The FA Cup, England’s biggest football tournament, has been going since August, much as that might surprise many who pay attention only to the Premier League. Because the cup is open to all senior-level clubs who are members of the FA-and even some that are members of the Football Association of Wales-there’s quite a bit of weeding out of those 759 clubs that must occur before the biggest clubs in the land jump in.
FA Cup Third Round Proper: Manchester United Draw Liverpool, But Eight Rounds Have Already Passed
The weakest clubs first participate in two preliminary rounds before moving into the four qualifying rounds that occur before the “tournament proper” even begins. The clubs of League Two, the lowest division in the Football League, enter in the First Round Proper, clubs of League One in the Second Round Proper, and finally Championship and Premier League teams enter in the Third Round Proper. Of course, this means that many of the most lopsided matchups are prevented, with most, if not all, of the non-league clubs having fallen out by the time the bigger clubs enter.
Last year's FA Cup brought a few decent "cupsets", such as when Championship side Reading knocked Liverpool out in the Reds' first tie. Leeds United accomplished the same feat against the mighty Manchester United before going on to force Tottenham Hotspur into a replay. From the first qualifying rounds up until, sometimes, the final, the tournament is full of excitement and possibility.
Fortunately for both Manchester United and Liverpool, the storied clubs will not be subject to the humiliation of losing out to a lower-league team this season. In Sunday's draw for the Third Round Proper, the two teams were pitted against one another, making that tie the only fixture with two Premier League sides facing off. Holders Chelsea take on Championship club Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge, whereas runners-up Portsmouth wait to find out if they'll play against League One Brighton and Hove Albion or face non-league side FC United of Manchester.
Yes, there are a few clubs left waiting for their opponents. Until the semi-finals, which occur at Wembley Stadium, fixtures that end in a draw require a replay. Seven of those replays must occur before January 8-9, which is when the Third Round Proper is slotted to begin. While many will be tempted not to pay attention until the bigger clubs start playing, that, quite frankly, is nonsense. There are two non-league clubs who have made it this far, and one, York City, will take on the nearly-undefeatable Bolton Wanderers. What a coup that would be if they won! Plus, there are four additional non-league clubs that have forced replays from the Second Round Proper. We could potentially see Spurs fall to Luton Town. There's no way that's not fun (unless you're a Spurs fan, I suppose).
Hard as it might be to believe, Fox Soccer Channel broadcasts some of these matches on replay. AFC Wimbledon-Ebbsfleet United tie shown earlier this month was immensely entertaining. There’s really no excuse not to tune in and learn something about football outside the Premier League.
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