(Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images)

There are sparks every time Ohio rivals FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew play. Add a playoff matchup and the 'Hell Is Real' derby gets even spicier.

That should be the case Monday when Eastern Conference No. 2 seed FC Cincinnati hosts the No. 7 Crew in the first match of a best-of-three first-round series. Match 2 is next Sunday at Columbus.

The rivalry's name is taken from a billboard between the two cities on Interstate 71.

'Hopefully, by the end of it, it's going to be a movie with a good ending in our way,' Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte said. 'I think that's the best way to describe it. The fans don't like each other; teams don't like each other. There's been some battles, and hopefully we can continue writing our story. At the end of the day, it's just another team in our way of trying to hoist another MLS Cup.'

The Crew's 2023 title run included a legendary 3-2 extra-time victory over FC Cincinnati in the conference final after trailing 2-0 in the second half.

FC Cincinnati now has more firepower for what they intend to be a long playoff run. Evander scored 18 goals and had 15 assists while Kevin Denkey had 17 contributions (15 goals, two assists).

'It's playoff time,' Evander said. 'It's going to be a different game than it was in a regular season, and you need to be 100% prepared for those type of games.

'The playoff format it's different because you cannot make those mistakes that you would make in the regular season.'

Crew leading scorer Diego Rossi (16 goals in 29 matches) is questionable because of a hamstring injury and new designated player Wessam Abou Ali (three goals in five matches) is still out because of a hairline fracture in his right ankle.

The Crew needed a win over the New York Red Bulls in the regular season finale to avoid the wild-card play-in match and Schulte hopes the momentum continues.

'The playoffs is about finding your rhythm, your peak at the right time, and to end the season on a win just elevates that and lifts you up going into the playoffs and allows us to kind of hit our stride at the right time,' Schulte said.

-- Field Level Media