Today, in case you missed it or weren't aware, Leeds United, a team playing in the third tier of English football, defeated Manchester United, the reigning Premier League champions, 1-0 in the third round of the FA Cup. This result is the highlight of the weekend and ranks among the great upsets in the competition's long history. Many casual fans have not heard of Leeds United, but they know Manchester United and perhaps the FA Cup well. Casual supporters of Man U may dismiss this result as a fluke or criticize their team for losing to a "minnow". Man U haters and many neutrals may crackle at their embarrassment. Those views hardly do justice to the unique history of Leeds United and Manchester United, or to the ideals that define the FA Cup.
Leeds United and Manchester United used to be one of English football's biggest rivalries. They are proximate neighbors - Greater Manchester and Yorkshire - which bred a healthy and natural rivalry. In the 1970s and early 1990s, both challenged for top honours, and often at the expense of each other. In 1992, Leeds pipped Manchester to the league title, which still rankled Sir Alex Ferguson. Many names have been associated with the rivalry, including War of the Roses reminiscent of English medieval history (Leeds is the white; Man U the red). Both sets of supporters were equally fervent and constantly compared themselves and their teams with the others'.
Nonetheless, Leeds United, after reaching the height of a semifinals appearance in the European Cup in 2001, saddled itself with investment in poor players and more critically, ill-advised loans (sound familiar?). In three years, its finances imploded and Leeds was relegated from the Premier League in 2004. Since then, it plummeted quicker than anyone could have imagined and dropped to the third tier of English football, something unheard of before. Gone into administration in 2007, it seemed as if Leeds was staring into the abyss.
Their supporters' faith, however, never waivered. Even in the toughest of times, they stood firm behind the club. The old rivalry with Manchester United ebbed into insignificance, as one team was winning domestic and European honours while the other scrapped for survival in the lower leagues. Things finally looked up when Ken Bates bought Leeds United in late 2007, and Simon Grayson started managing the team in early 2009. This season, Leeds started with eight consecutive wins and now sit atop League One, en route to promotion to the second tier of English football.
What made today's upset so special was the special history between the two teams and the flavour it brought to the FA Cup. Even though they played in different leagues, the two teams, their managers, players and fans all looked to today's encounter. To them, the rivalry hardly died. On the field, however, Leeds were the better team. They outplayed Man U, and deserved the triumph. The story befits a FA Cup upset, at a time when the world's oldest club competition is in danger of irrelevance, especially by the bigger teams in the Premier League. But it hardly is just any giant killing. The unique history between the teams, especially the recent history of Leeds, makes it a story of redemption. For a team that struggled so long and whose fans suffered through administration and relegation, Leeds will remember this victory, in the enemy's home ground no less, in their lore. Many speak of the 'romance' of the FA Cup, and nothing like a war of the Old Roses can rekindle that evanescent romance.
Read about the result here: http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACompetitions/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/2010/ManUtdLeedsUtd030110.aspx
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