[scaryice]

That's what Jim Curtin says:

"They don't like us and we don't like them," Curtin said. "They've kind of replaced Dallas as our main rival. It gets really heated. For a while there they owned us and now we're getting them back."

Evidence?

2002: NE eliminates CHI in quarterfinals
2003: CHI eliminates NE in conference championship on Armas golden goal
2004: NE defeats CHI on final day of the season to get the last playoff berth
2005: NE eliminates CHI in conference championship
2006: CHI eliminates NE from US Open Cup for second straight year

[ManiacalClown]

This rivalry with New England is for sure more heated on the field then the one with Dallas because of them being in the same conference and our cup fates so often intertwining.

That's not to say that there isn't still a rivalry with Dallas. There just isn't a catalyst.

[chiladd]

Originally Posted by ManiacalClown

This rivalry with New England is for sure more heated on the field then the one with Dallas because of them being in the same conference and our cup fates so often intertwining.

That's not to say that there isn't still a rivalry with Dallas. There just isn't a catalyst.

not being a dick.. but i think thats all bullshit.I think the "fans" are just coping out of the Dallas rivalry since we havnt done squat against them the last few years.That is.. dallas owns our ass.. I hate Dallas.. i freaking hate dallas.. maybe the players under davo have forgotten the bad blood between these two sides..going back to 98.. serious bad blood.. leg breaking bad blood..The Revs might be a somewhat equally matched rival, but we hate Dallas.. they had Ted Eck, they have Carlos Ruiz.. heck we even started to dislike Lubos a bit because of those cow humping pricks.
oh did I say I HATE DALLAS?
The Revs.. they aint nothing.their like a fat ex girlfriend -a pity ********.once in a while you let them screw you..
freakin Dallas now...

[Fires Of Fulham]

Originally Posted by chiladd

not being a dick.. but i think thats all bullshit.I think the "fans" are just coping out of the Dallas rivalry since we havnt done squat against them the last few years

The Dallas rivalry doesn't mean anything to the casual fan to begin with. If you ask Joe Public on the street who they think Chicago's major rival would be (and of course show them a list of MLS teams) they're not going to say, "oh, Dallas, that seems totally natural."

If a rivalry needs supporters groups to prop it up, it's not a rivalry to begin with.

I just can't wait until Milwaukee comes in so the Fire have a real rivalry like D.C. United and Red Bull New York have. Because, you know, geographic proximity.

[Chris M.]

I know that I am the exception, but I never really got into the dallas rivalry. I play along, but to me it seemed a little contrived because we were new and just looking for a rivalry without letting one develop naturally.

For me personally, the only time my blood boiled regarding dallas was that playoff game in 1999 (that was NOT an intentional hand ball on a blast at a sliding CJ Brown with his arms in on his chest!)

In the early years, I definitely hated LA and cobi more than the burn. Remember that playoff game where late in the second, cobi got knocked over and then laid there in a "daze" before he somehow summoned the strength to slowly amble off the field? I was so pissed standing in section 8 that I could hardly see straight. I remember going home and watching the tape and timing it. Close to six friggin minutes on that one dive, then three minutes of added time.

I have noticed the heat turned up on the field with NE as well. Matt Reis helps. Even mild-mannered steve ralston has gotten really animated against us this year.

I'm still on board with "hating" dallas because to me it is kind of amusing when we do beat them (which you are correct, in that it hasn't happened enough).

For me it has changed around based on who plays on what teams. A Bears/Packers type of enduring rivalry will take time. It could be dallas as that certainly has a jump start. it might eventually be Milwaukee or St. Louis based on geography.

[Chris M.]

Originally Posted by Fires Of Fulham

The Dallas rivalry doesn't mean anything to the casual fan to begin with. If you ask Joe Public on the street who they think Chicago's major rival would be (and of course show them a list of MLS teams) they're not going to say, "oh, Dallas, that seems totally natural."

If a rivalry needs supporters groups to prop it up, it's not a rivalry to begin with.

I just can't wait until Milwaukee comes in so the Fire have a real rivalry like D.C. United and Red Bull New York have. Because, you know, geographic proximity.

Ah, you got in before me with a similar point, but I would disagree that you NEED geography to establish a good lasting rivalry. One of the best in American sports is the Chiefs/Raiders. Cowboys/Redskins is a good one as is Notre Dame/usc.

[peabrainedidiot]

Hi just thought I'd troll by and call you all assholes.. Just kidding. sort of.
saw the post and though it was interesting.
I think they fact there Dallas is the other division, so you only see them twice and they can't hurt you in the same way we can asa div rival takes something out of that rivalry.
Stealing your thunder at your stadium opener and then coming back and stealing 3 was a lot of fun. the playoff history (mentioned before).....
seeing as we're both sort of mid table sludge to right now (you guys in the right direction, us in the wrong). (If we can keep our shit together long enough to actually make it to) The playoffs should be fun/hell

[Fires Of Fulham]

Originally Posted by Chris M.

Ah, you got in before me with a similar point, but I would disagree that you NEED geography to establish a good lasting rivalry. One of the best in American sports is the Chiefs/Raiders. Cowboys/Redskins is a good one as is Notre Dame/usc.

I actually thought about the NFL rivalries before I posted. And they are intense rivalries. The difference, of course, being that they are in the same division and divisions are smaller in the NFL than MLS. When you've only got eight games against your own division to decide things, it gets pretty intense. The NFL is like mini-leagues.

And as you can tell by my signature, I definitely don't want to go that direction in MLS.

And college football is a different situation as well because that's one game a year and people travel.

[NotAbbott]

Jimmy's right. We don't have the on-field animosity toward Dallas that we did back during the leg-breaking days, and we clearly do with New England. Five fans continuing to get hot and bothered about the "rivalry" doesn't really count, especially if the players don't feel it. IMO, our Dallas rivalry was with the Burn, and we should have buried it when they rebranded the team.

As for the head-to-head matchups, they rarely count for anything with Dallas -- USOC last year notwithstanding -- so who owns who barely even rates, in my book. On the other hand, with New England there always seems to be something important on the line.

Frequent, heated matches when there's a lot at stake seems more like a rivalry than a "tradition" that only really existed for the first couple years of the team's existence.

Later,
COZ

[geordienation]

To be fair . . . EVERYBODY hates New England.