The list of formal MLS rivalries is about to grow, with the recent news that the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United are mulling what to name the cup that the I-95 neighbors plan to attach to their annual meetings, as they kick off the first Heineken Rivalry Week of the 2016 season on May 20.
But don't be confused – as United took time to clarify on Twitter last week, D.C.'s one true rival lives a bit further to the north, one they already have a rivalry trophy and 20 years of bitter history with.
For the Black-and-Red, the original showdown for bragging rights gets going on Friday night, when the New York Red Bulls visit RFK Stadium for a nationally-televised clash (7 pm ET; UniMas). It's known as the Atlantic Cup, and it just happens to be the oldest rivalry in Major League Soccer.
While it now has to share the spotlight with other geographical rivalries like the Cascadia Cup, Rocky Mountain Cup and 401 Derby that have risen or joined MLS in the years since, the Atlantic Cup is the eldest of the bunch. And as usual, the trash-talking between the two camps has been ratcheting up steadily as the first match of the 2016 edition approaches.
The Atlantic Cup trophy itself has been contested by D.C. and the MetroStars/Red Bulls every year since 2002, though they've been facing off since the league's inaugural season in 1996, and old-timers on both sides will tell you that this matchup was hot-blooded right from the jump.
You can read more about the roots of the rivalry, and this week both clubs' websites are full of in-depth coverage on the nuances and flashpoints of the RBNY-D.C. animosity, which has filtered all the way down to their respective youth academies. Few who witnessed it can ever forget the snow-plagued playoff meeting back in 2012, where even Commissioner Don Garber picked up a shovel when a late-fall blizzard hit Red Bull Arena:
The contrasts between both the clubs and their home regions are numerous and rich. As United fans are quick to point out, D.C. has a packed trophy case compared to RBNY's relatively modest (and recent) hardware haul, but the Red Bulls boast a glittering stadium and new training facility, while United are stuck at old RFK for two more seasons while their new home is built. Both fanbases dismissively dub the other "Scum," a sign of the antipathy that newer arrivals like Philly and New York City FC haven't earned quite yet.
In 2016 the Atlantic Cup looks as intriguing as it ever has. A long-running period of United supremacy came shuddering to a halt as the Red Bulls seized the advantage in recent meetings – most prominently via two straight years of playoff triumphs over D.C. Both sides have stumbled in the early stages of the current campaign and find themselves lodged in mid-table with plenty to prove to themselves and their supporters.
It's cliché to say that records and form go out the window when true rivals meet, but in this case it's valid. The tackles will be flying in at RFK on Friday, and with a sizable traveling party of Red Bulls supporters expected to journey south for the occasion, the venom will be palpable in the stands, too. It'll be an occasion not to be missed.
