Philly v. New York: It started at the SuperDraft
The strength and growth of MLS over the course of the next two seasons will be built solidly upon two geographic pods; with the Northeastern corridor filling up and opening two stadiums, and the Northwest set to come online in full force in 2011, America's soccer identity will come more from rivalry than ever before.
It starts this season, with Red Bull Arena giving hope that New York will have a vibrant stadium atmosphere coupled with the addition of Philadelphia to the league. Philly, in each and every sport, is the city the rest of the Northeast loves to hate. DC United is an immediate natural rival. New York is a step beyond, and the Union-Red Bull clashes in 2010 should be rife with the usual vitriol and aided by a significant away-support element. It will matter little how good either team actually is, and though the matches won't be traditional local derbies, they'll be on par with anything the league has seen to this point.
Red Bull Arena changes things
Philadelphia lives to hate New York, and New York isn't too fond of Philly; like death and taxes it's a certainty, and you can bet that dynamic will manifest itself, perhaps even more explosively (but let's hope not too explosively) in the culture of soccer.
Down the road in DC, the fans are bristling for a shot at the newcomers. United's tradition is a proud one, and though their fortunes have taken a downward turn the last few years, you can bet that La Barra Brava and the other United die-hards are anxious to show the upstarts how it's done. Union-United matches will have almost as much heat as the New York-Philly showdowns, and should swell attendance in the Washington home version. Hundreds (if not more) Sons of Ben in DC to cheer on their boys while the Barra and Screaming Eagles throb with the passionate energy they always bring sounds like a goose bump inducing event if there ever was one. Mark your calendars.
Though DC, Philly, and New York will form a triumvirate of rivalry unmatched until 2011, New England and Toronto will add their own elements to this geographical collection of clubs. The Toronto fans travel, New England is within spitting distance, and the league will benefit from the proximity of two brand new stadiums to passionate fan bases around the region. A confluence of events makes the Northeast, with the potential for New York to take a major step forward in attention in the media capital of the country, a major factor in Major League Soccer's continued development.
United's support set the standard
In 2011, we'll get to see how the Sounders-Timbers rivalry, with the bonus of Vancouver's involvement thrown-in, translates to the bigger stage of MLS. If 2010 proves to be as successful as it can be, then the addition of the Cascadia dynamic will only heighten the excitement, depth of passion, and expanding level of attention the league will have leveraged through the Northeast in 2010.
If MLS is to draw more television viewers to their product, they need full stadiums, loud crowds, and intense, playoff-style atmospheres. No matter the quality of play, a soccer match is always more intriguing on television if it is accompanied by those factors. There's no reason to believe that 2010 won't be a new high-water mark for games of that caliber, with 2011 ready to amplify the gain.
