Venue & Match Info
Stadium: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
kickoff: 6:45 PM ET
Competition: MLS Cup Playoffs, Round One (Best-of-3)
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1
Weather & Pitch Conditions
Forecast: Clear skies, ~61°F at kickoff, light winds (6–8 mph).
Impact: Ideal fall soccer conditions—fast pitch, minimal weather disruption.
Injury Report
FC Cincinnati:
Matt Miazga (injured) – out
Brad Smith (injured) – out
Columbus Crew SC:
Mohamed Farsi (injured) – out
Wessam Abou Ali (injured) – out
Diego Rossi (injured) – out
Team Recent Form
FC Cincinnati:
Goals For/Against: 57 GF, 34 GA (+23 GD)
Last 5 Matches: W-W-D-W-W
Home Record: 12-3-2 at TQL Stadium
Key Strength: Balanced attack led by Evander (18 goals, 12 assists).
Columbus Crew SC:
Goals For/Against: 54 GF, 52 GA (+2 GD)
Last 5 Matches: W-D-L-D-L
Road Record: 4-7-6 away from home
Key Strength: Diego Rossi (16 goals, 3 assists) but sidelined with injury.
Key Player Matchups
Evander (CIN, 18g/12a) vs Darlington Nagbe (CLB, CM): Evander’s creativity against Columbus’ midfield anchor.
Brenner (CIN, 4 goals in last 10) vs Rudy Camacho (CLB, CB): Cincinnati striker in form against Crew’s veteran defender.
Roman Celentano (CIN GK, 12 clean sheets) vs Cucho Hernández (CLB, 12 goals): Cincinnati’s shot-stopper against Crew’s most reliable scorer with Rossi out.
Series History
2025 Regular Season:
Cincinnati 2–2 Columbus (May)
Columbus 4–2 Cincinnati (August)
All-time MLS: Columbus lead the series, but Cincinnati have closed the gap in recent years.
Playoff History: First-ever postseason “Hell is Real” matchup.
Betting Trends
FC Cincinnati:
5-0-2 in last 7 matches.
2 straight clean sheets entering playoffs.
13-9-4 vs Eastern Conference opponents.
Columbus Crew SC:
2-4-4 in last 10 matches.
2 wins in last 10 away games.
11-7-8 vs Eastern Conference opponents.
MATCH ODDS
FC Cincinnati + 130 Draw + 250 Columbus Crew SC + 175
Over 2.5 – 120 Under 2.5 + 100
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Sunday, October 26, 2025
