I come in peace. I wanted to get DC fans perspective on this. We were having a debate over in the Crew forum, about who our biggest rivals were. The names Chicago and DC kept coming up. As someone who really didn't start following the league until 2011 or 2012, I didn't understand it. I never really felt like the Crew had a real rival (despite MLS best efforts to force TFC onto us). I'm super pumped for Cincy to come into the league, and will forever hate that asshat Precourt for trying to move us, so Austin can eat shit and die as well. I don't really have any issues with Chicago or DC, but the best days of those rivalries were well before my time. Just curious what you guys think.
I never grew to think of the Crew as a "rival" - but then again we beat them like red-headed step-children the first 14 times we played them in DC so I didn't have to take them seriously Until lately, anyway. These days they are a good team to gauge ourselves against I think, but I don't have the "hate" I need to think of them as that kind of rival. But in "a good way", sure they're a decent rival. I enjoy going there to see games, it's a fun drive up route 50. Never found anything in the city to do, but I haven't really tried more than once or twice either. I despise Ohio State U, so there's that. I got into my funnest fight in Columbus; we yelled inappropriate things at each other, punches were thrown; we both felt bad it got that far and I bought him a beer in the club and we left friendly Security barely got involved (other than trying to make it worse once we stopped fighting).
I'm like @fatbastard, you guys are opponents and respected as a good team. Met Zack Steffen's dad in the parking lot before the play in round last year and found him to be a nice guy who stood around and talked with us for awhile in the parking lot. Now for rivals, the ********ing Red Bulls can die in a fire.
I don't think of the Crew as a rival, I actually like the team a lot, as well as the city, I have been there like 3 or 4 times for DCU games and have always enjoyed myself.
Here's the order of teams which I'd like to see faceplant into a volcano: Red Bulls NYCFC Galaxy Red Bulls NYCFC Galaxy Everyone else
Future Austin FC ans Seattle. The old hate vs NYRB, Chicago and Galaxy has slowly vanished with the years, and these days I just feel the rivalry. The initial hate vs NYCFC has left space to a non consideration. On my black list only Seattle (permanent resident) and the future Austin FC of Pre(cum)court. Theo
Ok, I'll weigh in on the yes side. i've been going to DCU games since '96, and consider all the originial MLS sides, especailly those in the east, to be rivals. McBride had a way of crushing us. To me it's not so much hate as for whom the competitive juices run strongest. For example, the pacific northwest clubs are great don't excite me as much as when the old timers such as the Revs, Redbulls, and Crew come to town. And Philly, of course, because of their blue callor pedigree and that all things DC-Philly are rivalries.
I'm surprised nobody has cast a personal vote for Philthy as a rival. Am I the only one that hates everything Philthy? NE is high on my list- partly because my irrational hate of Tom Brady spills over to all Boston area sports. I'm a Purdue alum so I have despised him and his arrogance since his Meatchicken days. My list: 1. NY Red Butts 2. NE 3. Fake United 4. Philthy Union 5. NYCFC 6. Austin (this could rise as the hate fire grows)
NJRB Union All the rest Red bulls is obvious. Philly was like that middle child no one cared about until the pre-season 2 years ago when we played them twice in that tournament in Tampa where Onyewu and Bedoya were actively trying to hurt Lucho. I'd always liked Bedoya's game and respected him for his NT play and that he went over to a big league in Europe and carved out his place in a rock solid way. Then he came home and played like he did vs us ... in a PRESEASON game. He cashed in all his NT cred with me in those two games.
You guys went and screwed this one up with your whole inspiring #savethecrew movement. And there was that time your scoreboard caught on fire. But honestly, you had me at that Sherman flame when Atlanta came into the league. You'll just have to settle for Cincy.
There were a couple of crew fans on big soccer that used to jump on the move DCU bandwagon when we could not get our stadium deal. Irked me but not enough to move to rival status.
They do have a few really bad posters that I consider racist shits, but I just don't care about the success or failure of the team at all even if the racist assholes are a product of that environment.
That stadium does still remain the place I've heard the most rednecky stuff in MLS. I've often felt Ohio may be the most redneck state I've ever visited (and I grew up in SC, so that's saying something). But for the most part Crew fans themselves have been good to me on road trips to see United. My fight, weird comments in the stadium during USA games, and the one time that dude pulled a gun on Chico in the paring lot notwithstanding I remember one tailgate where the crew guys invited the SEs (can't remember if US or DC game) where most everything there was deep fried in those big turkey fryers. They had a bunch of them. It was a glorious greasy feast.