Columbus Crew defeat FC Cincinnati on the road in Hell is Real rivalry match: Replay

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Columbus Crew defeat FC Cincinnati on the road in Hell is Real rivalry match: Replay

Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Sat, Jul 12, 2025 ·

8 min read

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CINCINNATI - The Crew (11-3-8) came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat FC Cincinnati (13-6-3) 4-2 in their first Hell is Real victory since the 2023 MLS Cup Eastern Conference final.

An own goal from Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson secured the Crew's victory in the 59th minute, which marked a remarkable turnaround given that the Crew had conceded two goals in the opening five minutes.

In less than 60 seconds, midfielder Pavel Bucha recorded Cincinnati's first goal, which was followed by midfielder Evander da Silva Ferreira scoring off a shot outside the Crew's box four minutes later.

Rossi found Columbus ' first goal in the 42nd minute, connecting on a shot from the top of Cincinnati's box.

Jul 12, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew forward Max Arfsten (27) high fives forward Diego Rossi (10) after scoring a goal against FC Cincinnati in the first half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

With the first half already in stoppage time, Arfsten added the second goal after finding his way around Cincinnati defender DeAndre Yedlin . This was Arfsten's first game back from representing the United States men's national team at the Gold Cup.

Midfielder Taha Habroune iced the Crew's victory in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, scoring his first career MLS goal.

The Crew kicked off against Cincinnati nearly an hour late following a weather delay at TQL Stadium.

(90+3) Taha Habroune scores first MLS goal vs FC Cincinnati

Crew midfielder Taha Habroune scored his first MLS goal to extend Columbus' lead by two goals in the final minutes of the game.

Score:Crew 4-2

(86') FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson charged with yellow card vs Columbus Crew

Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson earned a yellow card for a foul against Crew midfielder Daniel Gazdag .

Score:Crew 3-2

(83') Diego Rossi's shot goes far left of FC Cincinnati goal

Forward Diego Rossi had the chance to extend the Crew's lead to two goals with a shot inside Cincinnati's box, but sent the ball too far left, past the goalpost and out of play.

Score:Crew 3-2

(78') Jacen Russell-Rowe given yellow card, substituted out for Columbus Crew

After recording a yellow-card foul against Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga , Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe went down with a lower-body injury. Russell-Rowe was helped up by medical staff and walked off the field on his own accord when being substituted out for Taha Habroune.

Score:Crew 3-2

(68') Columbus Crew midfielder Daniel Gazdag shown yellow card

Crew midfielder Daniel Gazdag was given a yellow card for fouling midfielder DeAndre Yedlin. It marks the Crew's second yellow card after midfielder Dylan Chambost received one in the 53rd minute.

Score:Crew 3-2

(59') Columbus Crew pull ahead on FC Cincinnati own goal

The Crew have taken their first lead of the game after an own goal from Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson.

Crew forward Ibrahim Aliyu launched a shot from outside Cincinnati's box, and while attempting to clear the shot out of play, Robinson kicked the ball past goalkeeper Roman Celentano .

Score:Crew 3-2

(58') Columbus Crew make first substitution vs FC Cincinnati

With the first substitution of the game, the Crew replace midfielder Dylan Chambost with Amar Sejdic .

Score:2-2

Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati first-half stats

Possession rate: Crew (51.9%), Cincinnati (48.1%)

Shots: Crew (7), Cincinnati (8)

Shots on goal: Crew (2), Cincinnati (3)

Goalkeeper saves: Crew (1), Cincinnati (0)

Fouls: Crew (8), Cincinnati (3)

Corners: Crew (8), Cincinnati (5)

Jul 12, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano (18) makes a save against the Columbus Crew in the first half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

(45+3') Columbus Crew even score vs FC Cincinnati before halftime

After going down 2-0 early in the half, the Crew have evened the score against Cincinnati with a goal from midfielder Max Arfsten.

Arfsten received a pass at the top of Cincinnati's box from midfielder Dylan Chambost and, after working his way around midfielder DeAndre Yedlin, launched a shot that went to the right of goalkeeper Roman Celentano.

Score:2-2

(45') FC Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha shown yellow card vs Columbus Crew

Following a foul, Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha was given a yellow card, marking Cincinnati's second of the game.

Score:Cincinnati 2-1

(42') Diego Rossi cuts Columbus Crew deficit vs FC Cincinnati in half

Off a pass from forward Ibrahim Aliyu, forward Diego Rossi found the Crew's first goal of the game from the top of Cincinnati's box, cutting Columbus' deficit in half.

