FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew SC, MLS 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew SC — MLS at Nippert Stadium.
- FC Cincinnati 15 games · 20 pts (2026/26)
- Columbus Crew SC 15 games · 16 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Robert Sibiga
- Referee Ted Unkel
- Referee Hilario Grajeda
- Referee Cory Richardson
- Referee
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 14 | 33 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 14 | 26 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 22 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 15 | 21 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 15 | 20 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 15 | 19 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 15 | 18 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 15 | 16 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Montreal Impact FC | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 15 | 7 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 | 32 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 32 |
| 18 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 26 |
| 19 | FC Dallas | 15 | 25 |
| 20 | Los Angeles FC | 15 | 24 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 13 | 24 |
| 22 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | 22 |
| 23 | Minnesota United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 20 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 15 | 17 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 15 | 16 |
| 27 | St. Louis City | 14 | 16 |
| 28 | Portland Timbers | 14 | 14 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 15 | 14 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 14 | 11 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 25 Aug | Chicago Fire FC | A | 0–3 | L |
| 21 Aug | D.C. United SC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 29 Jul | Portland Timbers | A | 1–1 | D |
| 23 Jul | New York Red Bulls | H | 2–0 | W |
| 16 Jul | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug | FC Cincinnati | A | 0–0 | D |
| 24 Aug | New York City FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 20 Aug | Chicago Fire FC | H | 3–0 | W |
| 29 Jul | Minnesota United FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 22 Jul | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 17 Jul | New York Red Bulls | H | 2–0 | W |
Season Stats
| FC Cincinnati | Columbus Crew SC | |
|---|---|---|
| #7 | Position | #10 |
| 20 | Points | 16 |
| 15 | Played | 15 |
| 5 / 5 / 5 | W / D / L | 4 / 4 / 7 |
| 36 | Scored | 21 |
| 37 | Conceded | 23 |
| -1 | GD | -2 |
| 1.33 | PPG | 1.07 |
| 33% | Win % | 27% |
Key Stats
63%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (16 games)
H2H (16 games)
75%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
27%
Clean Sheets
FC Cincinnati this season
FC Cincinnati this season
27%
Clean Sheets
Columbus Crew SC this season
Columbus Crew SC this season
FC Cincinnati are 7th (20 pts). Columbus Crew SC are 10th (16 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
FC Cincinnati
0-15
1/1
16-30
2/5
31-45
7/3
46-60
3/4
61-75
2/1
76+
8/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Columbus Crew SC
0-15
2/3
16-30
2/1
31-45
2/1
46-60
3/2
61-75
1/2
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' The referee blows the starting whistle. The fans are roaring. The teams are ready for the match. FC Cincinnati is hosting Columbus Crew SC for another epic battle.
- 4' It’s a booking for FC Cincinnati player. Maikel van der Werff gets a Yellow card.
- 9' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Fatai Alashe made 245 appearances and scored 2 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 11' Joe Gyau was booked on 11.
- 16' FC Cincinnati is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 21' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Caleb Porter will be considering his options from the bench.
- 26' FC Cincinnati are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Columbus Crew SC backline.
- 31' The referee is likely to let players tackle, as he already missed some meaty challenges during opening seconds. He is still to establish what should not be done by the players and what is acceptable on the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for Yuya Kubo suffering a number of foals already.
- 36' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 41' Over 41 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 43' That is a Yellow card for Columbus Crew SC. Artur will be fuming at that decision.
- 48' A quiet spell here at Nippert Stadium. Columbus Crew SC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 53' Columbus Crew SC is showing some good football. However, Columbus Crew SC are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 55' Derrick Etienne gets the nod from Columbus Crew SC. He replaces Youness Mokhtar and will look to change the dynamic.
- 60' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 65' named a earlier, and opted for a in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 67' The whistle greets Pedro Santos as he departs to be replaced by Ema Boateng.
- 72' Haris Medunjanin is ready to make an impact after coming on for Siem de Jong at the 72 minute mark.
- 74' The referee shows Columbus Crew SC player a Yellow card on 74.
- 79' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 81' Time for substitution for Columbus Crew SC. Gyasi Zardes is replaced by Fanendo Adi.
- 86' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 89' Yuya Kubo is having his name booked by the referee on 89.
- 89' The crowd applauds Yuya Kubo as he leaves the pitch. Caleb Stanko steps in for FC Cincinnati.
- The final score is 0-0.
Lineups
FC Cincinnati Lineups
Starting XI
- 10
- 23
- 17
-
7
Yuya Kubo ↓ Caleb Stanko 89'
- 36
- 22
-
11
Siem de Jong ↓ Haris Medunjanin 72'
- 2
- 9
- 24
- 96
Bench
-
33
Caleb Stanko ↑ 89'
-
6
Haris Medunjanin ↑ 72'
- 14
- 8
- 19
- 4
- 12
- 1
- 3
Coach
Jaap Stam
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 1
- 19
- 4
- 25
-
11
Gyasi Zardes ↓ Fanendo Adi 81'
-
7
Pedro Santos ↓ Ema Boateng 67'
- 8
- 3
- 6
- 34
-
10
Lucas Zelarayan ↓ Fatai Alashe 67'
Bench
-
20
Ema Boateng ↑ 67'
- 13
-
22
Derrick Etienne ↑ 55'
- 2
- 16
-
26
Fatai Alashe ↑ 67'
-
9
Fanendo Adi ↑ 81'
- 30
- 18
Coach
Caleb Porter
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Gyasi Zardes | 7 |
| Lucas Zelarayan | 5 |
| Luciano Acosta | 4 |
| Miguel Berry | 3 |
| Pedro Santos | 3 |
| Max Arfsten | 2 |
| Diego Rossi | 2 |
| Isaac Atanga | 2 |
Head to Head
FC Cincinnati Form
Columbus Crew SC Form
2020-08-29
FC Cincinnati
0–0
Columbus Crew SC
D
2020-08-24
New York City FC
1–0
Columbus Crew SC
L
2020-08-20
Columbus Crew SC
3–0
Chicago Fire FC
W
2020-07-29
Columbus Crew SC
1–1
Minnesota United FC
D
2020-07-22
Atlanta United FC
0–1
Columbus Crew SC
W
2020-07-17
Columbus Crew SC
2–0
New York Red Bulls
W
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
1 / 4
1.57
FC Cincinnati xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.49
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew SC 73% + Both teams to score 61%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 3.06
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 1.5 | 81% |
|
19% |
| ± 2.5 | 58% |
|
42% |
| ± 3.5 | 36% |
|
64% |
| ± 4.5 | 20% |
|
80% |
Double Chance
FC Cincinnati or Draw
66%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
62%
FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
11.9%
2 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
7.9%
1 – 0
6.5%
0 – 0
Actual
0 – 1
6.2%
2 – 2
6.2%
2 – 0
5.7%
0 – 2
5.2%
3 – 1
4.3%
1 – 3
3.9%
3 – 2
3.3%
Asian Handicap — FC Cincinnati
| Handicap | FC Cincinnati covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 12% | 80% |
| -1.5 | 20% | — | 80% |
| -1 | 20% | 19% | 62% |
| -0.5 | 38% | — | 62% |
| +0.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +1 | 65% | 18% | 17% |
| +1.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +2 | 83% | 11% | 7% |
| +2.5 | 93% | — | 7% |
Clean Sheet
FC Cincinnati keeps clean sheet
23%
✗
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
22%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.