League Cup rolls on with underdogs hoping to make dreams come true
This season's League Cup (or Capital One Cup as the sponsor would have you call it) is already memorable for the Milton Keynes Dons' stunning 4-0 upset of Manchester United in the second round. When the tournament rolls into the third round on Tuesday and Wednesday, a raft of similar underdogs will hope to make the same kinds of memories.
The beauty and charm of the League Cup, after all, is that it offers the best chance for all the non-megaclubs out there - English soccer's 99 percent, if you will - to win something. Typically, the big clubs send diluted teams out into this fray until the very late rounds, or throughout it, focused as they are on the Premier League, the FA Cup and possibly a continental campaign. That's what Manchester United had done, to an extent, still fielding several regulars against the Dons from the third-tier League 1.
Sunderland reached the final last year, even as they struggled against relegation from the Premiership. They lost 3-1 to Manchester City in the end. The year before, Swansea City won the thing by beating Bradford City, who had, incredibly, slogged their way to the final in spite of playing in the fourth-tier League 2. Three years ago, Cardiff City were still in the second-tier Championship when they reached the final but lost to Liverpool on penalties. And the season prior to that, in 2011, Birmingham City managed to best Arsenal in the final even as they were dropped from the Premier League.
In the League Cup, just about anything can happen. At this stage, 32 teams remain from the four tiers of fully professional English (and Welsh) soccer that are eligible. Shrewsbury Town and Burton Albion remain from League 2, having both upset Premier League teams in the second round and Championship teams in the first round. Shrewsbury beat Blackpool and then Leicester City. Burton stunned Wigan Athletic followed by Queens Park Rangers.
Fourteen Premier League teams remain, also leaving 11 Championship sides, five League 1 clubs and the two aforementioned League 2 survivors in the mix. Doing well in the League Cup will mean a great deal to most all of them. At this very early juncture of the Premier League season, it's looking for all the world like the title race will basically boil down to a pack of flawed teams stumbling after an impossibly deep and fluid Chelsea side. This was underscored once more by their 1-1 tie at Manchester City on Sunday - their first points dropped in five games - which flattered the hosts a great deal as they nicked a late equalizer through their rented Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, of all people. It seemed to suggest that only Chelsea can beat Chelsea.
Barring some kind of unforeseen collapse, that will leave everyone else scrambling to salvage and justify their seasons - and jobs - by winning things like the League Cup. Which is to say that this historically un- or underappreciated tournament has taken on a fresh relevance.
Five of the matchups will be head-to-head Premier League bouts. In the most appetizing of them, Arsenal host Southampton. The Saints, in spite of a phenomenal exodus of talent over the summer, have unexpectedly surged to second place under new manager Ronald Koeman while Arsenal have yet to lose a league game but have drawn three of their five.
For the lovers of ambitious and expansive soccer, Swansea take on Everton. For fans of the more traditionally English direct play, Sunderland will do battle with Stoke City. West Bromwhich Albion, meanwhile, play Hull City and Newcastle take on Crystal Palace in the other top tier clashes.
The other big clubs - less Manchester United, of course - have fairly straightforward assignments, all taking on Championship teams. Liverpool will play Middlesbrough. Chelsea have a date with Bolton Wanderers. Manchester City have Sheffield Wednesday to beat. Tottenham Hotspur will throw down with Nottingham Forest.
The more captivating narratives, however, might come from those fourth-tier dreamers, who both also face Championship teams. Shrewsbury will hope to continue their run at home against Norwich City. Burton take on Brighton & Hove Albion. This tournament of underdogs continues to run on aspiration.
After play concludes on Wednesday, the survivors will immediately find out who they face in the fourth round in late October from a draw.
