In Major League Soccer, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups that are usually contested by only two teams, with the only exceptions being the Cascadia Cup and the new Copa Tejas, which are contested by three MLS teams, each. Each cup or trophy is awarded to the eligible team with the better regular season record and are comparable to minor trophies played for in college football rivalries. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region. Rivalry cups are considered a tradition to most MLS fans and players alike. Out of the ten original MLS teams only three have not competed in these rivalry cups: Sporting K.C., New England Revolution and the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Texas Derby is the only MLS rivalry where the winner does not walk away with a cup trophy but instead they play for "El Capitán", a replica 18th century mountain howitzer cannon. Some derbies only contest for bragging rights of rival supporters groups.
All records reflect wins made when all participating franchises are MLS teams.
| Derby name | Most wins | Titles | Other club(s) | Titles | Recent winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Cup | D.C. United | 14 | New York Red Bulls | 13 | New York Red Bulls |
| Brimstone Cup | FC Dallas | 10 | Chicago Fire FC | 7 | Chicago |
| Cascadia Cup* | Seattle Sounders FC | 5 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | Vancouver |
| Portland Timbers | 3 | ||||
| Copa Tejas** | FC Dallas | 1 | Houston Dynamo FC | 0 | Austin |
| Austin FC | 1 | ||||
| Heritage Cup | Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 6 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Rocky Mountain Cup | Real Salt Lake | 13 | Colorado Rapids | 5 | Real Salt Lake |
| Texas Derby | FC Dallas | 9 | Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | FC Dallas |
| Trillium Cup | Columbus Crew | 8 | Toronto FC | 7 | Columbus Crew |
* Cascadia Cup existed prior to the creation of MLS franchises for Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
** Copa Tejas was originally conceived for USL clubs, created an MLS division in 2021.
All records reflect wins made (per season) when all participating franchises are MLS teams. No cup/trophy contested.
| Derby name | Most wins | Win(s) | Other club(s) | Win(s) | Recent winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Clásico | LA Galaxy | 15 | San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | LA Galaxy |
| Canadian Classique | Toronto FC | 6 | CF Montreal | 4 | CF Montreal |
| El Tráfico | LA Galaxy | 3 | Los Angeles FC | 2 | LAFC |
| Hell Is Real derby*** | Columbus Crew | 4 | FC Cincinnati | 1 | Columbus |
| Hudson River Derby | New York Red Bulls | 5 | New York City FC | 3 | New York City |
| POR v SEA† | Portland Timbers | 7 | Seattle Sounders FC | 5 | Portland Timbers |
| SKC v RSL | Sporting Kansas City | 9 | Real Salt Lake | 8 | Real Salt Lake |
| Turnpike Derby | Inter Miami CF | 2 | Orlando City SC | 2 | Orlando City SC |
*** The Hell Is Real Derby existed prior to FC Cincinnati joining MLS.
† The rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders has existed in previous teams that are part of their respective legacies, and leagues that have operated prior to MLS.
| Derby name | Most wins | Titles | Other club(s) | Titles | Last winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Derby* | Miami Fusion | 2 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2 | Miami (2001) |
| SuperClasico | LA Galaxy | 9 | Chivas USA | 1 | LA Galaxy (2014) |
* Florida Derby existed prior to creation of MLS franchises for Tampa Bay and Miami, and after teams left MLS in 2001.[1]
| Competition | Established | Teams | Series Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Cup | 1996 | D.C. United | 14 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021 |
| New York Red Bulls | 13 | 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 | ||
| Brimstone Cup | 2001 | Chicago Fire FC | 7 | 2001, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 |
| FC Dallas | 10 | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 | ||
| California Clásico | 1996 | LA Galaxy | 15 | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 9 | 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 | ||
| Cascadia Cup (MLS years) |
2011[a] | Portland Timbers | 3 | 2012, 2017, 2022 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 5 | 2011, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023 | ||
| Copa Tejas | 2021 | Austin FC | 1 | 2022 |
| FC Dallas | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Houston Dynamo FC | 0 | |||
| El Tráfico | 2018 | LA Galaxy | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Los Angeles FC | 1 | 2020 | ||
| Florida Derby (MLS years) |
1998[b] | Miami Fusion | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny | 2 | 1998, 1999 | ||
| Hell Is Real Derby (MLS years) |
2019[c] | Columbus Crew | 4 | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| FC Cincinnati | 0 | |||
| Heritage Cup | 2009 | San Jose Earthquakes | 6 | 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2022 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 8 | 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | ||
| Hudson River Derby | 2015 | New York Red Bulls | 5 | 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| New York City FC | 3 | 2017, 2020, 2022 | ||
| SuperClasico | 2005[d] | Chivas USA | 1 | 2007 |
| LA Galaxy | 9 | 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 | ||
| Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup | 2007 | Columbus Crew | 10 | 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| FC Dallas | 2 | 2010, 2015 | ||
| Rocky Mountain Cup | 2005 | Colorado Rapids | 5 | 2005, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2020 |
| Real Salt Lake | 13 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 | ||
| Texas Derby | 2006 | FC Dallas | 9 | 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 8 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2021 | ||
| Trillium Cup | 2008 | Columbus Crew | 8 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022 |
| Toronto FC | 7 | 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 |