Recently we asked you, the fans, to decide what the best rivalry in MLS is. Below are the results.
Here's a reminder of how it worked: Fans ranked the top 10 MLS rivalries, in order, with the average score determining each match-up's ultimate ranking.
We also allowed fans to vote in a "Best of the Rest" poll with some other rivalries that did not make our Top 10. Portland vs.
Vancouver finished as the 11th best rivalry in the league with 35 percent of the vote, in front of Red Bulls vs.
New England, which claimed 13.5 percent of ballots.
In case you're interested, here's where the votes came from: A total of 8,333 votes were cast with 7,248 coming from the US and 637 coming from Canada. 1,571 of the votes came from Washington state, followed by California (980), New Jersey (717), Oregon (623), and New York (299).
So without further ado, here are the Top 10 rivalries as voted on by you, the fans!
Rivalry |
Avg. Score |
Analysis |
|
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Seattle vs.<br>Portland |
2.36 |
Proximity is the name of the game here. That means the rivalry goes well beyond the fans and the teams - it's the actual cities that don't like each other. Even when both these teams stink (and it's inevitable that, at some point, they'll both have a bad year) this will be a must-watch game. |
2 |
LA Galaxy vs.<br>Seattle |
3.98 |
Not a traditional rivalry -- just two good teams that keep meeting in the playoffs. Remember how much the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs hated each other last decade? Once one of these teams falls off the pace, this will just be another Western Conference game. |
3 |
Red Bulls vs.<br>D.C. United |
4.26 |
The league's oldest rivalry, even if it's mostly been dogs (D.C. United) vs.<br>fire hydrants (Metro). United inflicted almost unimaginable pain upon New York from 1996-2012, including the whole "TCHUB" incident in the playoffs, which remains one of the league's most memorable moments. Last year's postseason was the first real blow landed by RBNY. |
4 |
Colorado vs.<br>Real Salt Lake |
4.91 |
By the numbers, RSL have dominated this rivalry (they've won seven of the 10 Rocky Mountain Cups). That belies just how tight the series has been, especially from 2008-10. Final-matchday results by RSL in 2008 and 2009 ended Colorado's postseason hopes. The Rapids' collapse in the final game of 2010 (a 2-2 draw) is one of the most spectacular meltdowns in league history. The games have been tamer lately, but the fans travel, they're loud, and the spectacle is great. |
5 |
FC Dallas vs.<br>Houston |
4.95 |
The best part about conference realignment is that these teams will now face each other multiple times per year again. Plus the winner of the Texas Derby fires off El Capitan, a freaking howitzer, in celebration. You just can't get more "Texas" than that, unless you're arguing about brisket (I prefer City Market in Luling). |
6 |
San Jose vs.<br>LA Galaxy |
5.05 |
The California Clasico deserves its name. It produced the greatest playoff series in MLS history, some of the most memorable regular-season matches in MLS history, and the two teams have seven Cups and six Shields between them. The fans for both teams travel, and who can forget jilted Quakes supporters destroying that Landon Donovan pinata? I'm scandalized that this is only No. 6 on the list. |
7 |
Seattle vs.<br>Vancouver |
6.03 |
This is a weird one to rank because the enmity is clearly tilted toward one side. 'Caps fans would rather beat Seattle than anyone else in the whole damn world. For Seattle, it's clear that Vancouver come in as a tepid, third-most-hated rival - despite the proximity, and the fact that the 'Caps have won the last two Cascadia Cups. |
8 |
NY Red Bulls vs.<br>NYCFC |
7.15 |
Seriously? It's been fun on social media so far, but these teams haven't even played each other yet... |
9 |
Toronto FC vs.<br>Montreal |
7.25 |
This rivalry is just waiting to explode. Only problem is that the teams won't cooperate on the field -- except during the Canadian Championship in recent years. So many historical angles - politics, class, religion, language - tie these two cities together and drive them apart. Just think of Montreal as Napoli and Toronto as Milan. |
10 |
Toronto FC vs.<br>Vancouver |
8.47 |
Kind of flies under the radar, but these two teams go all out each June in the Canadian Championship, and end up meeting almost every year with something tangible on the line. It's also an underrated social media rivalry with tons of smack talk about - I'm not kidding here, folks - each other's academy system. |
