Hell is Real match raises the stakes for Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Finals
After seeing how the Crew defeated Orlando City SC in an Eastern Conference semifinal, it's hard to believe that Columbus' postseason could get even more dramatic.
Going into Orlando, the Crew hadn't won a playoff game on the road since 2002 and were playing at what coach Wilfried Nancy considers "one of the most difficult places to play." With the odds stacked against them, Nancy's team not only pulled out the victory, but did it in extra-time with a clean sheet.
As the Crew head into the MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final, the drama is being drastically raised. On Saturday, not only is there a trip to the MLS Cup Final on the line, but a Hell is Real rivalry match on the road is going to determine if they make that trip.
Malte Amundsen even believes he may have undersold it when he equated the Crew's playoff journey to a fairy tale earlier in the postseason. "I'm not sure I can live up to the story that I told," he said.
And a meeting with FC Cincinnati on the horizon will only make their story better.
"It makes it even more interesting," Amundsen said. "They won the regular season and for us, in order to be the best, we have to beat the best. So for me, that's a perfect challenge. If we want to win the MLS Cup, we have to go there and we have to beat them."
2023 Hell is Real rivalry so far
The Crew competed against their intrastate rivals twice during the regular season.
In the first meeting in May, the Crew lost 3-2 in Cincinnati, with reigning MLS MVP Luciano Acosta scoring two goals for the winners. Since then, the Crew has undergone quite a bit of change, such as Lucas Zelarayan leaving the club and Diego Rossi and Rudy Camacho joining the team. There has also been significant growth for this fairly young squad.
"I was on the pitch on that day and now I'm on the pitch as well, and I just feel how different it is," the Crew's Mo Farsi said. "Everybody understands the tactics way more. I think we went to another level."
The second time this rivalry took place during the regular season, it was at Lower.com Field, and despite the fact Nancy was suspended for the game for a red card violation in a prior match, the Crew won 3-0.
Read More: Wilfried Nancy's lineup choices paying off for Crew, will that continue vs. FC Cincinnati?
With this decisive third Hell is Real match set to take place, the Crew's coach is using the past results only for reference rather than an indicator of what's to come.
"Away, when we played them, it was a good game, but it was funny to watch the game again because it's been a long time but it's short at the same time," Nancy said. "And the game at home, yes, we had a really good game, but now this is a new story."
'It was the fire in the stadium'
The day Camacho put on a Crew jersey for the first time, the crowd at Lower.com Field gave him a taste of what to expect when Columbus takes on Cincinnati.
Starting his career in Columbus against Cincinnati back in August, the Crew's new center back witnessed how loud the fans were and the intensity during the pregame show (which included pyro), and that was just for a regular-season game.
The Crew know what to expect when it comes to a Hell is Real atmosphere, but as the road team, the majority of the crowd will be there supporting FC Cincinnati. Rather than ignore this fact, Columbus is ready to lean into the energy the opposing fans will bring.
"Hopefully they'll scream bad things at us," Amundsen said. "You can scream whatever you want, and we'll just do our thing because you scream to get us out, get our focus away. It's a good thing. We have to turn that into a good thing, that they are having this atmosphere towards us because we're coming to take them out."
But with the Eastern Conference Final taking place only 90 minutes away, the Crew are counting on the likelihood that there will be sections of black and gold mixed in with the loyal home fans from Cincinnati.
"They're going to travel in numbers to Cincy," Christian Ramirez said. "It will be a nice party to crash."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew ready for Hell is Real, Part 3
