The Black & Gold spent the days leading up to the weekend preparing for the first Major League Soccer derby against new in-state rivals FC Cincinnati. The pre-match talk was all about getting a result against MLS’s last-place team as Columbus pushes for a playoff spot. The fans, who made up the largest regular season crowd at MAPFRE Stadium since 2015, created a spectacular environment before the contest kicked off.
But then the Crew conceded two goals in the first 30 minutes and were shellshocked. The Black & Gold fought back, however, scoring a penalty kick just before halftime and a wonder-strike from Pedro Santos just after the hour mark, but couldn’t find the winner despite some clear-cut chances and settled for a 2-2 draw that the players admitted felt more like a loss.