The full-time whistle blew at about 9:07 pm Eastern time in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday, May 17th as the Independence of the USL beat the Eagles of the PDL 3–2 in the Second Round of the US Open Cup.

Usually such a result would mark disappointment. The Eagles are unpaid college players, and they had briefly been ahead 2–1 in the late stages of the second half. We root for upsets like this, and we curse the near-misses.

Not this time.

Instead, many soccer-supporting North Carolinians breathed sighs of relief that one of the region’s budding soccer rivalries would renew its nuptials for the third year running. In a region of great rivalries like UNC vs. Duke, Clemson vs. South Carolina, App State vs. Western Carolina, and Tuscola vs. Pisgah (a great high school football rivalry near Asheville); North Carolina FC vs. the Charlotte Independence deserves to be in the conversation.

Okay, no it doesn’t.

There actually isn’t much precedent for rivalry between the two biggest cities in North Carolina. College sports reign in the Triangle. UNC, Duke, and NC State are topics 1–10 on the Triangle sports radio shows. The Hurricanes pop up when they’re good or when one of the four or five media members in the area who really cares wants to write about them.

While Charlotte has colleges in it, it is unquestionably a pro sports town. The Panthers are the true kings of the Queen City now — Cam Newton is covered as breathlessly in Charlotte as Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski are in the Triangle. And before the Panthers, the city was abuzz over the Hornets. Kemba Walker and company haven’t yet recaptured the magic of Muggsy Bogues and Larry Johnson, but the time will come.

And these differences are good. Every great Carolina rivalry is fueled by at least some element of “Y’all do things different than we do, and the way we do things is better.” UNC/Duke is the epitome of that: public school vs. private school, good ol’ boy vs. northern transplant. But they’re not the only ones. Before Duke came along, UNC, the school for everyone, argued with State, the school for farmers and engineers.