MLS two-team Cups

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In Major League Soccer, several teams compete for a cup between just two teams which is awarded to the team with the better regular season record between one another in a certain year. They include the Atlantic Cup between D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, the Brimstone Cup between the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas, the Honda SuperClasico between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, the Rocky Mountain Cup between the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, and the Texas Derby (El Capitan Clasico) between FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo. Another notable cup is the California Clasico between the Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, played from 1996-2005 and 2008 on.

The Atlantic Cup was created in 2002 by the two clubs, and is the least popular with the fans because of this.^[clarify] D.C. United has won the cup five times, and the New York Red Bulls have won once (as MetroStars). The Brimstone Cup started in 2001 by fan groups of the two teams.

Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between a team and the nearest other team. An exception is the Brimstone Cup. The two main catalysts for this were that at the time FC Dallas was known as Dallas Burn, so they had similar names (Fire and Burn), and that in 2001 both were in the Central Division. FC Dallas has won the cup four times, and the Chicago Fire has won the cup once.

The Rocky Mountain Cup was created the same year Real Salt Lake joined MLS, 2005 to give Real Salt Lake extra excitement for their first year. The Colorado Rapids won the cup in 2005 and 2006, and Real Salt Lake won the cup in 2007.

The Texas Derby was created the same year the San Jose Earthquakes franchise moved to Houston, Texas, thereby putting the California Clasico on hold.

A pre-season only derby, the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup, was created in 2007 in honor of Lamar Hunt, between FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew, two teams which Hunt owned upon his death in 2006. The inaugural match was played March 11, 2007 at Pizza Hut Park, and was played at Columbus Crew Stadium in 2008.

2008 sees a brand new derby created between two Eastern Conference teams, with the Trillium Cup between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew, with the cup named after the official provincial/state flower of both Ontario and Ohio.