I hate to admit it, but over the past 2 or 3 years due to the demise of my satelite dish, plus being out in the middle of nowhere, I have lost touch with the flow of MLS team rivalries. Oh, I keep up to date on results, standings and the big stories thanks to BS and MLSnet. But I have not been able to keep up with the passion of the teams. I know from the beginning of the league DC-Metrostars was a great rivalry thanks to whole East Coast thing and their early playoff battles. LA-San Jose has a good rivalry due to both being California teams. However, can any California rivalry ever be considered great?, it all seems too laid back. Do DC and Kansas City still hate each other? Does anyone have a rivalry with Colorado or are they never taken seriously enough to be considered a rival. What about New England? I'll admit, I need some education on this subject.
I don't think there is a bigger rivalry than Metro and the DC Scum. Maybe back in the day, it could have been Miami and Tampa bay..
Here's one... Dallas and Chicago...damn the divisional split! The play for the Brimstone Cup each year: www.brimstonecup.com
Ones that I'd say everyone would agree with are: Chicago-Dallas DC-Metro I think it also depends on which teams fans you ask. If you ask a KC fan who our most heated rival is about 95% would say LA. The LA fans on BigSoccer dont seem to agree, but by the tone the games are taking, the words from Sigi's mouth, and the LA fans booing Nick Garcia at every touch last weekend, I'd say the rivalry exists. KC fans also have a pretty good distaste for Chicago. I dont recall KC ever having a 'rivalry' with DC.
Judging by the vitriol on the boards over the issue, it's probably MLS All-Stars vs Chivas, despite never having played a match against each other yet.
I'd say there are 3 very good rivalries in MLS right now: DC United v. Metros Chicago Fire v. Dallas Burn San Jose Quakes v. LA Galaxy I am biased being a DC United fan, but I'd say all three are very heated. Some older rivalries have faded, i.e.: Columbus Crew v. DC United Columbus Crew v. Chicago Fire I always thought that if Detroit ever had a team, that the Columbus Crew would have a dynamite rivalry with them considering Ohio State is there and they have such a strong rivalry with Michigan. -Digital
Crew - DC Untitled Most of the Crew fans I know hate DC so much that we actually root for the Ch@$#go F*&e four times a year.
I'm in that category. I know the rivalry has lost luster, and that DC fans will always hate Metros more. But, for me, there is no professional sports team that stokes up as much hate in me as DC United. And there is nothing like recieving a 3-0 ass kicking to make sure those hate fires keep burning. Just writing this I am getting pissed off.
I don't really think Columbus-Chicago was ever a rivalry except briefly in the minds of some Columbus fans. Most Chicago fans consider it a fun weekend vacation and that's that. And since when is Dallas-Chicago a rivalry in every sport? I'm just asking...but I don't recall Bulls-Mavs, Bears-Cowboys or Sox-Rangers being that big of a deal. The only one I maybe could see is Hawks-Stars but that's more carryover from the North Stars days and plus, we suck now. You could say Cubs-Astros is a rivalry...but they're in Houston.
And I rather imagine some Giants and Redskins fans think that there is more than one Gotham City versus Federal City rivalry.
I'm coming up blank on which sport other than MLS enjoys a healthy Dallas-Chicago rivalry. NFL? Nope. MLB? Nope. NBA? Nope. NHL? Nope.
I think the KC-DC rivalry started out in the first few years in the league when KC continously beat DC although DC were the champs. I only remember DC beating KC when DC fell off the top of the standings. I would say DC hate Metros even though Metros have more reason to hate DC more. Maybe because DC area has more hard core soccer fans than the NY/NJ area. Chicago and Dallas would be more interesting if they met in the conference finals more.
I never understood the Chicago/Cbus "rivalry" either. Don't get me wrong, I think Chicago is pretty annoying, but that is no different than Metros or NE. I'll travel to Chicago/Naperville like Fire fans travel down to Cbus to watch games, but that is just cause its close, not outta any special hatred. That stuff is reserved for DC, at least in my book.
Every year in November some University of Michigan football fan writes to Sports Illustrated (or whatever national publication) to say that the rivalry between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes is all in the heads of Ohio State fans, and that true Michigan fans don't really give it much thought because they have bigger fish to fry. What he's really doing, of course, is to subtly put down Columbus as a cowtown with delusions of adequacy by imagining that anyone else ever notices them. Which brings me to the comments by Fire fans that any rivalry between the Crew and the Fire is a figment of Crew fan's imagination, which nobody in Chicago entertains.
The SJ-LA rivalry goes way beyond sport. it covers everything from street gangs, water rights, culture, politics, sports, etc. pretty much everything. XIV.