forward Yuya Kubo fouls Crew defender Andres Herrera resulting in his ejection from the Nov. 2 match at Lower.com Field.
Midfielder Dylan Chambost scored off the free kick awarded for the second yellow-card foul, extending Columbus' advantage to 2-0 going into halftime.
The Crew continued building in the second half, scoring two more goals and finishing the game with 19 shots, nine on target.
Columbus Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe makes impact from off the bench
Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe has had ups and downs throughout 2025. He's gone from a starter to having his minutes fluctuate from off the bench.
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When Russell-Rowe entered Game 2 for Diego Rossi at the 61-minute mark, he said he felt "good nerves" while walking on the field.
"Knowing that we're leading, they have a red card, I knew that I was going to come in to keep a lead," Russell-Rowe said. "Help the team score, keep the pressure on, bring good energy off the bench, and it just helped propel me forward."
Within his first four minutes on the field, Russell-Rowe assisted on a Herrera goal by sending a cross inside Cincinnati's box.
Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe scored his first career postseason goal against FC Cincinnati on Nov. 2.
Russell-Rowe put the final touch on the Crew's victory four minutes later with his first-ever postseason goal.
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Columbus Crew's defense holds strong vs FC Cincinnati in Game 2
Nancy wanted the Crew to avoid complacency after Cincinnati went down to 10 players.
"This is not as easy as we think when we play against 10 men," Nancy said. "The emotional control that we had, that's why we were able to play with the rhythm. When we play with the rhythm, this is interesting. That's why they didn't have shots on target."
Crew defender Steven Moreira (31) and forward Diego Rossi (10) were part of a 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati at Lower.com Field.
Cincinnati took just one shot the entire game. The lone attempt was from defender Teenage Hadebe , who took an off-target header following a corner kick in the 18th minute.
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Columbus Crew improve shot accuracy during Game 2
The Crew have been in matchups during the regular season in which they finished scoreless despite their shot total has eclipsing 20.
While a majority of the goals in Game 2 were scored off one or two touches, Arfsten found that his shot accuracy improved after he made a move past goalkeeper Roman Celentano , leaving the goal open for Arfsten.
"Once I took my touch, saw him (Celentano) flying out," Arfsten said. "I knew I'd be able to take a touch past him and dribble past him, and then, just making sure there was enough pace on the ball to get into the net. It went a little bit higher than maybe I would have liked. But, you know, a goal is a goal."
Crew forward Max Arfsten scores on FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano on Nov. 2.
Game 2 marked the fifth time in 2025 where the Crew scored four or more goals, and is tied for the Crew's highest win margin in playoff history.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew dominate FC Cincinnati in Game 2 of Hell is Real series
