CINCINNATI — Tickets for the season's first Hell is Real showdown between FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew have sold out, FC Cincinnati announced on Friday.
The Saturday game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. Fans who didn't nab tickets in time will can stream the game on Apple TV with the MLS Season Pass. It will also broadcast on ESPN 1530.
The sellout means TQL Stadium will be packed to its 25,513-person capacity on match day and FC Cincinnati is encouraging those with tickets to arrive early to get to their seats more easily.
The Hell is Real match is the 14th time fans have snapped up every ticket available to see the Orange and Blue take the field since 2021. It's the sixth time this season TQL Stadium has sold out — out of eight home games.
FC Cincinnati goes into its showdown with the crew as the top-ranked team in the MLS Eastern Conference with 8 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties (27 points total) under the team's belt. Columbus ranks in at No. 5 with 5 wins, 4 ties and 3 losses (18 points).
On their home turf, however, FC Cincinnati is undefeated so far this season.
The next time Cincinnati and Columbus clash will be on August 20 on the Crew's turf at Lower.com Field.
Recently, FC Cincinnati announced the team would say goodbye to popular Brazilian striker Brenner Souza de Silva in a deal FC Cincinnati said was its biggest deal yet. The forward's transfer was one of the 10 most expensive outbound transfers in league history, according to the MLS; FC Cincinnati transferred Brenner to Italy to play for Udinese to the tune of $10 million, the MLS said.
But fans packing TQL Stadium for the Hell is Real matchup on Saturday will still get to see him in action; Brenner's not leaving the Orange and Blue until the beginning of July. The MLS announced Brenner's last match in the league will be on July 1, when FC Cincinnati plays the New England Revolution at TQL Stadium.
Brenner won't be with the team the next time Cincinnati and Columbus clash on August 20 on the Crew's turf at Lower.com Field.
