The #HellisReal Derby returns to Nippert Stadium on Saturday night when the Orange and Blue host Columbus Crew SC in their second meeting of 2020. Here are the main storylines approaching kickoff:
“Everybody is aware of what’s going on”
The #HellisReal Derby arrives days after MLS and other professional sports leagues (the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and Western & Southern Open) around the country paused action to address the severity of systemic racism and brutality.
The movement was player-driven, and Joseph-Claude Gyau said it was a “spur of the moment” decision for games to be postponed.
Had Cincinnati played Wednesday night, Gyau said the players would’ve opted not to play. (They played one night earlier at Chicago Fire FC before the Milwaukee Bucks protested an NBA playoff game the following afternoon.)
Saturday’s matchup is the club’s first game since the postponements, and Gyau said the club is approaching the derby like a normal match.
“I’m sure everybody is aware of what’s going on,” he said. “Just because we do play this game, it doesn’t mean we’re sweeping anything under the rug. We’re still going to take the game seriously if it’s played, when it’s played.
“This is still fresh in my head, but when it’s time to get out onto that field, I have to get the job done.”
FCC are searching for a response
Photo by Mike Dinovo | USA TODAY Sports
Head coach Jaap Stam called Tuesday night’s loss to Chicago Fire FC “eye opening” for his club. Since the last meeting with Columbus, the Orange and Blue had comfortably played with a back five with respectable success. In fact, there weren’t any setbacks until the club allowed two goals in the opening 10 minutes against the Fire.
Afterward, Frankie Amaya said the start of the game resembled a 2019 FCC performance, where the club conceded early and never responded.
The loss in Chicago is a reminder that Cincinnati is at the beginning of a long-term build. But was the game a hiccup or a more glaring concern?
“There was a lot of disappointment after the last game against Chicago, of course, because of the result and also how we played in terms of what we did wrong before we did a lot of things right,” Stam said. “We know we need to be focused and we need to be switched on from the start. After yesterday, you let things go and we prepare for the next game against Columbus, which is going to be very interesting.”
Photo by Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports
Coming full circle against Columbus
The last derby was a baptism by fire for Stam, who had only begun training with FCC weeks prior.
After a productive opening 25 minutes, Cincinnati conceded twice in four minutes and lost, 4-0. The result led to FCC embracing a tactical overhaul – a back five and a deeper-lying midfield.
When the clubs meet Saturday night, yes, Columbus enters the match leading the Eastern Conference, but the Orange and Blue are a different team than the one that lost in Stam’s debut.
“The Columbus game is a big game,” Stam said. “We played against them in Orlando, started well for half an hour and after that we lost it a bit and they dominated the game. Now, they’ve been doing very well, but after that game, we’ve picked things up and we’ve done very, very well as well.
“This particular game against Columbus makes it nice to have a revenge match against them, but also to get a better feeling for ourselves again to set things straight, play in a certain way that gives us confidence, but also trying to get a result. That’s what we’ll do.”
Match Info:
FC Cincinnati hosts Columbus Crew SC
Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Nippert Stadium (no fans permitted)
Weather: Sunny, 80 Degrees
TV: WSTR Star 64
In-Market Stream: fccincinnati.com/stream
Out-of-Market Stream: ESPN+
Local Radio: WDJO 99.5 FM | 107.9 FM | 1480 AM
Audio Stream: TuneIn App, fccincinnati.com
Club Connections:
- Fatai Alashe spent three seasons with FC Cincinnati (2018-20) and made 26 appearances across all competitions.
- Fanendo Adi scored five goals in 25 competitive appearances for FC Cincinnati in 2018 and 2019. He is the FCC’s first Designated Player in club history.
- Derrick Etienne Jr. made five appearances for FCC in 2019.
- Allan Cruz and Kendall Waston have played with Waylon Francis and Luis Díaz on the Costa Rica national team.
- Crew SC’s Younes Mokhtar played with Przemysław Tytoń (2010-12) and Jürgen Locadia (2011-12) at PSV Eindhoven. Kamohelo Mokotjo played Mokhtar for PEC Zwolle in 2013. Later, Mokhtar left the club, but FCC general manager Gerard Nijkamp signed Mokhtar for a PEC Zwolle return in from 2016-18.
- Eloy Room has played with two FCC players. He and Maikel van der Werff were teammates at Vitesse from 2015-17, before Room and Locadia became teammates at PSV in 2017 and 2018.
- Nick Hagglund spent time with two Columbus players at Toronto FC. He and Jordan Hamilton were at TFC together from 2014-18, while Josh Williams joined the Canadian side in 2015 and 2016.
- Greg Garza (2018) and Brandon Vazquez (2018-19) both played with Darlington Nagbe at Atlanta United FC.
- Garza also played with Nagbe in at match for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2017. Garza and Gyasi Zardes have appeared in the same USMNT game together on three occasions in 2015 – including once during the Concacaf Gold Cup.
