MLS: Budding rivalries intensify league atmosphere
The 2020 MLS season looms. And with it comes growing fanbases new fanbases. These budding rivalries only intensify the atmosphere around the league.
There are many differences between American soccer and European football. From the roster rules of Major League Soccer to the attention that other sports garner as chief forms of entertainment, there are plenty of idiosyncrasies that make football in North America very different to that in Europe.
However, perhaps the most significant and noticeable difference is found not on the pitch or in the boardrooms of the organisations, but instead in the stands: the relationships of the supporters is what makes American soccer unique.
In 2007, I found myself at the then Home Depot Stadium watching Los Angeles Galaxy take on Pachuca in the SuperLiga. I was 12 years old and had only ever experienced White Hart Lane, the old home of Tottenham Hotspur. What was most surprising to my MLS initiation was the structure of the supporters in the stadium. There was no segregation of the fans.
Since 2008, I have been back Stateside multiple times. I have been to both New York and New Jersey twice in the past eight months. The first trip I saw the Yankees, the second the New Jersey Devils. Different sports, similar atmosphere.
Sport in America is very different from England and Europe more generally. Land-wise, England is a very small country. The population density is very high and there is a great rivalry between local places that are within 30 minutes of each other. When you live in a small country, the actions of your neighbouring town or city and the people who reside there impact your life far more so than if the nearest city to yours is a three-hour drive. This innate rivalry extends to football clubs.
In America, however, the opportunity to form these burning rivalries in football is very different. The country is simply too big and the distance between the respective organisations too large.
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New York City FC could hate their older counterparts, the New York Red Bulls, but what’s the point? The Red Bulls are actually based in New Jersey. It takes away from the rivalry. Similarly, the LA Galaxy are not even based in LA. Their rivalry with Los Angeles FC has stemmed from the goings-on on the pitch, not the proximity of the two clubs.
Inter Miami CF will make their first appearance in MLS this season. Are they now Orlando City’s biggest rivals? On paper, yes, but in reality, it will take years and some controversial moments on the pitch before either fanbase comes to hate the other.
But this is not to say that rivalries do not exist. Or even cannot exist. The Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers have a tremendous rivalry, one that is increasingly reminiscent of those in England and Europe. LAFC and the Galaxy have a budding rivalry, as do Montreal and Toronto. Certain clubs, then, already have a vibrant, atmospheric fanbase. And they have already begun to establish their rivalries with others around them.
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As MLS continues to grow and expand, with new investment and new organisations joining, these budding fanbases and rivalries will only grow and intensify. It may never be like England. Geography prevents it from being as such. But with a new season looming and more teams, fans and hype than ever before, the atmosphere of MLS is only going to grow.