Hell is Real Derby: FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew

The Hell is Real Derby is the rivalry between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, the two MLS clubs in the state of Ohio. Named after a famous billboard on Interstate 71 — the highway that connects Cincinnati and Columbus — the rivalry has quickly become one of the most intense in MLS despite existing for only a handful of seasons.

What makes the Hell is Real Derby distinctive among MLS rivalries is how quickly it escalated. Most MLS rivalries take years to develop genuine animosity. Cincinnati and Columbus achieved it almost immediately, fueled by geographic proximity (100 miles apart), contrasting club identities, and a series of dramatic early matches that gave the rivalry genuine stakes.

The Origins

The I-71 Billboard

The rivalry's name comes from a large roadside sign located between Cincinnati and Columbus on Interstate 71 that reads "HELL IS REAL." The billboard is a religious warning, placed by a private landowner, but it became the perfect shorthand for a rivalry between two Ohio cities with a long history of competition across professional sports.

When FC Cincinnati entered MLS in 2019, soccer media immediately adopted "Hell is Real" as the derby name. Unlike manufactured rivalry names, this one stuck because it was already part of the shared cultural geography of Ohio sports fans. Every Cincinnati or Columbus fan has driven past the sign. It is impossible to travel between the two cities without seeing it.

FC Cincinnati's MLS Entry (2019)

FC Cincinnati's expansion into MLS in 2019 created the rivalry. Columbus had been an original MLS franchise since 1996 — one of the league's founding teams and the first club to build a soccer-specific stadium in the United States. Cincinnati was the brash newcomer, having generated enormous support in the USL (averaging 25,000+ fans per game) before earning an expansion spot.

The contrast in identity was immediate. Columbus was the established, blue-collar franchise with deep roots in MLS history. Cincinnati was the passionate upstart with louder fans, a newer stadium, and something to prove. The dynamic mirrored Ohio's broader Cincinnati-Columbus rivalry: Columbus as the state capital and growing tech hub, Cincinnati as the older, grittier river city with its own distinct identity.

The Early Matches

The First Meeting (August 10, 2019)

The inaugural Hell is Real Derby was played at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus. The atmosphere was electric for a regular-season match, with both supporter groups traveling in numbers. Columbus won 1-0, but the intensity of the match — multiple yellow cards, passionate fan sections, and a competitive edge that went beyond a typical MLS regular-season game — signaled that this rivalry was real from day one.

Cincinnati's First Win

FC Cincinnati's first victory in the derby was significant for the club's fan base, providing validation that the expansion team could compete against its established neighbor. The celebration from Cincinnati's supporters showed how much the rivalry meant even in its earliest stages.

The Rivalry Deepens

Each subsequent meeting added layers to the rivalry. Physical play, controversial refereeing decisions, and the increasing stakes of playoff positioning turned what could have been a manufactured rivalry into a genuinely organic one. Players from both sides have commented that Hell is Real matches have a different energy than any other game on the schedule.

Why the Rivalry Works

Geographic Proximity

Cincinnati and Columbus are separated by approximately 100 miles of I-71. This is close enough that significant numbers of away supporters attend every derby match, creating a split-crowd atmosphere that most MLS derbies cannot replicate. The proximity also means players, coaches, and staff encounter each other off the field more than teams in other rivalries.

Contrasting Identities

Columbus represents MLS tradition. The Crew were there from the beginning. They won MLS Cup in 2008 and 2020. They survived a relocation threat that galvanized the SaveTheCrew movement and demonstrated the power of fan activism. Their identity is one of resilience, community, and the belief that soccer belongs in the Midwest.

Cincinnati represents MLS ambition. Their USL attendance numbers forced the league to take notice. Their $250 million TQL Stadium opened in 2021 as one of the best soccer venues in North America. Their willingness to spend on players — including Designated Players like Luciano Acosta and international transfers — signaled a franchise that wanted to compete immediately.

The Ohio Factor

Ohio has a rich tradition of intra-state sports rivalries. The Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns in the NFL, the Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians in MLB, and Ohio State vs. Cincinnati in college football all create a cultural context where Ohio-vs-Ohio competition is taken seriously. The Hell is Real Derby taps into this existing rivalry infrastructure.

Fan Culture

Both clubs have passionate supporter groups. Cincinnati's "The Pride" and Columbus's "Nordecke" bring organized supporter culture that creates atmosphere at every derby match. The tifo displays, traveling supporters, and organized chanting elevate the Hell is Real Derby above many longer-established MLS rivalries in terms of match-day atmosphere.

The 2025 Dynamic

The 2025 season added an interesting analytical dimension to the rivalry. Based on expected goal difference data:

Columbus Crew: 54 points, +2 GD, +5.6 xGD — the defending MLS Cup champions had a solid but unspectacular season
FC Cincinnati: 65 points, +14 GD, -7.8 xGD — Cincinnati accumulated far more points than their underlying metrics justified

Cincinnati's extreme overperformance (+21.8 gap between actual GD and xGD) suggests a team that benefited from unsustainable finishing and luck. Columbus's more modest gap suggests a team whose results more accurately reflected their quality. If regression hits Cincinnati in 2026, the competitive dynamic of the derby could shift significantly.

Both clubs placed players in our position rankings: Columbus had Sean Zawadzki and Max Arfsten among the best defenders and Dylan Chambost and Diego Rossi among the best midfielders. Cincinnati had Evander as the best attacking midfielder in MLS and Lukas Engel among the top fullbacks.

Key Players in the Rivalry

The Hell is Real Derby has featured several players who elevated individual matches into memorable moments:

For Columbus: Cucho Hernández's flair and goal-scoring ability have made him a villain in Cincinnati. Lucas Zelarayán's set-piece quality has produced memorable goals. The Crew's defensive organization under Caleb Porter and Wilfried Nancy consistently frustrated Cincinnati's attack.

For Cincinnati: Luciano Acosta's creativity on the ball has been the catalyst for Cincinnati's best derby performances. Brenner's finishing provided key goals in early derby matches. The emergence of younger players through Cincinnati's development pathway has added new characters to the rivalry.

What Makes It Special

The Hell is Real Derby succeeds where many MLS rivalries struggle because it has organic roots. The geographic proximity, the contrasting identities, the Ohio sports culture, and the immediate competitive intensity from the first match all contributed to a rivalry that feels earned rather than marketed.

Many MLS rivalries are assigned by the league based on geography or conference alignment. The Hell is Real Derby is one of the few that feels like it would exist regardless of what the league scheduled. When Cincinnati and Columbus play, the energy is different. The tackles are harder. The celebrations are louder. The disappointment of losing is sharper.

For a rivalry that is less than a decade old, that is remarkable.