Reform revitalizes Philips CupThe 2000 Philips Football Association Cup is no longer the poor relation of China's professional league. With new reforms to the competition format and bigger prizes, the tournament is finally being taken seriously by the 26 participating clubs.The 26 first division teams, 14 of Group A and 12 of Group B, now show more enthusiasm to the six-year-old cup tournament since the chance for them to pocket the decent amount of awards are relatively bigger. According to relevant regulations ahead of the game's kick off, the first two rounds will be one-match knockout format, instead of the previous home-and-away arrangement. And who serve as the host will be decided by a draw between the two rivals. Such a change will, with no doubt, give those inferior contenders more opportunities to emerge as dark horses, and thus provide soccer fans with more entertainment. The first-round matches last weekend witnessed an arch duel between Shanghai Pudong and Yunnan Hongta, led by two former national coaches Bobby Houghton and Qi Wusheng. Shanghai Putong, as a Group B camp, finally edged past Yunnan Hongta 1-0. The win also gave Houghton, the victory-hungry Englishman, a chance to prove his value since being sacked after China failed to make the Olympics last November. Although often underestimated and still controversial even after the format reforms, the FA Cup can serve as a warm-up and try new strategy if handled properly. There are no grade divisions and all teams are competing on the same level. Without threat of relegation, contenders are more likely to fully exert their potentials. In the first round, Shenyang Haishi and Qingdao Hainiu both displayed an active attacking spirit, and they scored a total of nine goals, with the match finishing 5-4 in favor of Shenyang. |
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