Roughly six weeks out from the start of the MLS Cup playoffs, FC Cincinnati's postseason run is no longer an abstract concept.
FCC and its available players can begin to envision what shape its postseason run might take this year, and the process of attempting to achieve every club's hope − getting hot at the right time − is certainly underway.
Cincinnati will get to test itself against another championship contender Saturday against Columbus Crew in the 17th all-time "Hell is Real" match. Kickoff at TQL Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
For FC Cincinnati, the game commences a string of three matches in eight days, which could resemble the cadence of the first round of the playoffs, which is a three-match postseason series.
Few if any inside FC Cincinnati are publicly discussing the postseason yet, but it's coming. One way or another, the Crew will be standing in FCC's way, too.
USMNT Luciano Acosta What Luciano Acosta had to say about possibly playing for Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT
At stake Saturday will be second place in the Eastern Conference. Inter Miami CF is unlikely to be caught in its pursuit of the Supporters' Shield, but FC Cincinnati could sure up its standing in second place with a win, which would extend its lead over Columbus to five points in the standings.
A tie for FC Cincinnati would also officially clinch the club's postseason berth with six matches to spare, and mark three straight years of playoff qualification.
Should Columbus win at FC Cincinnati, it would overtake the Orange and Blue for second place by a single point.
"Great challenge in this moment with where we're at in the season and what's at stake," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said during a Thursday news conference, "so we get a very strong opponent in good form, and I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge."
A center back shakeup for FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati will be without two of its preferred center backs in Miles Robinson and Ian Murphy on Saturday due to triggering one match suspensions for yellow card accumulation in the club's 4-1 win over Montreal on Aug. 24.
Noonan suggested during post-match remarks that the club would consider appealing to have Robinson's yellow card overturned, but the club ultimately did not pursue that.
Saturday will see FCC reduced to having only Chidozie Awaziem in the starting lineup among the club's regular starters. The other two spots will be filled by some combination of Kipp Keller, DeAndre Yedlin, Alvas Powell, and potentially even Teenage Hadebe , whose acquisition as a free agent was announced in late August.
Hadebe could make his FC Cincinnati debut against Columbus, although starting might be asking too much of the player after he completed on Thursday his voyage to Cincinnati from Zimbabwe where he was representing his country's men's national team.
"Yeah, we've looked at different things (at center back) over the last two weeks, and you know, the challenges we face are some of the absences and just being, you know, thin in the center back position," Noonan said. "We've utilized many options along our back line and at different times, guys have stepped up and done a really good job. At times, we've struggled. So, certainly it won't be easy, but we've got to get on with it and try to do our best to prepare our guys to understand how they can be successful and what challenges they'll face with our opponent."
The latest on Columbus Crew
FC Cincinnati currently has bragging rights in the "Hell is Real" rivalry after it defeated the Crew in Columbus for the first time ever May 11. Columbus hasn't suffered too much for that loss, though, and has spent the summer continuing to stock its trophy cabinet.
In a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final, Columbus defeated Los Angeles FC, 3-1, in the Aug. 25 finale of Leagues Cup at Lower.com Field.
The Crew could acquire another trophy Sept. 25 at home when it hosts Mexican powerhouse, Club America, in the Campeones Cup, a one-off title match between the defending champions of MLS and Liga MX.
Despite losing a lopsided, 4-0 game last weekend to Seattle Sounders FC in objectively strange circumstances (Columbus had a field player acting as goalkeeper after its actual goalkeeper was issued a red card late in the first half), Columbus is still widely viewed as playing the most attractive soccer in MLS. Alongside Miami, the Cucho Hernandez-led Crew are also MLS Cup favorites again.
The game
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. | TQL Stadium; Cincinnati
Broadcast: Apple TV MLS Season Pass
All-time series: Columbus leads the all-time series with FC Cincinnati with an 8-4-4 record. Saturday is the club's 17th all-time meeting.
Cincinnati.com prediction: Columbus Crew 2, FC Cincinnati 1.
FC Cincinnati
Record (MLS): 16-8-3, 51 points; Second place in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 48 (No. 3 in east; No. 7 in MLS)
Goals against: 36 (No. 5 in east; No. 10 in MLS)
Head coach : Pat Noonan, third season as Cincinnati manager
Projected starting XI : Roman Celentano (GK), Yamil Asad, Chidozie Awaziem, DeAndre Yedlin, Kipp Keller, Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Yuya Kubo, Kevin Kelsy.
Columbus Crew
Record (MLS): 14-5-7, 49 points; Second place in Eastern Conference
Goals for: 49 (No. 2 in east; No. 6 in MLS)
Goals against: 28 (No. 1 in east; No. 1 in MLS)
Head coach : Wilfried Nancy, second season as Columbus manager
Projected starting XI : Patrick Schulte (GK), Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Malte Amundsen, Mohamed Farsi, Darlington Nagbe, Maximilian Arfsten, Diego Rossi, Cucho Hernández, Christian Ramirez.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Hell is Real': FC Cincinnati, Columbus Crew fight for second place in Eastern Conference
Local News
Comments / 0