Throughout MLS history, there have been fierce rivalries, steeped in tradition and territorialism – GOAL ranks the top five
Matchday 12 of the MLS season is in the books, and now? It's MLS Rivalry Week. There's a midweek slate of games, but then it's Matchday 14 – and some of the most anticipated games of the regular season.
These aren't just normal matches. They're games fueled by genuine distaste – or worse – for one another, contests in which physicality takes center-stage on the pitch, temperatures rise and tempers flare.
Throughout MLS' history, there's been fierce rivalries, highlighted by tense affairs. There are many factors that define a proper rivalry. There's history, iconic moments, geographical borders, sporting conflicts across different leagues, and most importantly, fanbases.
From El Trafico in Los Angeles to Canadian Classique, GOAL takes a look at the league's best.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowImagn5Texas Derby
FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo are institutions in the league. They know a thing or two about intrastate rivalries – and remember, this is Texas. It's a match fueled by a combination historical competition, ideology and identity, as well as dominance for the state.
It has one of the league's most iconic moments, too – but not necessarily in a good way. In 2007, Ricardo Clark and Carlos Ruiz came together for a tackle that it still remembered to this day. Late in the match on a set piece, Ruiz drilled his knee into the back of Clark – and as the duo fell to the ground, Clark jumped up and smashed his boot into the chest of Ruiz. Both were sent off, but Clark was suspended for nine matches and fined $10,000.
The teams have met in the postseason just once, in 2007, but have clashed in the U.S. Open Cup and across MLS regular season action.
It's a rivalry fueled by history, but more importantly, cultural significance of what makes each city better – in the eyes of the fans, anyway – in the great state of Texas. There's a true sense of territorialism in this match, which makes it a riveting contest each year.
AdvertisementImagn4Canadian Classique
History nerds, this one is for you. This one goes back hundreds of years (and who knows, maybe there was some version of soccer played then?) Montreal and Toronto share more than a dislike for each other. American fans might genuinely not understand the depth and capacity for distaste that these two cities share for each other – and as a result – their MLS franchises feel the same.
There are political implications, there are geographical ties, there is genuine tradition – across all sports – in this rivalry. It's a known heated affair in the NHL, with the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs – and in MLS, it's had its moments, too.
Notably, the 2016 postseason brought what is widely viewed as one of, if not the best, two-legged matches in league history. In total, 12 goals were scored as Toronto advanced via aggregate 7-5 – but it was a doozy of an affair.
Montreal won the first leg 3-2, but in a rain-soaked second leg, TFC put five goals past them to win 5-2 – after extra-time. At the end of regulation, things were all tied up at 5-5, but two goals within a two-minute span in the first half of ET gave TFC the victory, and a spot in MLS Cup 2016.
Canadian Classique is an MLS rivalry might not be as familiar as others, but its a game fueled by history that extends off the pitch. It's a beautiful mess.
Imagn3Hell Is Real
Hands-down, the best name for a rivalry in MLS – and potentially, American sports (no, seriously, find a better name – you won't). The Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati have unexpectedly created one of the most intense rivalries in the league. These Ohio fanbases despise each other.
It's a clash in which supporters do not hold back – picture the New York Jets and New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, Ohio State and Michigan – this is a match that lives up to the hype every time.
These two teams are only separated by 102 miles on I-71. Hell Is Real comes from an iconic billboard on the highway that links the two Ohio-based cities. The iconic roadside billboard with the message "HELL IS REAL" is roughly at the halfway point between the two cities.
The rivalry itself began in 2017 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – two years before FCC's expansion to MLS – and has since become one of the league's most anticipated matches each year. Both have been elite teams in the Eastern Conference in recent years, making this a star-studded match as well – highlighted by some of the league's best players.
Perhaps the most iconic moment between the two teams was the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals in MLS Playoffs. The Crew won 3-2 on the road in Cincinnati, scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to send the match to extra-time, and then with five minutes to spare, Christian Ramirez scored the winner to send them to MLS Cup – where they claimed the championship.
Recency bias absolutely factors into the landing spot of this rivalry, but each team shows up and their supporters go all-out if the opportunity is presented to them. It's exactly what makes a rivalry the intense game it should be – from geographical location to genuine distaste for one another, Hell Is Real has become a must-watch spectacle.
Getty Images Sport2Cascadia Cup
The Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps and the Seattle Sounders make up one of the most historic derbies in the league, simply because this is a rivalry that transcends MLS. Geographically adjacent in the Pacific Northwest, this rivalry never disappoints. But wait – three teams? How does that work?
Welcome to the Cascadia Cup – a made-up tournament by Supporters' groups from all three clubs from years back – that has become MLS tradition. None of these teams particularly like each other. Portland and Seattle specifically have an intense rivalry, and Vancouver? They're like the friendly, yet annoying, neighbor.
The Timbers are the current holders of the trophy after winning it in 2024, but with all three teams excelling of late in 2025, who knows what to expect for this year's iteration?
The Cascadia Cup trophy follows tradition, presented to fans, who then pass it to the players. The cup is awarded to the club that amasses the most points across all games against their other Cascadia opponents. This series has been played for 50 years, dating back to the NASL in 1975.
It's about bragging rights, it's heated, it's the crown for Cascadia. Seattle leads history with five Cups, while Vancouver and Portland have four each.
