Hell is Real: FC Cincinnati clinches playoff berth in scoreless tie with Columbus Crew

After FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew played to a scoreless draw, Luciano Acosta contended, "we don't celebrate draws."

But some measure of celebration was in order for FC Cincinnati, and the people in charge of the stadium's pyrotechnics obliged, igniting a colorful array of aerials to signify the 0-0 scoreline had allowed Cincinnati to clinch a 2024 MLS Cup playoff berth.

There was merit to Acosta's assertion that a draw isn't worth celebrating, especially considering that Saturday's game at TQL Stadium will not go down as one of the more riveting chapters in "Hell is Real" lore, but it was still a good result for FC Cincinnati.

Cincinnati managed the draw even though it was missing Miles Robinson and Ian Murphy, two stalwarts at the center back position for FCC. Their absences were cause for some concern for Cincinnati going into the match, but a back-line of Luca Orellano, DeAndre Yedline, Chidozie Awaziem, Alvas Powell, and Yuya Kubo helped goalkeeper Roman Celentano produce the shutout.

For Celentano, who made three saves, the shutout was his eighth of 2024.

While FC Cincinnati's attack sputtered, it did so against a Crew side that boasted the No. 1 defense in MLS with just 28 goals allowed on the season. So, perhaps the scoreless outing coming out of an international break can be forgiven on that front, too.

"We have to be pleased with it (the tie) because we weren't creating a lot of good looks," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. "We probably conceded the best two, three looks of the night, and Roman makes a couple big saves. When you factor those things in, we should be pleased with a point because in both boxes and chance creation, they had the better of (the game)."

Cincy still in second place for now

FC Cincinnati's record improved to 16-8-4, and ensured a win in the season series against Columbus for the first time ever. FCC also protected its position as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference. A Columbus win would have seen the Crew overtake Cincinnati.

The Crew might still overtake Cincinnati eventually as they hold a game in-hand on the Orange and Blue. Columbus' record moved to 14-5-8.

The scoreless tie between the rivals clubs was their first since Aug. 29, 2020.

On Saturday, neither club's offensive stars really got a foothold in the game. Reigning MLS MVP Luciano Acosta of Cincinnati didn't register a shot in the contest, although he had a goal ruled out for offside in the 45th minute.

For Columbus, Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi combined for six shots, but none were on-target.

Fittingly, possession was 51% to 49% by the final whistle. Cincinnati narrowly held an edge in that area, but the slimness was indicative of how evenly matched the combatants were.

'Very pleased' with qualifying for postseason

With each season of success in Cincinnati, the bar seems to get raised and the memories of how the club started life in MLS grows more and more distant.

The fact remains that it wasn't long ago FC Cincinnati was racking up last-place finishes in MLS, and won just four matches in 2021.

FC Cincinnati was the first club to clinch a playoff berth in 2023, and it eventually won the Supporters' Shield as the regular-season champion. On Saturday, FCC became the joint-second club to lock up its postseason berth (Columbus also qualified for the playoffs via the draw).

Making the playoffs isn't the accomplishment it was when FC Cincinnati first achieved it in 2022, but it's something Noonan and others still savor.

"Very pleased with it. It's hard to do, and we strive for consistency," Noonan said. "Consistency for our group and our expectations are to be a playoff team. Be a top seed and playing at home in the playoffs. We accomplished the first goal of becoming a playoff team, and now it's a matter of how we close out the season and stay in the position we're in. Very pleased with everything that's been thrown at the group all year. Guys have just handled it in a really professional way, and to secure a playoff spot with this many games left is a credit to the job they've done."

Celentano wasn't around for the four-win season in 2021. Neither was Noonan or General Manager Chris Albright for that matter, but they can still appreciate what it means to fans of the club to continue distancing itself from the days of struggle.

"You can't take it for granted because a lot of hard work goes into it, so it's a credit to where this team is at," Celentano said. "The staff, the organization and the players have put ourselves in position to qualify this early, but that's bare minimum for this group to at least make it. We knew we were going to. All year, we just had a belief that we could do it and we had to go out there and prove it. It's nice that we're in and now we're just shooting to go as high as we can go... It's just a reflection of the state of the club that we're expected to make the playoffs and challenge for top spots."

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Welcome to Cincinnati.com's live coverage of FC Cincinnati versus Columbus Crew in the 17th installment of the "Hell is Real" rivalry. Refresh this page throughout the match for live updates and analysis, and follow Enquirer FC Cincinnati beat reporter Pat Brennan on X, formerly Twitter, for further updates ( @PBrennanENQ ).

Another 'almost' moment for FC Cincinnati (51')

Columbus again erred while playing with the ball deep in its own end. Once again, the ball reached Kevin Kelsy's feet but he wasn't able to get a shot on-target due to a block.

Acosta goal flagged for offside (45')

Luciano Acosta was played in and dinked the ball into the net for what would have been a 1-0 Cincinnati lead, but the play was correctly flagged for offside. That ended up being the last major action of the half.

It's a very even game with possession essentially halved (54% to 46% in favor of Cincinnati) and three shots apiece for the teams.

Cincy shot misses just wide (26')

Columbus will occasionally play with the ball in the back too much. Kevin Kelsy took the ball off a Crew defender and fired off a quick shot that whistled just wide of the post as goalkeeper Patrick Schulte scrambled back into position.

Roman Celentano stonewalls Ramirez (18')

Another big chance for Columbus as Christian Ramirez is played in for a one-versus-one with FCC goalkeeper Roman Celentano, and Celentano came up with the important block. Big picture: Columbus is starting to find its way in the game while Cincy yet to take a shot.

Columbus with the first good chance of the night (15')

Cucho Hernandez broke in on goal and played the ball to the far post for Diego Rossi, but the pass was a little too deep and long. Rossi barely caught up to it and couldn't get his shot on frame. FC Cincinnati definitely avoided a dangerous moment, though.

Underway at TQL Stadium

A lot of pre-match pageantry set the mood for the game. Now, 90 minutes will decide which club holds sway in the rivalry, possibly until the 2025 regular season.

"Hell is Real" starting lineups

• FC Cincinnati starting XI: Roman Celentano (GK), Alvas Powell, Chidozie Awaziem, DeAndre Yedlin, Obinna Nwobodo, Yuya Kubo, Luciano Acosta (captain), Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Nicholas Gioachinni, Kevin Kelsy.
• Cincinnati bench: Corey Baird, Kipp Keller, Teenage Hadebe, Sergio Santos, Gerardo Valenzuela, Malik Pinto, Yamil Asad, London Aghedo, Evan Louro.
• Columbus Crew starting XI: Patrick Schulte (GK), Rudy Camacho, Mohammed Farsi, Max Arfsen, Steven Moreira, Darlington Nagbe (captain), Alex Matan, Sean Zawadzki, Cucho Hernandez, Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez.
• Columbus bench: Nicholas Hagen (GK), Andres Herrera, Derrick Jones, Dylan Chambost, DeJuan Jones, Aziel Jackson, Yaw Yeboah, Malte Amundsen, Jagen Russell-Rowe.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hell is Real: FC Cincinnati clinches playoff berth in scoreless tie with Columbus Crew