With the first teams of the Hell Is Real derby squaring off on Saturday, the future of both clubs will be getting their first taste of the Heck is Plausible derby on Sunday. FC Cincinnati 2 is riding into Columbus off a three-game winning streak and looking to vanquish Crew 2 for the second time in club history.
FCC2 is red hot coming into this matchup. On April 18th, the club announced that the Director of Player Pathway Jeff Larentowicz would be assisting the coaching staff at FCC2. Almost instantly, this club has had a renewed spark in their play. It is hard to measure the exact impact the move made but no doubt fresh eyes are always welcome in the world of coaching. Since April 18th, FCC2 has had three impressive victories in a row over Atlanta, Philly and Crown Legacy. They have also outscored their opposition 9-3 in those matches.
FCC2’s surge in goal-scoring has come from all over the roster. Eight players on the FCC2 roster have scored goals this season. The emergence of Peter Mangione has been a welcome sight for the Orange and Blue. His last-minute stoppage-time goal versus Crown Legacy gave FCC2 the late advantage last Saturday. He has four goal contributions for FCC2, including two goals and two assists. The young forward Stefan Chirila, who won the Generation Adidas Cup Golden Boot, scored his first professional goal in that win versus Crown Legacy.
🇺🇸 FC Cincinnati academy forward Stefan Chirila wins the Golden Boot for the U-17 GA Cup.
Chirila, 17, joined Cincy academy from Philly last year. He made his second team debut this season with Cincy. pic.twitter.com/pvcIkSnxr3
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) April 7, 2024
For Columbus Crew 2, their form has been steady, as they sit midtable. Their standout attacking option has been winger Brent Adu-Gyamfi, who has three goals and one assist this season. Adu-Gyamfi’s output has been a welcome sight as the top Crew 2 scorer from 2023, Gibran Rayo, has yet to score this season. Crew 2 is led by Kelvin Jones after former manager Laurent Courtois was announced as the head man at CF Montreal in January.
🇺🇸 3rd goal of the season for Brent Adu-Gyamfi (18), who also got the assist on Chase Adams’ goal. It’s been a breakout year for Adu-Gyamfi, who only scored 1 goal last season but has improved a lot this year 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XXU9EzteZR
— American Ultras Talk (@ameriultrastalk) April 29, 2024
The match will be held at Lower.com Field on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST. To watch it, use the following link below.
Columbus Crew 2 vs FC Cincinnati 2 – Stream