FC Cincinnati's latest "Hell is Real" derby encounter with Columbus Crew was arguably the most emotional and physical match in the history of the series.
It was also one of the more difficult results for fans to wrap their heads around as FCC managed a 2-2 draw against the Crew on Friday at TQL Stadium.
The result pushed FC Cincinnati to be unbeaten in four matches for the first time in the club's MLS history, and marked the first point earned at TQL Stadium.
If offered a 2-2 draw against Columbus at TQL Stadium prior to the start of the season, plenty would have considered it an acceptable outcome.
But after leading Columbus, 2-0, from a scintillating opening half hour by FCC, the club failed to shut the match down even as it went up a men through the red card issued to the Crew's Harrison Afful.
Afterward, Geoff Cameron and Joseph-Claude Gyau agreed the 2-2 tie felt like a loss. Head coach Jaap Stam appeared open to the idea that Cincinnati let a victory slip away.
The FC Cincinnati Twittersphere reflected the disappointment of the night, too.
We'll consider how the draw can and should be interpreted, as well as the latest dose of added spice to "Hell is Real," courtesy of none other than Columbus head coach Caleb Porter.
How to think about the 2-2 draw
Most tactical minds will tell you that, with a 2-0 lead and a man advantage, FC Cincinnati should have found a way to close out the victory.
"We were a little naive, simple mistakes kind of undid ourselves, really," FC Cincinnati center back Geoff Cameron said.
You'd take a 2-2 draw against your biggest rival (who also happens to be the defending MLS Cup champion), but the circumstances of the night obviously left fans wanting more. There was a certain amount of disappointment around the tie. There's not much debating that.
But zoom out from the result and the whole spectacle of the game was probably a net win for FC Cincinnati.
The match was the only one played in MLS on Friday night, and social media indicated many prominent analysts, commentators and pundits were glued to the match. Those people would have seen FC Cincinnati play some attractive soccer and score two lovely goals in the first half.
They would have seen the fight from the club, the players' willingness to scrap and fight for their teammates.
They would have seen the raucous scenes at TQL Stadium, which was at full capacity for the second time in four matches and really felt like it came to life for the first time. "Hell is Real" resonated through TV monitors across America.
Yes, the pundits also would have seen the capitulation on the scoreboard, but from a branding and marketing perspective, plenty would have come away from watching the match thinking along these lines:
• "FC Cincinnati can play decent, entertaining soccer, has some good players and could be on an upward trajectory even if they couldn't figure out how to close out a Columbus team it should have beaten on the night."
• And "TQL Stadium looks like a fun place to watch a match, and especially if the Crew are in town. There was real entertainment value there."
Lastly, FC Cincinnati had previously gone unbeaten over three matches four times in its MLS history. Unbeaten in four matches for the first time, even if they should have more points, is a good thing.
Stam probably said the most important thing of the night in his post-match remarks when he suggested that none of us should forget where this project started from when he took over.
You might not always like how the progress looks, but the consistent theme right now is definite, methodical progress from FCC, and you really can't argue with that in good faith if you were around for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Caleb Porter shushes TQL Stadium
I wrote last week about Alvaro Barreal playing the heel, and being a prime candidate to be a villain-type character for FC Cincinnati in 2021. He has the flair and skill to be the kind of player you love to have in your favorite team, and that you strongly dislike if he's playing against you.
FC Cincinnati got the full Caleb Porter treatment on Friday. That was an example of someone that enjoys playing the villain.
In other words, Porter is the Crew's amplified, bona fide version of what Barreal could be.
The Crew head coach turned to the grandstand behind the benches after the final whistle on Friday and made the "shush" gesture to FC Cincinnati supporters. He seemed to have a nice embrace with Jaap Stam but then continued shushing the fans for several more minutes, including at the end of his Zoom press conference.
Look, this is who Porter is. He's charismatic, he's a proven winner and he loves a mind game to go along with it all. That traces all the way back to his days as a national-championship-winning head coach at Akron in the NCAA ranks.
After not really saying or doing much to add spice to "Hell is Real" in 2019 and 2020, Porter went, well, "full Porter" so to speak on Friday after what was obviously a very good result for his team.
He suggested FC Cincinnati's locker room should be devastated by the 2-2 draw. He immediately tried to frame the result not just as a good performance on the night, but as one of historical proportions given the size of the comeback while his side was down a man.
Porter's well within his rights to say all of this.
