El Trafico, Hell is Real and MLS' best rivalries - ranked

Dubbed The Nicest Rivalry in Sports, thisis a bit of a forced rivalry due to geographic location. But at the same time, it's a fun twist on the competitiveness of these matches. The Loons, known for their "Minnesota Nice" and Sporting, for some of the best and most welcoming supporters in all of MLS, have created a healthy and fun rivalry.

It's full of passion, occasional heated moments and, of course, harsh exchanges on the pitch, but it's more known as a fun take on what a present-day rivalry can look like.

Minnesota and Missouri are connected by I-35W North, and every year for the Home and Away matches for each respective side, a large traveling contingent of fans flock to support their teams.

The Hudson River Derby pits New York's two sides against each other... well, sort of. The Red Bulls actually play in New Jersey, train in New Jersey, and are based in New Jersey. But let's overlook that. It's all about the rivalry.

NYCFC vs RBNY is a brilliant match each year, and it all goes back to 2016. The Red Bulls defeated NYCFC 7-0 in utterly dominant fashion, with the match being dubbed "The Red Wedding" - so named as a spin on an infamous scene from hit TV show Game of Thrones.

Since that match, the two sides have clashed multiple times, both looking to claim the throne of New York.

The Texas Derby dates back to 2006 and 2007, with the two sides battling it out for the El Capitan trophy. That year, a boot to the chest - and some expletive words from players on the field - launched the now nearly 20-year rivalry between the Lonestar State sides.

Dynamo's Ricardo Clark aggressively kicked FCD's Carlos Ruiz late in that infamous match, despite his club holding a 3-0 lead. That fiery fiasco has lit a flame to their matches each year, on and off the pitch.

The respective clubs' fans despise each other, and there's a true sense of territorialism when you're in each city as these two sides clash.

One of the longest-standing soccer rivalries alive in MLS today, the Montreal-Toronto clash dates back to the clubs' NASL days - and the rivalry of the cities themselves is centuries old.

Economic competitors, and backgrounded by arch-nemesis hockey teams in the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, the Canadian Clasique might be the most fierce match in MLS each year.

The French-speaking and English-speaking Canadian sides are pitted against one another, and it's genuinely a battle to see who comes out on top each time.

The rivalry peaked in 2016 when the two clubs were at their best in the East Conference finals, and since, it's become an outrageously fun match.

A showdown between cities that compete with each other, clubs that despise one another and fan bases that wish ill upon the other? It's the closest MLS has to a European-esque rivalry.

Hell is Real, baby.

One of the newest rivalries in MLS, its brilliant name comes from an iconic billboard on Highway 71 that links the two Ohio-based cities.

The rivalry began in 2017 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - two years before FCC's expansion to MLS - and has since blossomed into a brilliant series of matches each year.

Fans of both clubs put on an electric display each time they meet, and in general, it's become a heated rivalry. The crowds are full of passionate fans who are loud and proud, the tifos, flags, chants and music are second to none in MLS.

After a few rough years to begin life in MLS, FCC are now on the rise, adding salt to the wound of their battles with Columbus.

This rivalry would contend across all sports in the the U.S. as one of the best and most fierce. Yankees-Red Sox? Michigan-Ohio State? Duke-North Carolina? Have no doubt about this: the two sides from the Pacific Northwest, Seattle vs Portland, is a match filled with hatred for the opposition every single time they meet on the pitch.

The two sides in the Battle for Cascadia have clashed more than 115 times across all competitions in their histories, and it's only added fuel to the fire over the decades.

The rivalry is known for incredible competing tifos from each side, with intense and hostile atmospheres bringing a brilliant fan presence each match.

The Sounders' Iconic Rave Green kits and the Timbers' Forest Green shirts make for a brilliant clash each time they meet, too.

El Trafico. TheBattle for Los Angeles.TheHollywood Derby. The list goes on for names people have associated with this burgeoning rivalry. It's fierce, it's intense, and it's always a show.

Most famously, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his iconic MLS debut during El Trafico. The Swede scored a 35-yard thunder-strike of a goal, and then netted a winner in a 4-3 comeback win for the Galaxy in 2018.

Since then, the derby has been marked by flares, tifos, incredible fan atmospheres and exhilarating high-scoring matches. Across 22 meetings, the two clubs have combined for nearly 100 total goals - an astounding number that highlights just how much each team wants to win when it comes to this rivalry.

The Galaxy - MLS' most-storied franchise - have long been a symbol of aspiration for other clubs as to who they want to be, and how they want to succeed. Yet, just in seven years, LAFC have leapfrogged the Galaxy in terms of being among the elite clubs in MLS - only adding fuel to this rivalry's fire.