Rivalries are an integral component as it relates to adding an elevated amount of interest to any sports league around the globe. Perhaps nothing is better at giving sport elements of drama and intrigue than when two teams who despise one another meet on the field of play. They often define how fans, analysts, even players and coaches view the sport as a whole, especially from a historical perspective.
Throughout the 19-year history of Major League Soccer, there have been a variety of compelling rivalries that have sprouted up across the league. Many of these have come about on account of geographical proximity. Others were the result of both teams being in title contention over a multiyear period and consistently meeting in the playoffs. A few MLS rivalries even predate the league itself, stretching back to the NASL days of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Here at LWOS Footy, we’ve been showcasing a multitude of unique takes on the league’s next evolution in our MLS 3.0 series. Purely from the standpoint of visibility and popularity, I think the ultimate goal of this era should be to ensure that the average sports fan eventually recognizes the league as a ‘5th major North American sport’ alongside the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL. Rivalries have an immensely important role to play as the league continues to grow, especially from a fan base perspective.
With that in mind, I want to profile six current rivalries that I think will generate the most excitement, lend themselves to transcending American soccer itself, and get opposing fans’ blood boiling for years and decades to come. What distinguishes one of these rivalries from those in other American sports and even those in soccer leagues abroad is the fact that it doesn’t involve just two teams. There’s also a future rivalry in the league’s biggest market that has the potential to get nasty when it commences in 2015.
MLS Rivalries
CASCADIA CUP – Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps
To say that there’s an above average level of disdain amongst the three supporters’ groups, particularly between the Timbers’ Army and Emerald City Supporters, would be selling the word disdain short. The Portland fans once put up a billboard in Seattle emphasizing the Rose City’s self-proclaimed title of ‘Soccer City USA.’ During a US Open Cup match in 2009, Sounders player Roger Levesque scored a goal early in the game and then proceeded to mock Timbers fans with his goal celebration that imitated a tree falling to the ground.
The teams have split all three editions of the Cascadia Cup since they all became part of MLS. The 2013 trophy was the most competitive, with Vancouver winning it by 2 points over both Seattle and Portland. If you want to learn more, make sure you check out Roger Cleaves’ comprehensive breakdown of this historic series.
401 DERBY – Toronto FC, Montreal Impact
Named for the Canadian highway that links these two great North American cities, this rivalry can also be traced back to the NASL days when the Toronto Metros and Montreal Olympique began play in 1971. The Montreal franchise would cease operations in 1974, thus hindering any lasting soccer rivalry to develop then. There was a brief revival of the series when the Montreal Impact and Toronto Lynx joined the A-League in the 1990s.
There are two primary factors holding this rivalry back in its current iteration. Poor scheduling is one, as John Richan has discussed recently. The other is the fact that Montreal is currently languishing in the MLS basement. Given the exceptional fan support both teams enjoy, with Toronto’s Red Patch Boys supporters’ group and Ultras’ Montreal for the Impact, it can’t be understated that this is a sleeping giant rivalry waiting to burst with intensity if and when both these teams become contenders.
ATLANTIC CUP – New York Red Bulls, DC United
This rivalry is the embodiment of good, old-fashioned Northeast animosity, much like Yankees-Red Sox in baseball. Though the Cup was introduced in 2002, these two charter members of the league have hated one another since that first 1996 season when New York was known as the MetroStars. The two met in the inaugural MLS Cup Playoffs, with DC winning a three game series 2-1 after Raul Diaz Arce scored on a penalty kick in the 89th minute of Game 3.
The series as well as the league itself was dominated by DC in the early years, with the franchise capturing three of the first four MLS Cups. However, New York has begun to realize much more success recently, with the team’s acquisition by the Red Bull energy drink empire heralding a fresh new identity for the team, along with a state of the art facility that opened in 2010.
CALIFORNIA CLASICO – Los Angeles Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes
Much like the DC-New York rivalry, this all-Golden State affair began in MLS’ inaugural season of 1996, when San Jose was known as the Clash. It’s officially the league’s longest running named rivalry and those who have played in it constantly refer to it as the most intense the league has. It effectively personifies a social disconnect that oftentimes exists between residents of Northern and Southern California.
The series was in limbo for a few years when the San Jose franchise, which changed their name to the Earthquakes in 1999, relocated to Houston seven years later. It only took two years for San Jose to return to MLS as an expansion franchise when an agreement for the eventual construction of a soccer-specific stadium was reached. The Earthquakes move into these new digs next season, and it can only serve to enhance a rivalry that defines the personality of America’s most populous state.
TRILLIUM CUP – Columbus Crew, Toronto FC
Though dedicated aficionados of the league will most likely decry this rivalry as one manufactured by the league, don’t tell that to Toronto fans. They have annually sent a contingent of 2,500 fans to Crew Stadium since the Trilium Cup was founded in 2008. In fact, in the aftermath of a 1-1 draw between the two sides on March 28, 2009, several fights broke out between supporters of the two clubs, with police rumored to have tasered two Toronto fans.
TEXAS DERBY – Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and when it comes to the trophy the winner of the Houston-Dallas MLS rivalry receives, they aren’t kidding. Known as El Capitan, it’s not as much of a trophy as it is a 19th century Civil War-era cannon. The thing works too. The holder of the trophy at the time will fire it when the home team scores as well as during pregame festivities and other significant parts of the game.
HUDSON RIVER DERBY – New York Red Bulls, New York City FC
With NYCFC beginning play in 2015 at Yankee Stadium, it’s only inevitable that a crosstown rivalry should come about with the New York Red Bulls. Given the location of Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ on the other side of the Hudson River, a trophy that symbolizes that natural division which millions of people cross bridges over or take tunnels under on an almost daily basis would certainly be fitting.
Already, the new kids on the block have begun to upstage their more established future rival with two high profile signings in Frank Lampard and David Villa. With Thierry Henry’s looming retirement on the horizon and players like Tim Cahill receiving interest from abroad, the onus is on the Red Bulls to respond in kind and make a big splash acquisition of their own in the offseason.
HONORABLE MENTION RIVALRIES: SuperClasico (Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA), Brimstone Cup (Chicago Fire, FC Dallas), Rocky Mountain Cup (Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake), Heritage Cup (San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders)
Perhaps one of the best methods of cultivating more interest from casual sports fans in MLS markets is to promote the uniqueness of these rivalries and what sets them apart from those in other sports. As the league continues to trend higher in attendance and more people discover the passion and vibrancy that exists in MLS stadiums, it can only help to enhance the league’s reputation from a quality of play and stadium environment standpoint. Sports as theater and drama stem not just from the result on the field but also from the buildup and backstory created by compelling story lines of which rivalries play a major role.
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