Columbus Crew overpower FC Cincinnati to book Game 3 "dog fight" | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Max Arfsten summed up the mood when speaking to MLS Season Pass sideline reporter Jillian Sakovits – his Columbus Crew extending their 2025 campaign by at least one more match with a memorable victory over in-state rivals FC Cincinnati on Sunday evening at Lower.com Field.

“Honestly, it was the perfect night for us,” said the United States international after a thumping 4-0 Crew win, which extends this pulsating Round One Best-of-3 Series to a decisive Game 3 on Saturday.

“Super good momentum going into Game 3 in Cincy. The vibes are good right now.”

Flipping the script

What a difference 90 minutes can make in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Short on verve and attacking ruthlessness in last weekend’s 1-0 opening defeat in Cincy, the yellow side of Ohio looked rejuvenated here, constantly carving out danger and pressing with cleverness and bite when out of possession.

Even when accounting for Yuya Kubo's 38th-minute red card, which sentenced FCC to nearly an hour with 10 men, the cold facts of the home side’s dominance are startling: 3.1 expected goals to Cincy’s 0.1, a 19-1 advantage in shots, 62% possession and nary a save for Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte to make.

All while playing for their postseason lives.

“We played with a lot of passion, and when we play like that, not only offensively, but defensively, the mindset, this is something that is difficult to cope [with],” said head coach Wilfried Nancy afterwards.

“Really pleased for the guys, because it was not an easy task playing Cincinnati. This is all the time difficult. And they know and we knew that it was a do or die, and to play with this kind of personality in a game like this” – and here the Frenchman reached up to tip an invisible cap to his squad – “this is well done.”

Start to finish

The home supporters urged them onwards well before the opening whistle, the Nordecke section hoisting a “Vamos Columbus” tifo with a Dia De Los Muertos theme nodding to the club’s feline mascots ‘Crew Cat’ and ‘SC.' That may have helped foster a nasty edge to the home side that helped blunt FCC’s rugged physicality.

“Even when it was 11v11, we came out with intensity,” said Arfsten, who notched a goal and an assist on the night. “I actually think the crowd helped us with energy and just coming out flying.

“We kind of played a little ugly at times, which I think we need to keep adding to our game, because of course, we can play and make all the good passes. But in these types of games, I think you’ve got to be ugly sometimes, and we did that tonight.”

Nancy went so far as to compare his team’s Game 1 display to his homeland’s delicate pancakes, despite declaring that many fundamental aspects of the two performances were similar.

“Each of my players competes with themselves to be better, and that's why they raised the level,” he said. “The first game, we fell on the ground like a crepe, the French crepe, and today, we were stronger.

“[Consider] the context of the game,” he urged reporters. “We play Cincinnati, it's a rivalry game. We went there, we lost 1-0. We play at home, it’s a do-or-die, not easy as a context. That's why I love my team, because they're able to focus on the task and they're able to play. Don't think about the future, don't think about the past. Stay in this game, stay in the present moment. And I think that they did well.”

Series showdown

It all sets up an epic series decider 100 miles south at TQL Stadium next weekend.

“That was a tough night and one to quickly forget about,” said Cincy boss Pat Noonan. “No time to put our heads down. We get to go again on Saturday, and our focus will be on us and having a good week and being ready to step on the field and have a much better performance.”

A win-or-go-home fifth edition of Hell is Real in 2025? As agonizing as the drama may be for those two fan bases, it’s a treat for neutrals – “really interesting,” in Nancy's philosophical words.

“We already know it's going to be a dog fight. But we're excited for the challenge,” said Arfsten.

“Every time you play against Cincy, you already know what kind of game it's going to be, and those are the games you dream of as a kid. So we're all excited.”

WATCH: Columbus Crew dominate FC Cincinnati in Game 2 rout