Rivalries bring sport to life. Whether it’s a shared local history, origin story, or a competitive and contentious past, there’s a palpable tension in the air when your rival stands on the other side of the pitch. It just means more.
North American soccer is packed to the brim with such rivalries so fans often don’t need to travel too far to see one in person. There are simply too many to count, so we’ll focus on a few of the biggest across the continent, starting in California.
El Tráfico
Historically, the California Clásico was one of the biggest MLS games every season between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes. Two extremely successful clubs, both bringing massive sporting pedigree to the table, meant crowds were, and still are, always packed. However, the addition of LAFC to the league in 2018 introduced a new rivalry into the mix.
Featuring the Galaxy and their newest cross-town enemies, El Tráfico provided fans and neutrals alike with some of the most entertaining games in MLS history. Names like Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gareth Bale, and Douglas Costa made this matchup unmissable and this weekend, Olivier Giroud, Hugo Lloris, Riqui Puig, and Marco Reus will grace the pitch for a chance to write their names into the annals of El Tráfico.
El Súper Clásico
You cannot discuss North American Soccer rivalries without mentioning El Súper Clásico between Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara. This globally recognized match has everything from a long, class-based history to intensely passionate supporters. These teams hate each other, no doubt about it, and they save their best performances for this game.
The two sides will meet this weekend for a staggering 256th time, with Club América much further down the table than they’d like to be. Star forward Henry Martín leads Liga MX with four goals while Chivas’ Armando González and Cade Cowell both sit just behind him with three each. A win for América would end their two-game losing stretch and put them back on track while Chivas will be hoping to keep their eternal rivals down for as long as possible.
Hell is Real Derby
Back to the U.S. now for the Hell Is Real Derby between the Columbus Crew and Cincinnati FC. The nickname comes from an iconic Christian billboard bearing those haunting words along the stretch of Interstate 71 connecting the two cities. This rivalry actually got its start in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, when Cincinnati, a USL Championship side at the time, hosted and beat Columbus 1-0 in front of 30,000 fans.
Since then Cincinnati has been promoted to MLS, and gone on to become one of the most feared sides in the league, while the Crew have won MLS Cup twice and just capped off a win in this year’s League Cup. Their second teams share a similar rivalry, though toned down a touch, called the Heck Is Plausible Derby. How can you not be romantic about soccer?
Cascadia Cup
Last but certainly not least, is the Cascadia Cup, an in-season round-robin style tournament featuring the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps. While all three teams hold a high level of vitriol for one another, the rivalry between Seattle and Portland is simply built differently.
The Sounders and Timbers possess two of the most rabid, passionate fan bases in American soccer, and their geographic proximity, coupled with a history dating back to 1975, means this specific hatred runs deep. The two sides have faced off 140 times in all with Seattle winning 66 games to Portland’s 57.
