Monday, October 19, 2026 Editions
ENESNEHIFR
The Orbit Post
Everything in your orbit.
Breaking
Norte Fire at 5 Percent Contained as First Evacuation Orders Are Lifted in Orange CountyNorte Fire at 5 Percent Contained as First Evacuation Orders Are Lifted in Orange County
Trending
Sports

Crew Beat Cincinnati 2-0 to Win Hell Is Real Derby at TQL Stadium

Gonzalo Tapia scored and set up Taha Habroune, Patrick Schulte made eight saves, and Columbus moved within one point of Cincinnati and the final East wild-card spot.

By Orbit Post2 min read
Read inENESNEHIFR
Crew Beat Cincinnati 2-0 to Win Hell Is Real Derby at TQL Stadium

Key points

  • The Columbus Crew beat FC Cincinnati 2-0 on Sunday night at TQL Stadium to win the Hell Is Real derby, scoring once in each half and surviving a night when the home team had almost all of the ball…
  • Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.
  • Cincinnati will look at the shot count and wonder how this ended 2-0.

The Columbus Crew beat FC Cincinnati 2-0 on Sunday night at TQL Stadium to win the Hell Is Real derby, scoring once in each half and surviving a night when the home team had almost all of the ball and almost none of the finish.

Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. Brais Mendez swung a corner to the back post, Tapia was unchecked, and his header gave Columbus a lead it never gave back. Taha Habroune doubled it in the 54th minute on a counterattack, taking a feed from Tapia and putting away a first-touch shot. It was the third straight game with a goal for Habroune, a 20-year-old homegrown player in his third MLS season, and Tapia finished with a goal and an assist.

Cincinnati will look at the shot count and wonder how this ended 2-0. The home side outshot Columbus 24 to 4, in front of a sellout crowd of 25,513, the club's 12th sellout of 2026. Patrick Schulte made eight saves for Columbus and recorded his sixth shutout of the season. Cincinnati was held scoreless for the first time since Sept. 9 at Philadelphia.

Why it matters

The points are tight and they are direct. Columbus improved to 10-15-5 with 35 points, one point behind ninth-place Cincinnati at 9-11-9 and 36 points. Ninth place in the Eastern Conference is the final wild-card spot, and the Crew now sit one result behind the team that holds it, with five matches left for Cincinnati and the same closing stretch in front of Columbus.

The derby numbers also moved. Columbus has won three in a row against Cincinnati, is unbeaten in five straight meetings, and now leads the regular-season Hell Is Real series 9 wins, 3 losses and 6 draws. The Crew have won four of their last five games overall. Cincinnati has one win in its last nine.

There was one home milestone inside the loss. Nick Hagglund entered as a first-half substitute in the 18th minute and made his 179th appearance for FC Cincinnati, tying Yuya Kubo for the most games played in club history.

What happens next

Cincinnati stays at TQL Stadium and hosts D.C. United on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Columbus returns home to host Toronto on Saturday, with the wild-card gap down to a single point and the derby win as the proof it can close it.

Timeline

  1. Oct 18, 2026Tapia heads in a Mendez corner at 22 minutes and Habroune scores on a counterattack at 54 minutes. Schulte makes eight saves as Columbus wins 2-0 at Cincinnati.
  2. Oct 21, 2026Cincinnati hosts D.C. United at TQL Stadium. Columbus, one point behind Cincinnati for the final East wild-card spot, hosts Toronto on Saturday.

Sources