Score:Cincinnati 2-1

(31') Columbus Crew Patrick Schulte records first save vs FC Cincinnati

Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte kept Cincinnati's lead from extending with a two-handed save on a shot from forward Kei Kamara on the right side of the Crew's box.

Score:Cincinnati 2-0

(18') FC Cincinnati midfielder Brian Anunga given yellow card

Cincinnati midfielder Brian Anungu was given the first yellow card of the game for a foul against Crew forward Diego Rossi.

(5') FC Cincinnati adds another early goal, Columbus Crew fall behind by 2 goals

Just four minutes after scoring in the opening minute of play, Cincinnati extends its lead over the Crew with a goal from midfielder Evander da Silva Ferreira.

From outside the Crew's box, Evander gained possession of the ball and launched a shot that landed in the left corner of the goal.

Score:Cincinnati 2-0

(1') FC Cincinnati takes 1-0 lead vs Columbus Crew

Midfielder Pavel Bucha gives Cincinnati an early lead against the Crew, scoring from the center of Columbus' box. Bucha was sent a cross pass from midfielder Lukas Engel to set up the scoring play.

Score:Cincinnati 1-0

Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati?

Here are the officials for the Crew vs Cincinnati:

Referee: Alexis Da Silva
Assistant Referee 1: Cory Richardson
Assistant Referee 2: Ryan Graves
Fourth Official: Jeremy Scheer
VAR: Kevin Scott
Assistant VAR: Robert Schaap

Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati kickoff time confirmed

The Crew will kick off against Cincinnati at 8:36 p.m. following a weather delay at TQL Stadium.

Patrick Schulte, Max Arfsten returns for Columbus Crew

The Crew have Patrick Schulte in the starting lineup for the first time in over a month with the goalkeeper making his return from an oblique injury he suffered prior to the Charlotte game on May 24. Midfielder Max Arfsten is also back in the lineup after his stint with the United States men's national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Midfielder Mo Farsi is missing from the gameday lineup, despite there being no mention on the availability report about Farsi possibly being unavailable.

FC Cincinnati starting lineup vs Columbus Crew

Here is the starting 11 for Cincinnati vs Columbus:

GK: Roman Celentano
DF: Lukas Engel
DF: Matt Miazga
DF: Miles Robinson
MF: Brian Anunga
MF: Pavel Bucha
MF: Evander da Silva Ferreira
MF: Luca Orellano
MF: DeAndre Yedlin
FW: Kevin Denkey
FW: Kei Kamara

Columbus Crew starting lineup vs FC Cincinnati

Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Cincinnati:

GK: Patrick Schulte
DF: Yevhen Cheberko
DF: Steven Moreira
DF: Sean Zawadzki
MF: Max Arfsten
MF: Dylan Chambost
MF: Daniel Gazdag
MF: Darlington Nagbe
FW: Ibrahim Aliyu
FW: Diego Rossi
FW: Jacen Russell-Rowe

Thunderstorm warning at TQL Stadium causes delay Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati kickoff

A thunderstorm warning is in effect at TQL Stadium, delaying kickoff for the Crew's matchup against Cincinnati. There is no update on when the game will start.

Where do Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati rank in Eastern Conference standings?

The Crew are in fourth in the Eastern Conference, with FC Cincinnati sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Here are the top five teams in the MLS Eastern Conference:

FC Cincinnati (13-5-3: 42 points)
Nashville SC (12-4-5: 41 points)
Philadelphia Union (12-5-4: 40 points)
Columbus Crew (10-3-8: 38 points)
Inter Miami (10-3-5: 35 points)

Crew forward Diego Rossi celebrates a penalty kick goal against FC Cincinnati on May 17. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

How to listen to Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati radio broadcast

The Crew vs. Cincinnati English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus' regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.

The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 103.1 FM and the La Grande radio app, with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.

Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati streaming information

The Crew-Cincinnati match will be streaming on Apple TV, with a required MLS Season Pass subscription. Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:

English broadcast: Keith Costigan (play-by-play), Maurice Edu (analyst)
Spanish broadcast: Alejandro Figueredo (play-by-play), Tony Cherchi (analyst)

When does Columbus Crew vs FC Cincinnati kick off?

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. July 12 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew defeat FC Cincinnati in Hell is Real: Replay

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