'Hell' to Florida: Ranking the most watchable MLS Rivalry Week matches

The teams couldn't be more different: Columbus plays a fluid, fast-paced, possession-based game while Cincinnati opts for defensive rigidity spiked with eye-popping wonder goals. Each has a reputation for success. 

"Hell is Real" is a headlining event in every MLS season, but with both teams cruising at the top of the league standings, it has rarely mattered more than it does in 2025.

2: New England Revolution vs San Jose Earthquakes, Saturday | May 17

New England and San Jose might seem like unlikely rivals, but the events of the past two years have made their meetings fierce, fraught and deeply personal.

In 2021, New England won the Supporters' Shield — and set the all-time MLS points record — under the watch of legendary American coach Bruce Arena. In 2023, New England and Arena parted ways under suspicious and acrimonious circumstances. New England suffered in his absence, and Arena, after a year away from the sport, returned to MLS with the last-place San Jose Earthquakes.

Arena knew he had a massive rebuild in San Jose, so he turned to what he knew: New England. Arena poached six players from his former club, using them to turn San Jose's fortunes around. (It has worked brilliantly, as new arrival DeJuan Jones has three goals in two games with San Jose.) 

3: Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders | Saturday, May 17

Portland and Seattle share a European-style "derby." They've hated each other since they were both languishing in the lower divisions. Their rivalry stretches deep into the annals of American soccer.

Portland is this season's surprise outfit, but you never really know which version of the team will show up. (Sometimes it's thumping Colorado 3-0, sometimes it's falling 4-1 to San Jose in humiliating fashion.) 

Meanwhile, Seattle is cruising to a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

4: Inter Miami vs. Orlando City | Sunday, May 18

In 2025, Lionel Messi and friends aren't excelling. In fact, they're still stinging from the one-two punch of Concacaf Champions Cup elimination and a 4-1 hammering by the Minnesota United. They'll enter this rivalry match with Orlando hungry to prove that its poor performances in April were a fluke.

Orlando, meanwhile, has one of the best defensive records in the league — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese recently kept five clean sheets in a row — and is more than capable of holding off Miami's famous attack.

Other Rivalry Week matches:

St. Louis City vs. Sporting Kansas City (Wednesday, May 14): It's known locally as the "Derbycue" (in honor of, you know, the local barbecue.) With both teams below the playoff line in 2025, this one is evenly matched but ultimately inconsequential.

CF Montréal vs. Toronto FC (Saturday, May 17): An all-Canadian affair between two of the more downtrodden teams in the Eastern Conference. Montréal's Prince Owusu and Toronto's Federico Bernardeschi are capable of brilliance, but they're unlikely to deliver it here.

New York City FC vs. New York Red Bulls (Saturday, May 17): The Hudson River Derby tends to be a headliner, but with both teams struggling this season (and NYC missing key midfielder Keaton Parks to injury), it has lost luster.

FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo (Saturday, May 17): Two of Texas' finest test their mettle against one another. Dallas is ascending now that striker Petar Musa is back from injury; Houston is muddling through its first season without key midfielders Coco Carrasquilla and Hector Herrera.

Colorado Rapids vs. Real Salt Lake (Saturday, May 17): The always-fiesty Rocky Mountain Cup kicks off at high altitude in Denver. These are two young, unpredictable teams, and they're equally capable of producing a banger or a snoozefest.

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. LAFC (Sunday, May 18): With the Galaxy's descent into madness, the match known as "El Trafico" has regressed from must-watch TV to a rubbernecking exercise. LAFC should sweep this one.