Do FC Cincinnati and its supporters have to accept his pronouncements as truth just because they were on the wrong end of the 2-2 draw? Certainly not, and there will be an in-kind response from FCC the next time they get over on Porter.
Porter brings great entertainment value to MLS, and "Hell is Real" specifically. After four matches were played in the rivalry in 2020 to essentially just a couple thousand fans (all of which were in attendance in Columbus), it was refreshing to see someone from either side add a small dose of vitriolic spice to the derby.
Roster business
FC Cincinnati's personnel decision makers, and General Manager Gerard Nijkamp, take plenty of heat around here (depending on the most recent results). Some of the criticism and questions asked of how FC Cincinnati has built its roster are fair and warranted while some of the hot takes aren't worth dignifying with acknowledgement.
Since the criticism will likely e ratcheted up now that the international transfer secondary window is open, here's a thought to consider: Nijkamp and Co. appear to have nailed it at the left back position in 2021.
The club knew Ronald Matarrita was a prime candidate to leave for medium-to-long term stretches of this season with the Costa Rica men's national team, and he has. That meant they needed a good backup at his position, and they appear to have one in Edgar Castillo, whose opening goal against Columbus on Friday was one of the most exciting and impressive scores in FC Cincinnati's entire history.
Putting that absolute missile of a goal aside, Castillo's performed well defensively at left back too. I've seen plenty of second-guessing of his play on social media but clearly he hasn't been the problem for FCC. I haven't seen a drop-off in the quality of the defending at left back since Matarrita left for the Gold Cup.
The other Costa Rican international, and the only other FCC player to receive a call-up this year, is Allan Cruz. The club is thin in the midfield, Cruz was playing quite well at the time he had to leave to join his countrymen for the Gold Cup and, no, FCC doesn't appear to have a like-for-like replacement to back him up.
However, I would attribute the lack of depth in the midfield to the alterations that had to be made after Frankie Amaya forced a trade out of FC Cincinnati. That happened at an inopportune moment, and we'll see if Nijkamp can rectify the midfield needs in the next few weeks of the transfer window.
Next up: CF Montreal
(FC Cincinnati travels to play Montreal on Saturday at a TBD location; 7:30 p.m.)
Montreal record: 5-3-4, fourth place in Eastern Conference
Concacaf Gold Cup absences: Kamal Miller (Canada), Samuel Piette (Canada), Romell Quioto (Honduras).
FC Cincinnati goes back on the road for the eighth time in 12 matches this season. The club knows it will face CF Montreal for the second time in 2021, but they might not be exactly sure where the game is going to be staged.
The match, which is to be a home game for Montreal, comes at a time when the league's Canadian are pushing hard to return to their home markets after playing in the U.S. due to pandemic-related border restrictions so far this season.
Montreal "hosted" FC Cincinnati in mid-May at Inter Miami CF's DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but all the Canadian clubs are eager to return to their home markets and have been positioning themselves to do so as soon as possible.
As of Sunday night, team officials for both organizations were unable to confirm where the game would be played.
Setting aside the uncertainty around the location of the match, FC Cincinnati will look to replicate its win against Montreal on May 22 – a 2-1 comeback effort after the club fell behind 1-0 in the second half.
Jurgen Locadia scored for Cincinnati in the match and he obviously won't be available for the Orange and Blue.
The Montreal win was a spark for FCC. The club's gone 3-2-2 starting with the victory at DRV PNK Stadium.
FC Cincinnati has never dropped points against Montreal after defeating the club twice in 2019 and again in their first meeting this year. All three of those FCC wins came under different managers as Yoann Damet, Ron Jans and Jaap Stam have each claimed a win against Montreal.
Montreal's no slouch, of course, and is undefeated since the Cincinnati loss (3-0-2). The club, picked by plenty to finish at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference , has been in a playoff position essentially the entire season. At present, Montreal's ascended to fourth position in the East.
Mason Toye's led the Montreal attack this season with four goals, and he should be available at the weekend. The club has three additional players with two goals apiece but one of those players – Honduran international Romell Quioto – is away with his national team for the Gold Cup.
Kamal Miller will be absent from Montreal's back line and the midfield will be a bit lighter without Samuel Piette.
The last time these clubs met, FC Cincinnati saw Clement Diop start in goal for Montreal but he's been absent due to injury the last three matches. In Diop's place, James Pantemis has started in net.
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