For football fans in the UK, the magic of the FA Cup is legendary. This is not least due to the sheer weight of history that the competition conveys, and we are, after all, talking about a tournament that has been played since 1871, but also the unpredictability that stems from the unbalanced encounters it throws up.
The third round of the competition is, of course, a milestone moment, that moment when David and Goliath can really go head to head. This year has seen a great many shocks, and one such fixture went even more global due to the interest and excitement shown by a Hollywood A-lister.
Ryan Reynolds, of Deadpool fame, was flabbergasted by the efforts of his Wrexham side, which he co-owns with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney, as they overcame Championship outfit Coventry in a 4-3 thriller. This result underscores the underdog spirit of the competition.
Welsh side Wrexham are riding high in the second spot in the National League, but they were not expected to compete, let alone beat, a side in the second tier, and the victory has earned them a home tie with Championship promotion chasers Sheffield United in the next round.
The interest in football, not soccer, in the US has been greatly increased due to Reynolds’s co-ownership of National League side Wrexham and also because of the success of comedy Ted Lasso, with the Jason Sudekis helmed show being a big hit in the country. In fact, you can see that in relation to sports betting in the US, where America’s bookies cover all the European football action, including FA Cup and lower league games, and this is where you can see just which betting brands are worthy of your business.
The beauty of the competition is the fact that the entire footballing pyramid, in theory, has the chance to face off against the biggest teams in the country. Such an idea would be alien to sports fans in the US, where there is no promotion or relegation, and therefore even the possibility of seeing a ‘lesser’ side make it into the big leagues is a physical impossibility.
Wrexham’s win wasn’t even the biggest shock of the round. That came in the form of League Two side Stevenage travelling to face the might of Aston Villa at Villa Park, and seemingly set to lose to a Morgan Sanson goal, only to net twice in the final few minutes to clinch a memorable win over a Premier League giant.
Audiences around the world are already, quite rightly, addicted to the sight of Premier League action emblazoned across their screens on a weekly basis, and the FA Cup continues to attract a sizeable chunk of that audience.
It’s the less glamorous side of the game that perhaps increases the attraction for overseas fans who are won over by the no-frills aspect to some of the lower league pitches, stadiums, and even, dare we say, style of play.
