Weather or Not

Supporters from the New York City Blues

Here in the United States, those who are used to playing Football with their hands are gearing up for the Super Bowl. The championship, the title-decider, the big game, there are so many ways of saying how monumental those four quarters are to both sides. Thirty-two teams play all season long for the right to lift that one trophy, but what if it wasn't the only one? What if there were more? What if there was more than one tournament? More than one trophy to win. And more than just one Super Bowl to worry about...

New York City braced for what will be remembered as "The Blizzard of 2015." Schools were closed, driving became illegal, and everyone was forced to stay inside overnight. But the next day some very brave Chelsea Football Club supporters bundled up and headed to The Football Factory at Legend's on West 33rd Street for the second leg of the Capital One League Cup Semi Final. The Football Factory at Legend's has been home to over thirty different supporters groups from around the world (so I'll be hanging out there a lot) since 2011. No matter who you support you can rest easy that the Football Factory will have the match. On this day it was filled with hopeful supporters of Chelsea who were dreaming of a spot in the final. They knew it wouldn't be an easy match though--facing a sturdy Liverpool squad who wanted a chance at some silverware of their own.

But what about the Premier League? Did it finish? Where did the League Cup come from? In most popular American sports there is only one trophy (The Lombardi Trophy in the NFL, The Commissioner’s Trophy in Baseball, and The Larry O'Brien Trophy in the NBA). Although there are individual awards to be won, every team plays in the same tournament with only one winner and one trophy. In Football there are multiple tournaments going on at the same time. In addition to the Premier League there is also The Capital One League Cup (or simply "The League Cup") which consists of Ninety-two English or Welsh clubs playing a single elimination tournament. The semi-final matches are two legs, each club playing at home once. The club with the most goals over both games wins. This is known as an Aggregate Score. For example if Chelsea had won the first game 3-0 and Liverpool won the second game 2-0 then the Aggregate Score would be 3-2 in favor of Chelsea. After extra time (or overtime as we know it), the tie breaker used for these games is the number of goals score away from home. So for example, say Chelsea had won 1-0 at home and then lost 2-1 in the away match. The aggregate score is 2-2 but since Chelsea scored one goal away from home they would be the winner.

This is usually a very intense time in the Football calendar. Players are having to adjust to playing more, which means more likely hood of injuries. Supporters have high hopes in all competitions and any clubs who aren't doing well in the Premier League can aim higher in The League Cup. There is also the Football Association Cup (which I will talk about in the coming weeks) but for now all eyes are on the League Cup Final. After a thrilling 1-1 in Liverpool, Chelsea were able to secure their spot in the Final with a 1-0 at home. The day after, Tottenham Hotspur were able to book their place in the final by beating Sheffield United. So we are set for the 2015 Capital One League Cup Final between Tottenham Hotspur (of North London) and Chelsea F.C. (of West London). The date for the final is March 1st. Both clubs have many supporters in New York City so London will not be the only place with bragging rights on the line. One thing is for certain--the New York Blues are ready. No matter what the weather they are confident of supporting their beloved Chelsea. The cold never bothered them anyway.