In Major League Soccer, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups that are usually contested by only two teams, with the only exceptions being the Cascadia Cup and the new Copa Tejas, which are contested by three MLS teams, each. Each cup or trophy is awarded to the eligible team with the better regular season record and are comparable to minor trophies played for in college football rivalries. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region. Rivalry cups are considered a tradition to most MLS fans and players alike. Out of the ten original MLS teams only three have not competed in these rivalry cups: Sporting K.C., New England Revolution and the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Texas Derby is the only MLS rivalry where the winner does not walk away with a cup trophy but instead they play for "El Capitán", a replica 18th century mountain howitzer cannon. Some derbies only contest for bragging rights of rival supporters groups.
Summary
Current
All records reflect wins made when all participating franchises are MLS teams.
| Derby name | Most wins | Titles | Other club(s) | Titles | Recent winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Cup | D.C. United | 14 | New York Red Bulls | 13 | New York Red Bulls |
| Brimstone Cup | FC Dallas | 10 | Chicago Fire FC | 7 | Chicago |
| Cascadia Cup* | Seattle Sounders FC | 5 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | Vancouver |
| Portland Timbers | 3 | ||||
| Copa Tejas** | FC Dallas | 1 | Houston Dynamo FC | 0 | Austin |
| Austin FC | 1 | ||||
| Heritage Cup | Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 6 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Hudson River Derby | New York Red Bulls | 5 | New York City FC | 3 | New York City |
| Rocky Mountain Cup | Real Salt Lake | 13 | Colorado Rapids | 5 | Real Salt Lake |
| Texas Derby | FC Dallas | 9 | Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | FC Dallas |
| Trillium Cup | Columbus Crew | 8 | Toronto FC | 7 | Columbus Crew |
* Cascadia Cup existed prior to the creation of MLS franchises for Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
** Copa Tejas was originally conceived for USL clubs, created an MLS division in 2021.
Traditional rivalries
All records reflect wins made (per season) when all participating franchises are MLS teams. No cup/trophy contested.
| Derby name | Most wins | Win(s) | Other club(s) | Win(s) | Recent winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Clásico | LA Galaxy | 15 | San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | LA Galaxy |
| Canadian Classique | Toronto FC | 6 | CF Montreal | 4 | CF Montreal |
| El Tráfico | LA Galaxy | 3 | Los Angeles FC | 2 | LAFC |
| Hell Is Real derby*** | Columbus Crew | 4 | FC Cincinnati | 1 | Columbus |
| Nicest Rivalry In Sports | Sporting Kansas City | 12 | Minnesota United FC | 6 | Sporting Kansas City |
| POR v SEA† | Portland Timbers | 18 | Seattle Sounders FC | 15 | Portland Timbers |
| POR v VAN† | Portland Timbers | 17 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 11 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| SEA v VAN† | Seattle Sounders FC | 18 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 9 | Draw |
| SKC v RSL | Sporting Kansas City | 9 | Real Salt Lake | 8 | Real Salt Lake |
| Turnpike Derby | Inter Miami CF | 2 | Orlando City SC | 2 | Orlando City SC |
*** The Hell Is Real Derby existed prior to FC Cincinnati joining MLS.
† The rivalries between the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps have existed in previous teams that are part of their respective legacies, and leagues that have operated prior to MLS.
Former
| Derby name | Most wins | Titles | Other club(s) | Titles | Last winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Derby* | Miami Fusion | 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2 | Miami (2001) |
| SuperClasico | LA Galaxy | 9 | Chivas USA | 1 | LA Galaxy (2014) |
* Florida Derby existed prior to creation of MLS franchises for Tampa Bay and Miami, and after teams left MLS in 2001. [1]
Rivalry cups
| Competition | Established | Teams | Series Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Cup | 1996 | D.C. United | 14 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021 |
| New York Red Bulls | 13 | 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 | ||
| Brimstone Cup | 2001 | Chicago Fire FC | 7 | 2001, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 |
| FC Dallas | 10 | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 | ||
| California Clásico | 1996 | LA Galaxy | 15 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 | ||
|
Cascadia Cup (MLS years) |
2011 [a] | Portland Timbers | 3 | 2012, 2017, 2022 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 5 | 2011, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023 | ||
| Copa Tejas | 2021 | Austin FC | 1 | 2022 |
| FC Dallas | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Houston Dynamo FC | 0 | |||
| El Tráfico | 2018 | LA Galaxy | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Los Angeles FC | 1 | 2020 | ||
|
Florida Derby (MLS years) |
1998 [b] | Miami Fusion | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2 | 1998, 1999 | ||
|
Hell Is Real Derby (MLS years) |
2019 [c] | Columbus Crew | 4 | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| FC Cincinnati | 0 | |||
| Heritage Cup | 2009 | San Jose Earthquakes | 6 | 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2022 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | ||
| Hudson River Derby | 2015 | New York Red Bulls | 5 | 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| New York City FC | 3 | 2017, 2020, 2022 | ||
| SuperClasico | 2005 [d] | Chivas USA | 1 | 2007 |
| LA Galaxy | 9 | 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 | ||
| Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup | 2007 | Columbus Crew | 10 | 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| FC Dallas | 2 | 2010, 2015 | ||
| Rocky Mountain Cup | 2005 | Colorado Rapids | 5 | 2005, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2020 |
| Real Salt Lake | 14 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022,
2023 | ||
| Texas Derby | 2006 | FC Dallas | 9 | 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2021 | ||
| Trillium Cup | 2008 | Columbus Crew | 8 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022 |
| Toronto FC | 7 | 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 |
- Notes
- ^ The Cascadia Cup was founded in 2004 and contested by clubs outside MLS (in North American Division 2 soccer). 2011 represents the year MLS teams began competition. No Cup was awarded in 2020 by agreement of all 3 teams' supporters' clubs due to the lack of fans present at games due to the Coronavirus. [2]
- ^ The Florida Derby originated in 1977 [3] and has been contested for most of its history by Division 1 and 2 soccer clubs outside MLS. [4] The years 1998–2001 represent the only era in which MLS teams participated. [1]
- ^ The Hell Is Real Derby was established in 2017 when FC Cincinnati was still a member of the league now known as the USL Championship. [5] 2019 represents the year when the clubs first met as MLS teams.
- ^ The SuperClasico ended in 2014 due to the folding of Chivas USA
See also
- Major League Baseball rivalries
- National Basketball Association rivalries
- National Hockey League rivalries
- National Football League rivalries
References
- ^ a b "Fusion Eager To Face Rivals From Tampa". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ^ "2020 Cascadia Cup". Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Match Center - nasl.com". nasl.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati 1, Columbus Crew SC 0 | 2017 U.S. Open Cup Recap". MLSSoccer.com. 2017. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.