FC Cincinnati Beat: Orange and Blue let two-goal lead slip away, fall to Columbus 4-2 in “Hell is Real Derby”

CINCINNATI — The “Hell is Real Derby” couldn’t have started any better for FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. It also couldn’t have ended any worse for FC Cincinnati.

They scored two goals in five minutes, including one in the first minute, to take complete control 2-0. But the Columbus Crew scored the next four goals to earn three convincing points in a 4-2 win Saturday night at TQL Stadium. With Philadelphia winning Saturday night, Cincinnati (13-6-3, 42 points) falls to second place in the Eastern Conference.

“This one was difficult because we went 2-0 down in five minutes,” Columbus midfielder Max Arfsten said. “Obviously, nobody plans for that or wants that. But once again, like I’ve said it all year, I feel like this is the resilience this group has. I think it’s a testament to this group and all the guys on our team and how we’re able to bounce back. So, I’m proud of our guys, and there are obviously things to learn from.”

After the start of the match was delayed 56 minutes due to severe weather in the Queen City, Cincinnati came out of the gate roaring in front of a sold-out crowd at TQL Stadium decked out in orange.

Midfielders Pavel Bucha and Evander put Cincinnati ahead 2-0 within the first five minutes. With his 13th goal of the MLS regular season, Evander ties an FC Cincinnati club record with a goal in four consecutive matches. He has six goals in four games since being named an MLS All-Star, and his goal Saturday night came from outside the box with an expected goal percentage of just four percent.

Unfortunately, those two goals were all the offense FC Cincinnati got on Saturday night.

Columbus (11-3-8, 41 points) scored two goals late in the first half, including one in stoppage time, to tie the match 2-2 at halftime. Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati when All-Star defender Miles Robinson scored an own goal to give Columbus a 3-2 lead. Cincinnati had multiple chances to equalize, but Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte kept its offense off the scoreboard the entire second half. Columbus scored a stoppage-time goal in the second half to ice the match 4-2.

“[It’s] disappointing,” FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “We all are [disappointed]. It’s a tough night. There was excitement. The crowd was into it. It’s easy to lose focus. We maybe got away from how we prepared. We gotta own it and move on from it.”

FC Cincinnati entered Saturday night on a four-match winning streak and atop the MLS table. Momentum was on their side, and it appeared to grow exponentially in the first five minutes when they jumped out in front 2-0 to send the sold-out TQL Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

The Crew, though, are a veteran team. They don’t panic when they get behind, just like they didn’t when they fell behind 2-0 to FC Cincinnati in the Eastern Conference Finals of the MLS Cup in 2023.

“I want to stay humble, but I knew that we were still in the game if we scored,” Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy said. “I felt it in the middle of the first half, and again in the locker room, in the way we were calm, composed, and tried to be precise and concise. They did the job because they play for their teammates.”

Just as he did in that match and in the “Hell is Real Derby” match in Columbus this past May, the Crew All-Star forward Diego Rossi started their comeback with a goal in the 42nd minute. It was his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

“The passes, I thought we rushed some plays,” Noonan said about not being able to build on their 2-0 lead. “We couldn’t take care of the ball in long stretches. We could’ve scored two or three more goals after the 2-0 lead. They found their rhythm in the first half.”

Cincinnati is in a tough part of its schedule. They have played three straight matches against Eastern Conference teams currently in the Playoffs if the season ended today. That streak continues Wednesday night when Inter Miami FC, led by the legendary Lionel Messi, comes to TQL Stadium to take on Cincinnati.

“[We have to] put the disappointment behind us,” Noonan said. “Like all games, we’ll see how we let this get away from us.”

Considering this is Cincinnati’s first loss since May 31st, it can be viewed as just a slip-up, even though it came against its biggest rivals. This is a really good, strong Cincinnati club. But their championship mettle will be tested Wednesday night against Miami.

Saturday night’s “Hell is Real Derby” got away from FC Cincinnati despite as good a start as they could have unleashed. They’re going to have to get better at playing with two-goal leads for when the matches truly matter.

They haven’t in the past, and it has cost them on MLS’s biggest stages. If this club is going to get to where it wants to go this season, it has to start playing better with multi-goal leads.