“I want to thank the FC Cincinnati fans for everything. I hope they never, ever forget what they do for me.”

Speaking on the phone from Senegal, Djiby Fall’s laugh and enthusiasm filled the space between his answers and silence before the next question.

FC Cincinnati’s former forward is back in his home country with his family and said he’s still training and playing. His last club was Hobro in Denmark in 2018. Before that, he was FCC’s No. 9 in 2017 and scored 16 goals across 29 competitive appearances.

One of those goals, his double header against Columbus Crew SC, is the reason for this phone call.

On June 14, 2017, the Orange and Blue beat Columbus 1-0 in the fifth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. There’s no way to understate how important the win was.

For Cincinnati, it continued the club’s remarkable U.S. Open Cup run, which became critical in awarding the team an MLS expansion franchise.

But it was also about bragging rights. By beating the Crew, FCC, then a USL outfit, beat their MLS neighbor and upped the ante for any future #HellIsReal Derby.

Saturday is the first rematch, and the inaugural derby match between the clubs as league opponents. But unlike the 2017 meeting, this one is in MAPFRE Stadium. The rematch is Aug. 25 at Nippert Stadium.

So, in the buildup to the game, I asked the Senegalese striker about his infamous goal, about the #HellisReal Derby and his message to all Cincinnati supporters.

Charlie Hatch: FC Cincinnati play the Columbus Crew on Saturday. What do you remember against them?

Djiby Fall: Yes, I remember the derby game. A derby is a derby. Everyone was preparing for that game and I remember the atmosphere was like Europe before the game. When we got to the stadium, the people were so happy and so excited. Then we played good and won the game and of course, I remember I scored the goal, a difficult one. The team did very well, we won the game and everyone was very happy; us, the fans, the city. The derby game is so important for the FC Cincinnati fans.

CH: Your goal came from two headers. What do you remember from it?

DF: Almost all the players, when I played there, they knew my (heading) quality and to make a cross in the box. I knew when we had a chance, they would cross to me, so I had to be ready. Justin (Hoyte) made a good ball and I was fighting the defender, so the ball stayed in the air, so I kept on fighting and it turned out I scored the ball. I was so, so, so happy. When I saw my teammates and how they were running to me, and all the fans screaming, that is real happiness. That’s why the derby is always the derby.

CH: As a USL team, how special was it to beat the MLS rival in a derby?

DF: It’s different now because before we were in USL. Of course, if you lose the game, no one is going to blame us because we are in the USL. The motivation right now, I don’t know, but in USL, our motivation was so high because we don’t have nothing to lose with this game and everything to win. We played without pressure. We knew that if we lose, everyone would say, “It’s OK, they’re an MLS team, they have a great team with players who’ve played together three or four years. It’s not easy.” But in the end, we made them surprised and we win this game.

Now, it’s different because it’s an MLS team against an MLS team and now everybody knows Cincinnati fans love the derby game and they’re so excited for the derby game. I think it’s going to be a very good game on Saturday and I hope everyone enjoys it and Cincinnati wins.

CH: Do you have a message to FCC fans?

DF: What I say for FC Cincinnati fans is they have to follow the team and keep pushing them to victory. It’s very important. Cincinnati have some of the best fans in the United States. When you are a player and you’re playing your best, you can feel that. These Cincinnati fans are so emotional. The only thing I say is they have to keep supporting the team and never let the team down.

FC Cincinnati, for me, is a team for the fans because these fans make everything for this club. And the players, I know they get this feeling too. I hope the fans keep supporting this team since we built this from 2016 to now. Everyone wants to play at Nippert Stadium because it’s so beautiful to play over there. It’s so beautiful. Everyone says they’re some of the best fans, so they have to preserve that image. And in the hard times, just be positive. It’s very important for the club and for the players.