Top 5 rivalries in Major League Soccer history

#1 Seattle Sounders FC vs Portland Timbers

Clint Dempsey celebrating a goal against Portland and mocking them in the process

The Portland-Seattle rivalry is simply the biggest and most major rivalry in MLS history. It heads way back to 1975 when the two teams played their very first match against each other, which was also the inaugural match for the Portland Timbers side.

The two teams have played each other on numerous occasions and initially started their rivalry way back in the North American Soccer League. These two rivals would then go on to face other during the WSL/WSA era, as well as in the USL era.

However, the Portland-Seattle rivalry was first presented to MLS fans back in 2009 in a match that saw Seattle defeat their rivals via a scoreline of 2-1, in front of a sold-out PGE Park crowd.

The two sides have faced each other for a total of 99 times, but it is Seattle who have the upper hand currently, after winning this derby 53 times since its beginning.

This rivalry has also been hugely bitter between the two sets of fans, as the Portland Timbers are supported by the Timbers Army, while on the other hand, the Sounders are supported by the Emerald City Supporters.

The Portland-Seattle rivalry remains as the biggest rivalry in MLS history

Both Seattle and Portland have almost an equal number of major honours, having won the MLS just once in their current tenure in the Major League Soccer. The Portland-Seattle derby, till date, remains as the most heated and biggest derby in US Soccer history and it seems like it will continue to dominate the scene for many more years to come.