What’s in a rivalry?

There are differing circumstances leading one team in a given league to despise another to the point it crosses into rivalry territory. Geographical proximity is the most common form. If you’re a sports fan at all you’re familiar with Yankees-Red Sox, Ohio State-Michigan, Giants-Eagles, Maple Leafs-Canadiens, and many others that are based mostly on the fact the two teams are relatively close to one another.

But there’s another kind of rivalry that transcends location and springs forth much more organically. It tends to happen when either a lot is consistently on the line between the two teams or when something out of the ordinary transpires on the field of play, leading to a certain furthering of disdain among the players involved.

For the most part, the former was on display during the recently completed weekend of MLS play. The league dubbed it “Rivalry Week” and indeed there were plenty of hatefests to go around for everyone.

On Saturday night, you had the always heated “California Clasico” between the Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes. Sunday’s nationally televised double-header also had two match-ups between natural geographic rivals. First up was the relatively new “Hudson River Derby” that pitted expansion side New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls. Afterwards, fans were treated to perhaps American club soccer’s oldest rivalry in the “Cascadia Cup” between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders.

Columbus Crew SC got in on the rivalry action earlier in the week, taking on the New England Revolution. This is one of those circumstantial rivalries that has recently come about as a result of recent on-field history. Ask players on both sides and you’ll immediately find out these two teams have an added level of loathing for one another. It was the Revs who knocked the Black and Gold out of the 2014 MLS Cup playoffs in rather emphatic fashion, notching a 7-3 aggregate win that included a 4-2 drubbing at MAPFRE Stadium in the first leg.

So far in 2015, though, it has been advantage Columbus. Crew SC came away with a crucial away point on April 11th when the two sides fought to a scoreless draw that was notable for how physical and chippy the game was. That became apparent after the game when the league office issued warnings to both clubs for violations of the league’s mass confrontation policy.

Then last Wednesday, the Black and Gold were able to emerge victorious at home to end a six-game winless run in the regular season. It had to have felt especially sweet to get back to winning ways at New England’s expense.

That brings us to Columbus Crew SC-Orlando City SC.

The two are primed to go at it in US Open Cup round of 16 play on Tuesday night down in central Florida. It will only be the third all-time meeting between Black and Gold and Purple and Gold. That said, the first two games these teams played had their fair share of controversy and intrigue that may have the effect of ratcheting up the intensity level when they take the field at the Citrus Bowl.

Crew SC took the first meeting 3-0 on April 18th in Columbus. That game was marked by a nasty studs up challenge by Rafael Ramos on left back Waylon Francis in the 32nd minute that resulted in a straight red card. Having already led the game 1-0, the Black and Gold would add two more in the second half.

When the sides renewed pleasantries in Orlando on May 30th, the visitors would find themselves down a man early. In the 15th minute, Crew SC defender Michael Parkhurst was sent off for handling the ball during a goal-scoring opportunity. The decision was obviously not popular amongst fans of the road side who thought Parkhurst was doing everything he could to avoid a handball. Orlando City’s Kaka would convert the penalty even though in the end Columbus was able to salvage a point out of the game.

Though the history of the series only spans these two games, they have been marked by a total of ten cards issued including two reds. As mentioned above, that non-geographic type of rivalry can have the tendency to develop from out of seemingly nowhere. In many respects, those kinds of rivalries can be even more compelling.

Is there anything about the two cities that might further add fuel to the fire? Both are relatively small media markets. In fact, of the 16 US cities that have MLS franchises, Orlando and Columbus are ranked 12th and 15th respectively.

The two clubs are contrasts in front office styles. Despite Orlando’s small market size, their spending on players likely approaches Toronto FC or New York City FC territory. Kaka’s salary itself probably exceeds Crew SC’s entire payroll. There is an increasing perception amongst fans of clubs like Columbus that the league is giving preferential treatment to the free wheeling, big spending clubs in terms of enabling them to bypass the usual mechanisms for acquiring players from outside the league.

Does Columbus Crew SC-Orlando City SC have the characteristics of a rivalry? The potential is certainly there. Though two games might not be the biggest sample size, one more will be added when they face off in the oldest club competition in the United States on Tuesday. Both teams are also relatively close to one another in the regular season standings. If they get paired up in that third component of competition, the MLS postseason, it may be the final straw that pushes this match-up between league newbie and charter member club into a bona fide rivalry.

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