Who will be our biggest rival?

[Czar Pazzo]

Who will be SLC's biggest rival and why?

Colorado Rapids - Who's the king of the rocky mountains?
Chivas USA - everyone already hates them
LA, SJ, Dallas - proximity
someone out of the east - gimme a reason!

[cosmojado]

Colorado

But feel free to hate LA, everybody else does.

[Tyler66]

I say Colorado, cuz of the Rocky Mountain connection.

[McGinty]

I still think Dallas will be in the East next season so I would think you need to replace them with KC.

Its too hard to predict a rival. A lot of it will depend on how certain games go against certain teams.

[Freddy Garcia Lives]

How about an award to the team between Colorado and SLC that gets the stadium up first? Start a building rivalry.

I think that Colorado can be, but they need to start some trash or get it going somehow.

[jasoncox]

Hopefully it will be the Rapids because I think regional rivalries are the funnest. The closer they are, the more likely that you'll run into rival fans. :)

[somebody]

Byu

[buffalobollocks]

Hopefully it will be the Rapids because I think regional rivalries are the funnest. The closer they are, the more likely that you'll run into rival fans. :)


especially considering Salt Lake City already has an inferiority complex with respect to its larger, more cosmopolitan, and internationally-recognized neighbor (Denver) to the east.

how else do you explain the fact that SLC networks never show the broncos as part of their regional telecasts, even though the broncos are the most popular NFL team in the state, and instead cling to that tenuous Steve Young was on the 49ers link and show them instead.

Here's to many years of Rapids - Utah regional rivalry that one day may grow akin to that of Manchester United and Liverpool

[jasoncox]

I think there are actually more people that HATE the broncos than people that like them around here.

There doesn't seem to be any sort of natural SLC/Denver rivalry nor cosmopolitan envy. The Jazz and Nuggets don't have any sort of rivalry. If there are any hostile sports feelings I think they exist mainly in the college ranks. Utah and BYU have mostly dominated the Mountain West conference in both football and basketball. So I think there is a rivalry between Utah/BYU/Air Force/CSU.

There seems to be more of a natural tendancy to dislike California, if any. I believe this would be mostly due to the growing number of California transplants moving to Utah.

[Calexico77]

I pray that it's Colorado. It would make them a more interesting team.

Then maybe I'd stop forgetting that they exist.

[655321]

How about waiting to see who you're most competitive with and who you have more memorable matches against?? I know it might sound crazy, but...

[Czar Pazzo]

I think there are actually more people that HATE the broncos than people that like them around here.

There doesn't seem to be any sort of natural SLC/Denver rivalry nor cosmopolitan envy. The Jazz and Nuggets don't have any sort of rivalry. If there are any hostile sports feelings I think they exist mainly in the college ranks. Utah and BYU have mostly dominated the Mountain West conference in both football and basketball. So I think there is a rivalry between Utah/BYU/Air Force/CSU.

There seems to be more of a natural tendancy to dislike California, if any. I believe this would be mostly due to the growing number of California transplants moving to Utah.

I agree, everyone I know loathes the Broncos, and lots of people love the 49ers. I disagree however that there is no rivalry between the Jazz and the Nuggets. For a long time there wasn't, because the Jazz were the best team in the West and the Nuggets were awful, but recently (especially last year) a rivalry has definitely heated up.
You are right about hostile feelings toward California though. I get so sick of these dudes from Cali saying they hate Utah and Cali was so much better. Then go back to California, please. My ancestors settled the town I live in (Pleasant Grove). So even I have a feeling of annoyance about California, even though without all these move-ins we probably wouldn't have the population to get a team! I detest all LA teams... but as far as a mutual rivarly, SLC-Colorado might be bigger. I mean, we hate L.A. but they don't care about SLC, right?

[jasoncox]

How about waiting to see who you're most competitive with and who you have more memorable matches against?? I know it might sound crazy, but...

The problem with that argument is that it contains logic...

