Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers or LA Galaxy vs LAFC no matter whichever you cherish the most, every rivalry presents itself with intensity and passion for the soccer.
Rather than a new league, MLS had its inauguration in 1996 with just 10 teams. Since then not only has the popularity of the league been boosted but also the number of current teams is 29, creating fresh but natural rivalries between the cities and their relevant clubs.
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Without further ado, roll up your sleeves, and let’s dive right into the biggest MLS rivalries of all time.
LA Galaxy vs LAFC
Before 2018, no, there wasn’t any rivalry. The LA Derby came into existence when LAFC entered the realms of MLS in 2018.
The first meeting? It was electric. A 7-goal thriller between the two clubs combined created the rivalry at the very first meeting. In the first half, the newcomers were leading 3-1. But in the second half, almost everything was changed.
The Zlatan, Zlatan Ibrahimović made his debut marvelously for LA Galaxy with a strike from a distance which was also an equalizer. In the end, LA Galaxy won the game 4-3 and booked pages in the history books of MLS for the LA Derby.
Since then the LA Derby has been a joy to watch. Both sides have met multiple times and made the game worthwhile for soccer fans. Both are going almost toe-to-toe when it comes to the results. LA Galaxy has won the 7 meeting while LAFC is one short with 6. Though, LAFC has been victorious through and through in the playoffs.
LA Galaxy has always been the greats of Los Angeles. But now LAFC is challenging their dominion and has been performing well. Galaxy needs to learn from their mistakes and rock again.
Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers
The two first met in 1975 and Sounders won 1-0. But wait? MLS started in 1996, how did they have a match in 1975?
The rivalry wasn’t started in MLS. It was the North American Soccer League that ignited the fire between the two that spread across the competitions among the teams and the fans. It’s mainly an American Soccer rivalry but it can be felt in MLS too.
Roger Levesque is an eternal target of boos for Timbers fans. Roger formerly was a Sounder but then it switched to the side that disliked him. In 2007, when he was subbed in against Toronto FC, he met with whistles and boos from the Timber fanbase. Fans displayed “True Fans Hate Levesque”, and “Tree Chop” for Roger. He is really a villain for the Portlanders.
CF Montreal vs Toronto FC
A century-old rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in the field of hockey transcends smoothly in the MLS. Not only the rivalry is limited to sports but the two are economic rivals.
French-speaking Montreal and English-speaking Toronto had their first competition in soccer during the NASL time and since then they both want to be the Canadian titans of soccer in MLS.
It was 2016 when the fans saw glimpses of what was yet to come when the two Canadian clubs met for the first time. The winner would have been crowned the name of the first Canadian side to reach the MLS Cup final. The players and the fans of both sides wanted their team names as the first in history.
What a match that was. Montreal was in a huge lead of 3-0 in the first leg of the playoff. But the defenses did not need time to crumble as Toronto jumped back with two goals from Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley while conceding none. The first leg ended 3-2.
The second leg was again looking good for Montreal as they scored another to make it 4-2. The game equaled at 4-4. Piatti made it 5-4 for Montreal. But thanks to Nick of Toronto who equalized and took the game to extra time where Toronto scored twice to wrap the tie up for themselves. They got their name as the first team to reach the MLS Cup final but Montreal shined in the other ties.
Montreal won the 2019 Canadian Championship in the home of their rivals, Toronto. Since then both the teams have had a sub-par campaign. Neither looked sharp but that isn’t to say that rivalry has ended. Both will buckle up again to earn the silverware.
Summing Up
MLS is one of the most popular competitions in the US. With the said rivalries and the addition of players like Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimović among others, the league has had a lot of international attention. The game will earn more popularity in the years to come and we will enjoy the exciting rivalries in the MLS.
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