Do we say '2 teams are close'

We use "a close match/contest" to describe a match where the result of the 2 teams is close. But can we use the word "close" to describe the 2 teams instead of the result/match. Like saying "the 2 teams are close"? Which word should we use to express the idea that the 2 competing teams perform similarly?

Solution 1:

A couple different idioms that might apply here are, "The two teams were neck and neck" or, "It was down to the wire."

But can we use the word "close" to describe the 2 teams instead of the result/match. Like saying "the 2 teams are close"?

You can, but it doesn't sound the best. In this instance, I would use one of the idioms I mentioned above.

Side-note: The rule of using the word form of numbers less than 20 versus their number form would make using the number two in your excerpt incorrect. Although this was not exactly what you were asking, I thought it was worth mentioning.