EUROPEAN SOCCER The European soccer season is broken down into different levels of competition It can be confusing to keep track Here’s a handy guide to help you follow the action League Play The 20 best teams in England play in the Premier League Teams play all league opponents twice each season for 38 total games The three teams with the worst records are relegated or sent down to the second division which sends three teams up to replace them the next season The Premier League debuted in 1992-93 It replaced the Football League First Division 1888 1991 as England’s top league European Play The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League This annual tournament involves the best teams from the top leagues throughout Europe The Champions League started in 1992 It replaced the European Cup a similar tournament that began in 1955 The next three teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Europa League The Europa League is Europe’s second-tier tournament It runs in a similar manner to the Champions League but crowns its own winner The Europa League debuted in 1971 as the UEFA Cup but was renamed in 2009 Domestic Cups Almost every English team is eligible to play for the Football Association Challenge Cup FA Cup The tournament typically includes several hundred teams including the professional teams from the Premier League Founded in 1871-72 the FA Cup is the oldest soccer tournament in the world The League Cup is a similar tournament It involves teams from only the top four divisions in England 6
Roy Keane became United’s captain in 1997 in 1991 Ireland’s Roy Keane came in 1993 The team also added forwards Andy Cole of England and Dwight Yorke from Trinidad and Tobago Both proved to be top goal-scoring threats Manchester United soon emerged as a top threat in the Premier League By the fall of 1998 the team known as the Red Devils was ready to do something special It all came together over a two-week stretch in May 1999 7
Peter Schmeichel celebrates with defender Ronny Johnsen after United defeated Tottenham Hotspur to clinch the Premier League title Racking Up Trophies Top English soccer clubs play for two major trophies One goes to the winner of the Premier League The Red Devils and 8
Arsenal battled for first place throughout the season It all came down to the final week On May 16 Beckham and Cole scored as United posted a comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur The victory gave United its third Premier League trophy in six seasons Next came the FA Cup It’s the oldest soccer tournament in the world Almost every English team competes United began in the third FAST FACT The young players who came up through Manchester United’s youth system were nicknamed Fergie’s Fledglings The nickname referred to longtime manager Sir Alex Ferguson Ryan Giggs Gary Neville and Paul Scholes each played their entire careers for United round in January Over seven games United marched its way to the final This included a hard-fought two-game semifinal against Arsenal Then a 2 0 victory over Newcastle United on May 22 gave the Red Devils their second major trophy of the season Winning two major trophies in a season is called a double But Manchester United was seeking something more historic a treble That’s when a team wins three trophies in the same season 9
