Columbus Derby Recap: Fountain City Struggle, Fall 0-3 to Elite
Fountain City FC vs FC Columbus Elite
Image credit: Fountain City FC
The third ever meeting between Fountain City FC and FC Columbus Elite was promoted as the Columbus Derby. The match was played at Odis Spencer Stadium, which is the home field for both teams, with Fountain City considered the home team for the match. Their most recent meeting was in the 2024 Spring season playoffs for the Georgia South conference in Divsion 1 of the UPSL. Elite won that game 4-3. It was Fountain City's first-ever competitive loss, and while it knocked them out of the playoffs, it didn't prevent their promotion to the Premier divsion. Elite followed in their footsteps, earning promotion after the Fall 2024 season.
A Fast Start
Right out of the gate, this game had the makings of a chippy derby game. The referee was determined to keep things under control, and issued the first yellow card after just five minutes of play; no warnings, straight to the pocket. It sounded like there was a pretty decent crowd, and they were vocal throughout the match. Both teams played with a lot of intensity. Stylistically, Fountain City were direct in attack, while Elite were more controlled with the ball, patiently building from the back. At the 26 minute mark, that first yellow card would come home to roost - the same player got his second yellow and was sent off.
Image credit: Fountain City YouTube broadcast
Fountain City had the advantage, but they wouldn't have an easy time of it. Elite maintained pressure, and came forward after a key takeaway, with time about to run out for the first half. They were able to earn a corner kick, and in the scramble at the top of the box, Fountain City were called for a handball in the box. The penalty kick was given, and the Elite player scored easily after sending the keeper the wrong way. Despite being down a man, Columbus Elite took a 1-0 lead into the half.
Elite Takes Control of the Game
Fountain City came out of the half looking to press forward to get an equalizer. Elite stayed organized, and found themselves a great opportunity from a counter. As the Colgaelite player made the turn towards goal, he was taken down in the box, earning another penalty kick.
Image credit: Fountain City YouTube broadcast
The penalty approach was anything but a direct route to the ball. The Fountain keeper guessed correctly, but the ball squeaked by, giving Elite a 2-0 lead at 53 minutes. There's really no way to sugarcoat it: Fountain City completely lost their composure after that goal. Their passing became very sloppy, and Elite took the ball away repeatedly in a very short stretch of time. In all of that, a Fountain player committed a completely unnecessary foul out of frustration and was shown a yellow card - his second. Both teams were back to equal strength.
Things did not get better for Fountain City. At about the 70 minute mark the Fountain goalkeeper collided with an Elite player as the ball came in from a corner kick. He went down hard, and after being down for several minutes he was helped off of the pitch. His replacement was a field player that put on the gloves and a penny and hoped for the best. In the 82nd minute, Elite would get their third and final goal on a counterattack, finishing the job with a big 3-0 win.
This is FC Columbus Elite's first season at the Premier level, and they lost their first four games, sporting a -20 goal differential. The Derby win makes two wins in a row by a combined 5-0. They might be hitting their stride.