Last Saturday, the greatest sporting event in the world kicked off. No, I'm not talking about any strictly American sport, nor am I talking about MMA, basketball, or baseball, cricket, or any other sporting event that immediately comes to mind. Am I talking about the UEFA Champions' League, the soccer glamour competition that ESPN and Fox Sports have created into a pretty common event in America? The answer remains no.
What I'm talking about is a competition that gets little coverage in the USA, but one that excites so many who know about it to no end. We're talking about England's FA Cup, which finally kicked off last weekend.
But what makes this event so special and so deserving of your time? The simple fact that it is so large and so unpredictable and that literally anything can happen in any round between any two teams. 762 teams compete for the FA Cup through 14 different rounds (six qualifying rounds, six rounds of the FA Cup "proper," along with the semifinal and the final, which will be held at Wembley Stadium in London again this year). Any team in the top 9 levels of the English football pyramid (if we were to somehow, place this in the context of American football, it would essentially be like all American football teams from high school and above) can enter the tournament. All matches are single knock out, with the losing team going home and the winning team advancing. Through the 14 rounds of the FA Cup, literally anything can happen.
It is entirely possible for huge upsets to happen (including teams known as "minnows" stunning bigger teams). It is entirely possible, if the 9th tier team were to survive that long, that Manchester United could travel to the equivalent of a high school team in American football. Can you imagine the New England Patriots coming to town and playing your local high school? While that is strange to American sports fans and would never happen in this country that is entirely possible in the FA Cup. Upsets are also commonplace. Two years ago, Barnsley FC (a second tier team) made it into the Final Four of the FA Cup, beating giant Liverpool on the road and then beating another giant in Chelsea at home.
The tournament always sees its share of stunners. Every time out, at least one unknown team shocks the British football world with a massive upset. Some of the more notable ones are Wimbledon FC's upset over Burnley in 1975, and Sutton United's major upset over Coventry City in 1989. These things happen all the time, and are sure to happen again in 2009-2010.
The unpredictability, as shown in just some of the examples above, is what makes it so special. The fact that a team such as Chelsea traveled to Coventry City last year makes the event special. Could you imagine the Packers traveling to play an Arena Football League team? Literally every team has a chance, if they keep winning, to get a huge game like that at home. Once the teams take the field, anything can happen.
So why should you, as an American, care about the FA Cup? Because it's essentially a giant version of March Madness, that is the best way that I can describe it to you. From August 15 until the final on May 15, teams from all over England will fight for the right to lift the most storied trophy in English soccer. With the knockout aspect, teams can't afford to slip up; one game can be the end of your Cup run. The excitement of the FA Cup is unmatched and is something that really should be witnessed. Any game, literally, has the chance to have history attached to it. For all you know, you could be turning in to watch the next great upset and that is something that cannot be overstated. Could the next great run in FA Cup history happen this year? Could a non-league team upset a Premier League team?You never, ever know.
Do you want to watch ten months of March Madness? Do you want to see amateur teams take on some of the biggest and richest clubs in the world on an even field? The FA Cup has all of that and deserves your attention. An event this special is truly something that we would never see in American sports and that is a shame. However, thanks to English soccer, we all get the chance.
What I'm talking about is a competition that gets little coverage in the USA, but one that excites so many who know about it to no end. We're talking about England's FA Cup, which finally kicked off last weekend.
But what makes this event so special and so deserving of your time? The simple fact that it is so large and so unpredictable and that literally anything can happen in any round between any two teams. 762 teams compete for the FA Cup through 14 different rounds (six qualifying rounds, six rounds of the FA Cup "proper," along with the semifinal and the final, which will be held at Wembley Stadium in London again this year). Any team in the top 9 levels of the English football pyramid (if we were to somehow, place this in the context of American football, it would essentially be like all American football teams from high school and above) can enter the tournament. All matches are single knock out, with the losing team going home and the winning team advancing. Through the 14 rounds of the FA Cup, literally anything can happen.
It is entirely possible for huge upsets to happen (including teams known as "minnows" stunning bigger teams). It is entirely possible, if the 9th tier team were to survive that long, that Manchester United could travel to the equivalent of a high school team in American football. Can you imagine the New England Patriots coming to town and playing your local high school? While that is strange to American sports fans and would never happen in this country that is entirely possible in the FA Cup. Upsets are also commonplace. Two years ago, Barnsley FC (a second tier team) made it into the Final Four of the FA Cup, beating giant Liverpool on the road and then beating another giant in Chelsea at home.
The tournament always sees its share of stunners. Every time out, at least one unknown team shocks the British football world with a massive upset. Some of the more notable ones are Wimbledon FC's upset over Burnley in 1975, and Sutton United's major upset over Coventry City in 1989. These things happen all the time, and are sure to happen again in 2009-2010.
The unpredictability, as shown in just some of the examples above, is what makes it so special. The fact that a team such as Chelsea traveled to Coventry City last year makes the event special. Could you imagine the Packers traveling to play an Arena Football League team? Literally every team has a chance, if they keep winning, to get a huge game like that at home. Once the teams take the field, anything can happen.
So why should you, as an American, care about the FA Cup? Because it's essentially a giant version of March Madness, that is the best way that I can describe it to you. From August 15 until the final on May 15, teams from all over England will fight for the right to lift the most storied trophy in English soccer. With the knockout aspect, teams can't afford to slip up; one game can be the end of your Cup run. The excitement of the FA Cup is unmatched and is something that really should be witnessed. Any game, literally, has the chance to have history attached to it. For all you know, you could be turning in to watch the next great upset and that is something that cannot be overstated. Could the next great run in FA Cup history happen this year? Could a non-league team upset a Premier League team?You never, ever know.
Do you want to watch ten months of March Madness? Do you want to see amateur teams take on some of the biggest and richest clubs in the world on an even field? The FA Cup has all of that and deserves your attention. An event this special is truly something that we would never see in American sports and that is a shame. However, thanks to English soccer, we all get the chance.
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