St. Louis MLS biggest rival

[timpcrk]

When St. Louis gets an MLS team, who will you guys see as their biggest rival and hate the most? Chicago or Kansas City? Someone else?

I would definitely hate Chicago the most. I hate every sports team from Chicago, especially the Cubs. Not to mention that Sox and Bears fans have been popping out of the woodwork the past two years and driving me crazy. I can only imagine if the Blackhawks ever had a decent season. I don't typically harbor any ill will towards KC, the Royals, or the Chiefs though.

But I'm from Indiana so I might not represent the majority of STL fans. I would imagine that the fans from Illinois and east would see Chicago as a bigger rival and the fans from Missouri and west would see KC as the bigger rival, but I don't know. Then again, some classic matches against Columbus, Toronto, or Houston could lead to them becoming a big rival, who knows? This is why we need a team.

[hipityhop]

When St. Louis gets an MLS team, who will you guys see as their biggest rival and hate the most? Chicago or Kansas City? Someone else?

I would definitely hate Chicago the most. I hate every sports team from Chicago, especially the Cubs. Not to mention that Sox and Bears fans have been popping out of the woodwork the past two years and driving me crazy. I can only imagine if the Blackhawks ever had a decent season. I don't typically harbor any ill will towards KC, the Royals, or the Chiefs though.

But I'm from Indiana so I might not represent the majority of STL fans. I would imagine that the fans from Illinois and east would see Chicago as a bigger rival and the fans from Missouri and west would see KC as the bigger rival, but I don't know. Then again, some classic matches against Columbus, Toronto, or Houston could lead to them becoming a big rival, who knows? This is why we need a team.

Let me see if I got this right, you NEED a team so you can transfer your hatred to another specific city? This is healthy why???

[ironhead]

I'll just be happy for us to get an MLS club. As for rivalry, I would expect both Chicago and KC to be rivals.

I'm a lifelong Cardinals fan - we haven't forgotten 1985 and Don Deckinger...KC gets no free pass. lol

I really do dislike the Cubs, but respect (sort of) Cubs fans. I don't think I would actually feel hatred for any other set of fans, but perhaps over time would simply enjoy watching their teams lose, especially against STL.

That said, I just want STL to get an MLS side in the first place. The rest is all bonus.

[timpcrk]

Let me see if I got this right, you NEED a team so you can transfer your hatred to another specific city? This is healthy why???

No, we need a team so we can find out who our rivals are, along with all the other things a fan needs a team in order to do.

I never said I hated Chicago or Chicago fans. I said I hated sports teams from Chicago and that their fans drive me crazy when their teams do well. (Obviously my Cubby friends don't usually bother me too much.)

[Atarian]

When St. Louis gets an MLS team, who will you guys see as their biggest rival and hate the most? Chicago or Kansas City? Someone else?

I would definitely hate Chicago the most. I hate every sports team from Chicago, especially the Cubs. Not to mention that Sox and Bears fans have been popping out of the woodwork the past two years and driving me crazy. I can only imagine if the Blackhawks ever had a decent season. I don't typically harbor any ill will towards KC, the Royals, or the Chiefs though.

But I'm from Indiana so I might not represent the majority of STL fans. I would imagine that the fans from Illinois and east would see Chicago as a bigger rival and the fans from Missouri and west would see KC as the bigger rival, but I don't know. Then again, some classic matches against Columbus, Toronto, or Houston could lead to them becoming a big rival, who knows? This is why we need a team.


I grew up in Chicago and now live in STL. I am a die hard Sox fan, Bears fans. I like the the Blackhawks but not a real hockey fan. I also like the Bulls too. I have had no trouble with STL fans for being a Sox fan, since we both hate the Cubs. I root for the Cards, and Rams, I like to see the local team do good.
You seem to have a issue with the city of Chicago and its people. YOu need to work it out.

[Seph]

You seem to have a issue with the city of Chicago and its people. YOu need to work it out.

What? St. Louis and Chicago have always been rivals. In the 1900 census both cities blatantly falsified their numbers in an attempt to look bigger than the other, that's the kind of rivalry we're talking about. (Okay, we lost that one in the long run, but the rivalry part is still there.)

And the Cards-Cubs and Blues-Blackhawks things are part of your DNA if you're a St. Louisan.

[FC Uptown]

A lot of people might not remember, but a huge rivalry used to be the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Football Cardinals. Perhaps FCD and the St. Louis Union or whatever you guys are called could be good. I already envision StL fans annoying everyone with "the heart of American soccer has always been St. Louis.." nonsense. ;)
Actually, that would be a good name, St. Louis Hearts.
Like Hearts in Scotland.

[Nerazzuri]

A lot of things could go into who the rival is...

Most importantly, the play on the field. If, in the first few seasons of operation, our team has several close, heated affairs with the Columbus Crew, they may be our rival.

