Pat Noonan has lived through some heated MLS rivalries across two decades as a player and coach, from the I-95 tussles of the league’s early days to Cascadia Cup clashes with Seattle Sounders FC and the cross-Jersey enmity of Philadelphia vs. Red Bulls as a member of the Union’s technical staff.
He believes none of them surpass the heart and heat of Hell is Real, the cross-Ohio showdown between his FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew, set to venture into the uncharted territory of a Round One Best-of-3 Series in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs starting Monday night (6:45 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV; FS1, FOX Deportes).
“This is the best for me,” Noonan told MLSsoccer.com in a one-on-one conversation on Thursday. “It's the success of the clubs, it's the energy of the fan bases – and that drives it. You can't manufacture these things. It originates from the fans.
"The players can play as hard as they can, you can have these game models, philosophies, styles of play to entertain. But it has to be brought out by the fans. And that's where I think this is unique, because of the energy that they bring in these games.”
Bad blood
This is a relatively young derby, both in global soccer terms and domestically.
FCC were born barely 10 years ago, starting life in the USL Championship before earning a spot in MLS for the 2019 campaign, powered in no small part by the proof of concept provided by rousing scenes at a packed Nippert Stadium, their first home, when they upset the Crew in the 2017 US Open Cup.
Yet their first 18 meetings have bubbled with intrigue, intensity and voluminous banter from both sets of supporters. That reflects the intertwined history and influence of large traveling fan contingents whose away days involve a drive of roughly 100 miles, along the way passing the fire-and-brimstone religious sign that gave the matchup its name.
In-state bragging rights mean something in Ohio, where the NFL’s Browns and Bengals have scrapped contentiously for decades.
“You want to be the team that is remembered in your state,” said Crew homegrown midfielder Sean Zawadzki, a Cleveland native who readily notes the gridiron parallels.
“Who's going to be the top dog in Ohio? I think that, for me, is kind of what I think back to, being a Cleveland kid, and then knowing the history between us and FC Cincinnati goes a long way. It's just an exciting environment and atmosphere to be a part of.”
Battle of contenders
Hell is Real escalated to new heights in recent seasons as Cincy rose from basement dwellers to perennial contenders with the arrival of Noonan and general manager Chris Albright. Meanwhile, Columbus got new owners, a new downtown stadium and an on-field revival highlighted by two MLS Cup titles in four years.
The latter of those championships came at FCC’s direct expense. Noonan had led the Knifey Lions to the 2023 Supporters’ Shield, winning Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year honors along the way. Yet it was Wilfried Nancy’s Crew who survived a riveting Eastern Conference Final at TQL Stadium, rallying spectacularly from a 2-0 halftime deficit to emerge 3-2 winners after extra time via one of the most entertaining playoff games in league history.
“You have so many highs and lows in this game, and that was certainly a low,” said Noonan, who rues his and his players’ difficulties in managing that game and adjusting to their tiring legs down the stretch.
“We had a chance to put that game away, and we missed that opportunity. That one hurts. That will never leave my mind, just based on who we lost to in front of our home fans. So you have to own it and try to improve and learn from it. So as much as it sucks, it's a part of the story.”
Memorably, Nancy revealed after the game that his young son was in tears at halftime that night, certain that dad’s team was doomed, before the Crew’s dramatic rally provided a priceless lesson the Frenchman still calls upon today.
“So I took this opportunity, because of the situation, to tell my son that, 'Hey, I told you that already, we don't quit in our family. And this is a good example for you and I'm happy that you lived it,'” Nancy revealed to MLSoccer.com this week. “For me, it was powerful.
“I can tell you that it's easy for me when my son – because he plays soccer, when he starts to be a bit down or wants to quit, boom, I talk about this game and automatically change the mindset.”
Clash of styles
That exhilarating, exhausting match was a one-off. This time, Cincy and Columbus will lock horns at least twice, perhaps three times in succession, which could dial up the animosity to redline levels. It will undoubtedly complicate the task for the coaches, whose teams are opposites in tactical and philosophical terms.
Nancy’s dogged commitment to daring, intricate buildup play is well-known at this point, epitomized by the likes of Diego Rossi and Darlington Nagbe, whose impending retirement has galvanized his side on the eve of the playoffs. And it cuts sharply against Noonan’s press-heavy, transition-oriented physicality, with elite defenders like Miles Robinson backstopping an explosive, expensively-assembled front line spearheaded by a front three of Kévin Denkey, Brenner and Evander.
“The contrast is clear. They are so big, so powerful, you know?” said Nancy, who says he challenges his squad to embrace the individual battles that ensue, particularly on the set pieces where his team tend to be vulnerable. “Pat and the Cincinnati crew, what they want is a physical player and players who can go fast, and they like to defend and to be really aggressive, but change the mindset with that.
“They have also really good players to score goals in any kind of situations. And us, we have strong players, but not as physical as Cincinnati, and the possession of the ball for us is important, not only to win games, but also to rest with the ball and manipulate the opposition.”
Both sides recognize the importance of landing the first punch in this series to set the tone, as well as the ability to adapt quickly to formation shifts and other wrinkles from the opposition. Though the margins for error inevitably tighten in the playoffs, the past provides a reminder that these games tend to run right down to the wire.
“Just to make sure everyone plays at their best,” said Robinson on Friday of FCC’s priorities. “Everyone's just got to look themselves in the mirror and recognize that these are the games, these are the moments that it's really worth playing. And if everyone plays at their best, I really like our chances.”