[jfranz]

Growing up, my friends and I used to joke about a SLC/Denver rivalry. We fostered one in our little group and perhaps even deceived ourselves into thinking that others shared our feelings. Rumor had it that there used to be a sign about 30min. from the Denver airport that said "If you were in Utah, you'd be skiing already." In fact, you can barely even see the Mountains from Denver. Versus SLC, where much of downtown, the avenues residential area and the University are quite literally on the foothills of the spectacular Wasatch Range. Huge peaks surround you in every direction. The best snow on earth and scenery unlike any other metropolitan area in the US. I can hop in my car and be in the middle of some of America's greatest Mountain wildernes in less than ten minutes. Say what you will about the people in SLC (and I might easily join you in a critical corus), but the particular beauty of our little city is second to none.

Anyway...

I don't remember there ever being a "professional rivalry" - perhaps because the Jazz are Utah's only major league team and the Nuggets sucked until they got 'Melo. But the rivalry between these two cities took a turn when Salt Lake landed the 2002 Winter Olympics. Denver tried to get the Olympics in the '70s (if memory serves) but failed. A popular writer for a Denver paper (sorry, can't remember his name), even wrote a column or two about how Denver was the real capital of the Interrmountain West and that SLC was basically a sad, pathetic little place. Despite it all, SLC threw one hell of a party and hosted THE most successful Winter Olympics in history. And for those of you wondering, there was no shortage of alcohol, and no army of Mormon Missionaries waiting to convert or condem visitors.

Hopefully, MLS can continue to stoke the flames of an Intermountain Rivalry.

Let the trash talking continue. :)

[Wade Bills]

.
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But the rivalry between these two cities took a turn when Salt Lake landed the 2002 Winter Olympics. Denver tried to get the Olympics in the '70s (if memory serves) but failed. A popular writer for a Denver paper (sorry, can't remember his name), even wrote a column or two about how Denver was the real capital of the Interrmountain West and that SLC was basically a sad, pathetic little place.

Let the trash talking commence. :)

Denver actually had the Olympics awarded to them in 1976, but Colorado citizens rejected providing public funds when it came to a bonding issue in an election which caused the organizers to give back the Olympics which ended up being held in Austria.

One of my favorite moments in the Utah-Denver history was back in the mid-80s when the Jazz hosted the Nuggets in the first year the Jazz ever made the playoffs. In the best of 5 series (with a 2-2-1 format), Utah had the first 2 at home, barely won game 1 and lost game 2 decisively, then lost game 3 in Denver. One of the Denver reporters wrote a long story about how the Jazz no chance in game 4 because they had "no heart". Well Utah won game 4 to force game 5. At game 5 in SLC, they passed out little chocolate hearts to everyone at the game and Utah won to win the series 3-2.

Back in 1990-91, the Salt Lake Sting and Colorado Foxes had a short lived rivalry in what later became the A-League. (Salt Lake folded in mid-1991) Salt Lake didn't fare well and the only time the Sting ever won was actually in a pre-season game. In 1990, Colorado won both games in the playoff series the 2 teams played.

[Bonji]

There are a good number of SLC/Utah people living in Denver and along the front range. The cities are reasonably close in terms of distance and much closer in terms of life styles. Aside from the whole Mormon thing, Denver and SLC have people who love the outdoors, skiing and things like that. I think the SLC transplants in Denver who like soccer will be interested in the rivalry.

Denver to SLC is 530 miles. Denver to Kansas City is 600 miles. So we'll be closer to SLC by 70 miles, thus there will be a more heated rivalry! :)

I also agree with the whole Rocky Mountain thing. The Rapids and new SLC team should create some kind of Rocky Mountain Cup. It'll give them something to market around.

[Rapids/Arsenal Fan]

Hopefully it will be the Rapids because I think regional rivalries are the funnest. The closer they are, the more likely that you'll run into rival fans. :)

First of all, congrats to the SLC for getting a team, and welcome to MLS.

I'm not sure about the proximity thing and becoming a huge rivalry and all that. KC is a similar distance away from Denver, and we definitely don't see too many Wizards fans at games. Maybe a couple of groups will come out if we're playing each other in the playoffs, but it's not enough to stoke a rivalry. And it's similar with Rapids fans as well.

