Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups that are usually contested by only two teams, with the only exceptions being the

Cascadia Cup The Cascadia Cup is the name of the trophy created in 2004 by supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, which is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. The cup is named for the ...

and the new

Copa Tejas Copa Tejas is the two cup competitions and one shield between the Major League Soccer, USL Championship and NWSL teams of the state of Texas, awarded by independent supporters groups of the state's teams. It was initially founded in 2019 by sup ...

, 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. '' ''* 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. '' ''*** The Hell Is Real Derby existed prior to FC Cincinnati joining MLS.''
' The rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders has existed in previous teams that are part of their respective legacies, and leagues that have operated prior to MLS.

Former

''* Florida Derby existed prior to creation of MLS franchises for Tampa Bay and Miami, and after teams left MLS in 2001.''

Rivalry cups

; Notes

References