Hell is Real: Crew, Cincy meet in playoffs again
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The Crew starts its MLS Cup Playoffs run on the road Monday night in the latest high-stakes edition of the Hell is Real Derby.
Why it matters: The Crew had a disappointing regular season, but can turn it around with another win over their archrivals.
How it works: The first round of a complicated playoff format is a best-of-three series, with ties decided by penalty kicks.
- Following rounds are single-elimination, hosted by the higher-seeded team.
State of play: On paper, 2-seed Cincinnati should be a heavy favorite over 7-seed Columbus.
- Cincinnati earned 11 more regular-season points and won four of five matches to end the season — Columbus has just two wins in their last 10.
Yes, but: Historically, the Crew has had Cincy's number.
- In 17 matchups, Columbus has won eight times and lost just three, scoring 15 more goals.
The intrigue: This is the teams' first playoff matchup since the Crew pulled off a dramatic late win in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals en route to winning their third MLS Cup.
- The Crew pulled off another stunner this July.
What we're watching: Columbus has been badly injured, but reinforcements may return at the right time.
- Defender Sean Zawadzki returned at the end of the regular season and star Diego Rossi seems close.
Plus: This is the last playoff run for the legendary Darlington Nagbe.
What they're saying: "It's not so much doing it for us, but doing it for the fans," goalkeeper Patrick Schulte told media this week.
- "Every time you talk to someone, it's how much they hate Cincinnati… there's nothing more than you want to give back to them for the support they give."
📺 How to watch: Game 1 kicks off 6:45pm Monday on Apple TV, FS1 and Fox Deportes.
- Game 2 in Columbus is 6:30pm Sunday.
- Game 3, if necessary, will be in Cincinnati Nov. 8.