Orlando City and Atlanta United have yet to play each other in a match. One club is in the third year of its MLS existence, the other in its first. But even with one club still in its formative MLS years and the other in its top-flight infancy, and never having faced off, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding whether or not Orlando City vs. Atlanta United should already be considered a rivalry match.
Given the clubs’ regional affiliation in the South — they’re the only two MLS clubs in the entirety of the Southeast, including the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia — there was always going to be potential for a rivalry due to geographic proximity.