What started as a routine Hell Is Real rivalry win for the Columbus Crew turned into a tense walk to the locker room Saturday night, as a late red card and on-field shoving spilled into the tunnel at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field following a 2-1 victory over FC Cincinnati.
After the final whistle, tempers that had been simmering through stoppage time boiled over. Players from both sides gathered angrily around the referee, then trailed each other toward the tunnel, where things nearly erupted. Coaches, stadium security and police officers rushed in as the two groups converged in the narrow passage. Video from the scene shows staff forming a human barrier between the clubs to keep punches from being thrown. No arrests were reported, and there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
Late Red Changed The Tone
The home side scored twice in the final minutes of the first half and then saw out the 2-1 result, according to FC Cincinnati's match recap. The temperature spiked in stoppage time, when a straight red card on the visitors turned a chippy finish into something more volatile.
Referee Allen Chapman showed FC Cincinnati midfielder Gerardo Valenzuela a straight red deep into stoppage time for what the match report lists as violent conduct, and the dismissal immediately set off an on-field confrontation that referees and staff struggled to cool down. As Fox Sports notes, the card was registered in stoppage time and appears to be the spark that lit the postgame flare-up.
Tunnel Video Shows Staff Stepping In
Moments after the match ended, footage circulating online shows several Columbus players hustling toward the tunnel entrance while FC Cincinnati personnel move to block and push back. Local coverage and fan social posts captured the chaotic scrum from multiple angles.
The clip, shared widely on X and embedded in several recaps, shows local outlets described coaches, stadium security and Columbus police stepping in between the two sides to keep things from escalating further. Footage and fan accounts indicate the confrontation on the field briefly cooled before some players carried the dispute into the tunnel, where stewards formed a line to keep the squads separated, according to Cincinnati Soccer Talk.
Players on both benches were visibly emotional after what Crew staff described as a dangerous late challenge on Taha Habroune.
League Review Likely, Discipline Possible
A straight red for violent conduct triggers at least an automatic suspension under league rules, and the MLS Disciplinary Committee can tack on additional bans or fines after reviewing the incident. According to the league’s published disciplinary principles, the Committee “may review the play for further disciplinary action, over and above the mandatory one game suspension” if it deems the play egregious.
The league says it will examine all available video and evidence when considering supplemental discipline, which could extend a suspension beyond the automatic ban. MLS laid out those review parameters in its disciplinary guidance.
The Hell Is Real derby already has a long history of heated flashpoints, and this after-dark tunnel scene now joins the lore as the talking point heading into the clubs’ next meetings. Both teams largely kept their public posture to standard postgame quotes and match notes, per FC Cincinnati coverage, and the league’s supplemental review will determine whether anything more formal follows before the rivals see each other again later this season. Fans and pundits on both sides are already dissecting the footage, and the league is expected to release a formal decision in the coming days.