It could also depend on the league format. If the league is still divided into East and West, and you play the teams in your own division twice as often as those from the other division, that may impact it. Imagine if St Louis becomes the 14th team, and the league has East/West divisions. Well, the West may be LA, Chivas, RSL, Colorado, KC, Houston and Dallas, with the rest being in the East. That would make Chicago seem like the more likely rivalry, since we'd play them twice as often as KC.

Also, in football, the Chiefs and Rams compete for the Governor's Cup, but that wouldn't make much sense in MLS, since the Wizards would technically be from Kansas, and our team technically from Illinois, as opposed to both being from Missouri.

[BMGSouthCity]

I could see the rivalry going toward KC or Chicago. St. Louis has a chip on the shoulder toward Chicago, which I believe stems from the fact that Chicagans tend to stereotype us as hicks. Not at all of them, but the belief exists. That chip doesn't really exist toward KC. But the minute a visually challenged referee incorrectly calls back an STL goal in extra time of the MLS Cup Final against the Wizards, KC beware!

[BMGSouthCity]

A lot of people might not remember, but a huge rivalry used to be the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Football Cardinals. Perhaps FCD and the St. Louis Union or whatever you guys are called could be good. I already envision StL fans annoying everyone with "the heart of American soccer has always been St. Louis.." nonsense. ;)
Actually, that would be a good name, St. Louis Hearts.
Like Hearts in Scotland.

Yes, that would be a good, ACCURATE name.:p

[Guy Fawkes]

I say Kansas City AND Chicago, fairly equally, maybe more of a hatred for KC though. We COULD call Chicago the Flamers or something though.

I love rivalries.

[McGinty]

Most importantly, the play on the field. If, in the first few seasons of operation, our team has several close, heated affairs with the Columbus Crew, they may be our rival.

Exactly. Dallas and Chicago didn't become rivals because of geography.

Some Chicagoans truly don't like St. Louis. Others don't care that much. There's a thread on the Fire board about the possibility of a St. Louis MLS team, and while some claim they don't care about us, many others (especially the Cubs fans among them) truly would want the worst for us in MLS.

Personally, I don't have much hatred for KC. True, I used to live in the general KC area, but I never got into the Cards/Royals rivalry. I actually wished the best for the Royals.

[Net_Minder]

Chicago has to be your biggest rivalry by far if you guys land a team. I just don't see a rivalry with KC, it could happen but with their future uncertain it's hard to say.

[Atarian]

Not all rivalies are territorial. vie Lakers Celtics and such. So really we have to play the games and let the rivalies naturally happen.

[Eleven Bravo]

*note=I am a supporter of Atlanta getting a MLS team, but my intention of this post is not to "troll"

...Wouldn't you think it would be better if Kansas City just relocated to Saint Louis (and give a USL1 team to KC) instead of overswamping the Missouri market? It seems to me that Saint Louis is a little bit more of major league city than Kansas City and would do better than KC ever could...meanwhile i think KC could do well in USL1.

Now i'm not from Missouri, but i have a lot of friends from Missouri in the Army and they all seemed to be tied between Kansas City and Saint Louis as far as support...It seemed to me that St. Louis fans considered Chicago much more of a rival than Kansas City. My point is wouldn't a team in Kansas City and Saint Louis just split the fan support instead of creating a heated rivalry?...and in my opinion, the league can't afford that when major regions like the "the south", florida, and northwest are ignored (no one in the south considers florida..."southern")

anyways, i hope to one day see Saint Louis Archers (what i think they should name the team) either have a MLS team (just not at the cost of Atlanta) or a USL1 team. good luck.

[McGinty]

I'm not too worried about the "Missourah" market. There are enough people in both metropolitan areas to support teams in StL and KC, not to mention those outlying areas that may also draw support for either team.

There are Wizards fans in St. Louis, but I'd venture that there are just as many Fire fans here (perhaps more than Wizards).

And finally, you can complain about a lack of teams in the south when there are owners with stadium plans banging down the door for MLS.

[WarrenWallace]

instead of overswamping the Missouri market?

You do know that the distance between Kansas City and St. Louis is about the same at Atlanta to Nashville or Atlanta to Charlotte, right?

[Eleven Bravo]

You do know that the distance between Kansas City and St. Louis is about the same at Atlanta to Nashville or Atlanta to Charlotte, right?

yes, and i would think you would overswamp the southeast if you put teams in Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte too soon.

[McGinty]

yes, and i would think you would overswamp the southeast if you put teams in Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte too soon.

You wouldn't "overswamp" if you put St. Louis and KC in the league together.

[jimmyodonnell]

I think there are automatic rivalries vs KC and Chicago . . . and I love the potential for a Dallas rivalry but I don't think many of the soccer fans will hate Dallas based on the old Big Red rivalry with the Cowboys, even though I'd love to see it.