That is the purpose of the thread. To discuss if they have changed or not. IMO, Revs and Red Bulls hatred has increased dramatically, with a strong dip in the Dallas rivalry. Toronto picked up early on, but died down by September. As of now, I'm giving it to the Revs, but Red Bulls are close behind and quickly drawing even.
Rivals aren't junior high girlfriends, they last more than 45 minutes and they only change over long periods of time. Calling Toronto a Fire "rival" at any point in time is completely missing the point of a rivalry.
I didn't call them a rival. I said that hatred picked up and died down, following my comments on the Revs and Red Bulls. Reread the second paragraph. The only time I mentioned rivalry was in referring to Dallas, which is our longstanding rival. Guys, though this is a thread about rivalries, this isn't a thread in the rivalries forum. If you think the question was poorly asked, that is fine. But lets not get bogged down in minutia here. Either answer the poll/post your opinion on the topic or don't.
personally i feel that a rivalry can only exist with fan and fan interaction (bigsoccer doesnt count).... does anyone truely make the trip to NY and NE for the away games?? do they really make trips to our home games?? while its a weak fanbase, not to mention side, i think we should really look at Team medioCREWcy as our dominate rival until St Louis get their team.... of course this is my personal opinion.... i do truely hate everything Revs and Redbull, but its nothing more then an internet rivalry for the most part...... and NY doesnt share the same ideas of a rival.... they already have DCU and most recently (after the bottle throwing incedent) TFC.... Now at least NE and Fire have a history, hence the hatred, but i go back to my first sent. of the post...
Why would we have the crew as a rival? Just because we send people there twice a year? Outside of that there's nothing. They send nobody here. The players don't care about the other team. Their fans care about us mostly out of jealousy, but we don't give a shit about them. If, like you say, you're only criteria is traveling fans then Toronto would be our rival. We sent about 200 people there and they did the same here. However, traveling fans is only one part of a rivalry. The key is hatred. That hatred must flow from the office to the players to the fans. We already have that mutual hatred with one team: New England. Whether it will outlast the current cycle of players we will just have to wait and see. That was the problem with Dallas. We lost guys like Dema and they lost guys like Graziani. After that it started fading. But as of now, New England is not really a rivalry yet. The seeds are planted but it will take more time to grow. However, if we're talking 2008, then NE is by far the closest thing we've got.
then if NE is the closest we have, then we dont have a rivalry..... it is nothing more then an internet rivalry.... talk talk talk talk talk.... nothing to build off of, mainly due to the distance... yes as i said, there is a history between NE and Fire, but that hatred is also 1 sided here.... its mainly the Fire hating NE, and NE rubbing it in our face about knocking us out all the time... all in all its as though we are the crew to them... ill take TFC over NE as an actual rival.....however, i think our true sniff of a rivalry will be when SL get their team.... only then would you begin to see fan base interaction outside of game day....
Given the last month around here Id say, to coin a cliche, that "We have met the enemy and they is us"
NE rivalry is neither one-sided or internet exclusive. In case you haven't noticed, the players don't seem to care much for each other either. Neither did the coaches when Dave was in charge. Plus their fans consider us their number one rival as well. I'm not sure where you're getting your perception from. Rivalries don't have to be close to be fierce. The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins are about the same distance and that's one of the best rivalries in the NFL. If/when Saint Louis gets a team, they could very well become our top rival. The mutual hatred is already infused in our history and may very take a soccer form as well. We'll just have to wait and see.
i am basing it off of the majority of revs fans ive talked to.... while they consider us a heated game, i havent seen any signs of them being a long lasting rival.... simply trash talk that you get amoungst any current day heated games.. since you brought up rivalries in american football, lets look at another NE and midwest "rival"... Colts vs Pats.... while its heated now, if one team were to fall in talent the rivalry would no longer exist.... its only heated b/c the teams meet so often at the highest points... they are the 2 top dogs of the AFC.. and let me explain myself... i hate everything Revs.... ive always been one to push the rivalry, but came to the realization that it's nothing more then a current disliking of two team who currently have a history..... things change, a rivalry shouldnt.... if NE were to suck for the next 10-15 yrs do you seriously think there will still be a rivalry?? i personally dont think so... that is why fan interaction is key to a long lasting rivalry .... again this is just my opinion
I think we're mostly in agreement. As I said before, we'll have to see if it outlasts our current cycle of players. But right now, there is hatred and maintaining that is certainly possible. So sit back and enjoy hating new england and don't worry about if it will last. Personally, I'll never have a problem hating new england regardless of whether they have a soccer team. Just listening to their accents, which is by far the worst manifestation of the English language, will always build my desire to slit throats.
oh, i c we pretty much are agreeing..... i agree with never liking NE.... as im from Indy, ive got a soft spot in my heart for always disliking NE in any sport....
i understand what your saying.... but lets say the league lasts 100 years, will the past 6 playoff losses to NE really matter if the league goes to a single table and there is no rivalry between us?? yes there will always be this history but im making a reference to a rivalry
Yeah, I knew what you meant. I was just being difficult because I am bereft of original thought and yet still like to be heard from time to time.
i took it as a sarcastic comment, but as im not on here enough i really dont know many people's typing styles.... i didnt feel like calling it out and then find out you were being serious
A rivalry is simply two teams that dislike each other... There doesn't have to be an extensive history behind it. Just because you haven't been to NE doesn't mean no one else has...but what you're harmlessly calling "fan interaction" sounds more to me like hooliganism... You don't need fights in the parking lot to prove you hate the other team...sometimes a Christmas card will do. ~YiS