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The Supporters Group of the Austin Aztex Football Club |
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Chantico's Army |
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The fans question of the week |
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In an effort to help everyone learn something new every week about soccer, we will run a weekly column known as the “Question of the Week”. If there is something that you’ve always wanted to know about the game, but were afraid to ask, now’s your chance. Submit your questions to questions@chanticosarmy.com, and you may find your question answered!! |
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The question for the week of September 1st is going to be the first in a series of questions that have been asked of me since the beginning of the EPL… “What exactly is the deal with all of these additional tournaments that are played during the season? There’s the Carling Cup, the League Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup?” This week, in honor of Stoke City’s advancement to the 3rd round of the Carling Cup... Most football (aka soccer) leagues have not only their normal league play, but they also have various opportunities to play in other competitions that are sponsored either by their FA’s (Football Associations), international bodies (such as the UEFA Cup and Champions League) and of course, every 4 years, FIFA’s (Federation of International Football Associations) World Cup. The first, albeit not most important, competition that we’ll talk about is the Carling Cup, which is also known by it’s other name, the League Cup. The Carling Cup, as it is currently known as a result of it’s sponsorship by Carling beer, used to be referred to as the League Cup. This is a competition amongst the English Premier League teams (of which there are currently 20) and the 72 teams that make up “The Football League” (these are all of the teams in the English Championship, League One and League Two divisions). The format of the competition is as follows… First Round All of the teams in the Championship League, League One and League Two play in this initial round of the competition, with the matches being only a single match (determined by draw), as compared to a home and away model which is used from the semi-finals on. None of the teams in the Premier League play in this round, as they all have a bye to the Second Round. Second Round This is when the English Premier League plays their first match, against the remaining teams from the first round (of which there are 36). The only exception are teams that are playing in the Champions League or UEFA Cup. Again, these are single match ties. Third Round All of the winners from the second round advance to this round, and all EPL teams who are playing in the Champions League or UEFA Cup automatically get a bye to the third round, which means there will be 32 clubs playing in 16 ties, as this round is also a single match tie. Fourth Round The remaining 16 teams will play in this round, which is made of single match ties. Fifth Round (aka Quarter Finals) The remaining 8 teams from the fourth round will play in this round. Like the previous rounds, these are single match ties. Semi-finals This is the first round that will have a Home and Away format for the ties, as the remaining 4 teams battle it out to determine who will advance on to the Finals. This is also the first point where aggregate scoring comes into play. Aggregate scoring means that if the point results (refer to the August 11th Question of the Week for info on this), then the team that has the most points from Away matches will proceed to the finals. If the aggregate score is still tied, then an extra time and penalty kick situation will occur. Finals This is the last round where the final two teams will meet for a single match tie at a neutral field. Although this was in the Millennium Stadium for a while, all Finals from 2008 on will be played in the newly renovated Wembley Stadium. |