Draft:List of interleague soccer rivalries in the United States and Canada
The following is a interleague soccer rivalries in the United States and Canada.
In the United States and Canada, the absence of promotion and relegation, coupled with the prevalent use of a franchise model in professional sports leagues, contributes to a distinctive sports landscape where matches, let alone rivalries, between teams in different divisions are relatively uncommon.
Unlike the promotion and relegation systems found in many global soccer leagues, where teams move between divisions based on performance, North American leagues typically operate under a closed franchise model, where teams' positions are fixed. This structure diminishes the regular competitive interactions between teams in different divisions, hindering the organic development of rivalries. Instead, intense rivalries tend to emerge among teams within the same league, fueled by frequent encounters, historical matchups, and shared regional identities.
Nevertheless, in American and Canadian soccer due to cross-division competitions such as the U.S. Open Cup and Canadian Championship, respectively, preseason tournaments, and the fact several MLS franchises previously existed as USL franchises has resulted in interleague rivalries in the American soccer landscape.
Men's senior rivalries
The following is a list of rivalries between senior level clubs in both the United States and Canada.
| Rivalry name | Team 1 (league) | Team 2 (league) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga derby | Chattanooga FC (MLSNP) | Chattanooga Red Wolves (USL1) | [1][2] |
| Coffee Pot Cup | Charleston Battery (USLC) | D.C. United (MLS) | [3] |
| Detroit derby | Detroit City FC (USLC) | Michigan Stars (NISA) | |
| Dirty River derby | FC Cincinnati (MLS) | Louisville City (USLC) | [4] |
| Miami Clasico | Miami FC (USLC) | Inter Miami (MLS) | [5] |
| NorCal derby | Sacramento Republic (USLC) | San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) | |
| OC derby | California United Strikers (NISA) | Orange County SC (USLC) | |
| Southern derby | Charleston Battery (USLC) | Charlotte Independence (USL1) | |
| Tar Heel derby | North Carolina FC (USLC) | Charlotte Independence (USL1) |
Collegiate
The following is a list of soccer rivalries between different NCAA Division programs in college soccer
| Rivalry name | Team 1 (league) | Team 2 (league) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant & Sons Cup | UCSB Gauchos (NCAA-I) | Westmont Warriors (NAIA) | [6] |
| Rowdies Cup | South Florida Bulls (NCAA-I) | Tampa Spartans (NCAA-II) | [7] |
- ^ Creighton, Chris (November 21, 2020). "The Chattanooga Dilemma: Learning Of The Rivalry And Teams". SCLP. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Henley, Gene (July 11, 2021). "Chattanooga FC, Red Wolves are different teams with similar goals". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Salazar, Sebastian (February 29, 2012). "Coffee Pot Cup on the line against Charleston". D.C. United. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Dirty River Derby". dirtyriverderby.com. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "Miami Clásico game tonight features cross-town rivalry between Miami FC and Inter Miami CF - CBS Miami". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Bryant, Victor (2019-08-18). "UCSB survives Bryant and Sons Cup With 1-0 Victory over Westmont". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ "The USF-UT Rowdies Cup: A Tampa Tradition". USF Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-26.