CINCINNATI —

For a fourth straight season, FC Cincinnati finds itself in the playoff field as the club searches for its first ever MLS Cup.

For the second time in three seasons, the road to an MLS Cup goes through "Hell," as the Orange and Blue square off against their arch nemesis, the Columbus Crew, to bring the Hell Is Real derby to the postseason yet again. Advertisement

Last time, it was just a one-match affair, an Eastern Conference Final showdown that saw Columbus emerge victorious en route to their third MLS Cup title.

This time, it'll take at least two matches to settle, with the two rivals facing off in the best-of-3 first round, with game one kicking off Monday at TQL Stadium.

Before the sword is pulled and the ball gets rolling from the West End, here are the key storylin

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