Today in the FA Cup Tottenham beat Fulham 3-0 and Manchester United beat Blackburn 2-1. And, what? Nothing. Boring, right? That's why Lincoln's win yesterday was so magical. We need more of that in football, the unexpected. Last year it was Leicester. And this season it's a team that finished middle of the table in the Premier League last year playing perfect football and firmly on course to be Champions of England. Chelsea may not be doing a Leicester but with pretty much the same team as last year they are looking un-catchable.
Because of the possibilities of surprises, of the underdogs having a chance to shine I am a supporter of the 48 team World Cup in 2026.
Tomorrow (today now) Sutton United, the part-timers play Arsenal in the final match of the last sixteen of the FA Cup. The winners play Lincoln in the quarterfinals. As a Lincoln fan who would you want: the glamour match against the Premier League big boys or the easier match against a team lower than you in the unknown world of non-league football and a good chance to get to the semifinals? You have nothing to lose against Arsenal and are expected to win against Sutton. Tough choice.
Before tomorrow even happens though, the fact that Sutton have the opportunity to play Arsenal is pretty special. Sutton have an average home crowd of 1500 this season. They are small, very small. The average attendance at Arsenal's Emirates stadium is close to 60,000. I don't even need to do my Toronto FC vs Toronto Croatia comparison that I did yesterday. The hope for the neutral viewer is that Arsenal are still in a sulk after last week's hiding from Bayern Munich. If they are angry, Sutton had better watch out.
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