El Clásico, North London Derby, Old Firm Derby, Derby D'Italia, Merseyside Derby, and Der Klassiker. When it comes to naming a rivalry in soccer, there appears to be just a few simple rules: keep it short, throw a geographical reference in when possible, and try to make it timeless.
Easier said than done though. Especially when neither team has faced the other on the pitch, as is the case with LAFC and the Galaxy.
But with so much passion coming from both fanbases ahead of Saturday's kickoff to the rivalry, why not give it a go at naming this derby? And better yet, why not ask the players that will compete in it?
Great idea. Thank you, I thought so too, so I asked a handful of LAFC players their thoughts and here is what they came up with:
Mark-Anthony Kaye - "El Clásico"
Balking at El Tráfico, Kaye went with a name synonymous with Real Madrid-Barcelona contests. His reasoning being the "Galaxy are a historic franchise in MLS, and LAFC is going to make history" so why not name it after another great derby.
Audacious, I like where Kaye's head is at here. People might bristle at it, but you got to love the confidence.
Steven Beitashour - (Reserving Judgment Until After The First Match)
Taking part multiple California Clásicos over his four seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes, Beitashour is no stranger to rivalries with the Galaxy. Born out of an actual hatred for each other on the pitch, those Earthquake-Galaxy matchups were all about bad blood - David Beckham even fought a mascot.
With that in mind, the defender's reason for waiting is to take the temperature on the pitch first before naming the rivalry. Fair enough, we'll have to check in with him again after Saturday.
Walker Zimmerman - "El Tráfico
Zimmerman told me you won't find a better name. End of story.
Short and sweet. Can't argue with that.
Benny Feilhaber - "110 Derby"
Like Zimmerman, Benny said you probably won't find anything better then El Tráfico, but he gave it a go anyways
The 110 Derby isn't bad. It's short and has a geographical reference with the nod to the 110 freeway connecting the two teams, so it ticks two of the three boxes for naming a soccer rivalry.
Jordan Harvey - "Carpool Clásico" "Battle of the Palms" "El Partido de la Playa"
Without a doubt, Harvey takes the prize for being the most creative.
The SoCal native, like Benny, admitted El Tráfico would probably be his ultimate choice, but he was adamant on coming up with more names and following a training session said he would get back to me. Within five minutes, he sent over the three suggestions above. Love the dedication, and Carpool Clásico does have a nice ring to it.
Bob Bradley - "El Tráfico"
The boss said it was his understanding El Tráfico was picked by the fans and it's the fans that drive the rivalry.
Hard to argue with that.