Ok, let's get this started:

In fact, you can barely even see the Mountains from Denver. Versus SLC, where much of downtown, the avenues residential area and the University are quite literally on the foothills of the spectacular Wasatch Range. Huge peaks surround you in every direction. The best snow on earth and scenery unlike any other metropolitan area in the US. I can hop in my car and be in the middle of some of America's greatest Mountain wildernes in less than ten minutes. Say what you will about the people in SLC (and I might easily join you in a critical corus), but the particular beauty of our little city is second to none.

This drivel is full of ********. Are you blind? You can easily see the mountains from Denver. And Colorado has the best skiing in the world. I'll give you guys Alta and Snowbird, never been to Park City and I'm sure that nice, but even those have a hard time hanging with with Summit County which boasts 6 amazing ski resorts, all within 20 minutes of each other, and just a 90 minute car ride from Denver.

And after that, what is there? Uh, lets see....Mormon stuff....and then there's some Mormon stuff....a big salty lake....and then some buildings that you can't get into because you're not Mormon. I'll be amazed if anyone even wants to go to your city for an away game because we're probably going to need 8 different forms of ID just to get a beer or even coffee.

I'm surprised that you guys even got a team...I can think of a few other places like St. Louis that deserve a squad more than SLC, but I had no idea that people in SLC even knew about soccer. I'm sure family night will be huge there, but aside from that I'm not expecting you guys to break any attendence records.

Good luck.

[UPinSLC]

This drivel is full of ********. Are you blind? You can easily see the mountains from Denver. And Colorado has the best skiing in the world. I'll give you guys Alta and Snowbird, never been to Park City and I'm sure that nice, but even those have a hard time hanging with with Summit County which boasts 6 amazing ski resorts, all within 20 minutes of each other, and just a 90 minute car ride from Denver.

And after that, what is there? Uh, lets see....Mormon stuff....and then there's some Mormon stuff....a big salty lake....and then some buildings that you can't get into because you're not Mormon. I'll be amazed if anyone even wants to go to your city for an away game because we're probably going to need 8 different forms of ID just to get a beer or even coffee.

I'm surprised that you guys even got a team...I can think of a few other places like St. Louis that deserve a squad more than SLC, but I had no idea that people in SLC even knew about soccer. I'm sure family night will be huge there, but aside from that I'm not expecting you guys to break any attendence records.

Good luck.
90 minutes? 60 minutes from slc airport gives 10 resorts with better powder, fewer tourist rich snobby bastards who dont know how to ski/snowboard. 8 resorts within 20 minutes. best skiing in the world....haha i dont know what your smoking, it must be some good ******** though. 8 forms of id? wtf, try 1. id for coffee? you really are the typical ignorant person who sees only what is overblown in the media about this state.

colorado the best skiing in the world.......ahaha. im about to cry its so funny.

not to mention over 40000 kids in youth leagues. didnt the blitzz just beat the rapids reserves a week ago? you are pathetic.

[Bonji]

90 minutes? 60 minutes from slc airport gives 10 resorts with better powder, fewer tourist rich snobby bastards who dont know how to ski/snowboard. 8 resorts within 20 minutes. best skiing in the world....haha i dont know what your smoking, it must be some good ******** though. 8 forms of id? wtf, try 1. id for coffee? you really are the typical ignorant person who sees only what is overblown in the media about this state.

colorado the best skiing in the world.......ahaha. im about to cry its so funny.

not to mention over 40000 kids in youth leagues. didnt the blitzz just beat the rapids reserves a week ago? you are pathetic.

I guess the rivalry is already going. Who needs soccer when you can argue about skiing and drinking?

And yes you can see the mountains from Denver. Lakewood, our neighbor to the west is the foothills.

[UPinSLC]

I guess the rivalry is already going. Who needs soccer when you can argue about skiing and drinking?

And yes you can see the mountains from Denver. Lakewood, our neighbor to the west is the foothills.
hopefully this caries onto the field and into the stands......

btw, i never said you could or could not see the mountains from denver. i have never been there myself, but i have seen pictures and i guess you can see peaks of mountains. its definitly nothing compared to salt lake, but then again what city is? :D