4th May 2016.
Last year, the Women's FA Cup saw a huge uptick of interest, with the championship match between Chelsea and Notts County drawing an attendance of 30,710. That crowd was the biggest in the history of the event, outstripping 2008's previously record-holding audience by more than 6,000 people. Even more impressive, the game more than doubled its audience from the 2014 final, which pitted Arsenal against Everton.
Another Attendance Record?
It's tough to see a scenario where the Women's FA Cup final doesn't get another major boost of attention this year. This season's championship match will pit reigning champions Chelsea against 13-time winners Arsenal-arguably the ultimate match-up in English women's football.
The 2014/15 Women's FA Cup final drew so many people in part because it was the first time the game was played at Wembley Stadium. This year, with the championship match heading to Wembley for the second season in a row and with two dynamic and talented teams on the marquee, there should be even more interest in the game. In fact, Chelsea Ladies manager Emma Hayes thinks that the crowd could swell to a size of 50,000 people or more. It doesn't hurt that the FA will be offering free admissions to children.
The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 14th. That date is significantly earlier than last year's FA Cup final, which didn't take place until August 1st.
The Women's FA Cup So Far
The question is, which team will enjoy the glory of winning a title in front of 50,000 some people? Will Chelsea make it two in a row? Or will Arsenal rally to win a 14th title and break their own record?
Based on how the 2015/16 Women's FA Cup has gone so far, it's legitimately difficult to pick a favorite out of these two teams. Each team has been excellent throughout the soccer tournament-though Arsenal has struggled a bit more to reach the championship match.
Both teams received byes into the round of 16. Chelsea started things off in style, beating the Doncaster Rovers Belles 4-1 in their first 2015/16 FA Cup match. The Gunners struggled more in their tournament start, drawing 1-1 with Birmingham City and failing to break the stalemate in extra time. That match ultimately came down to penalty kicks and Arsenal only avoided an early tournament elimination on a 5-3 shootout performance.
Arsenal's difficulties continued in the quarterfinals, with a match against last year's FA Cup runners-up, Notts County. Again, the Gunners ended extra time with a stalemate-this time 2-2-forcing a penalty shootout. An even narrower margin of victory (3-2) allowed Arsenal to tiptoe through the tulips to the semis. Chelsea's quarterfinal match, meanwhile, was a blowout victory, with the Blues triumphing 6-0 over Aston Villa.
Arsenal's Semi-Final Surprise
Going into the semis, Arsenal's chances of even making the finals-let alone being likely to beat the on-fire Chelsea-seemed to be tenuous at best. However, the Gunners peaked at the right time, not only avoiding another penalty shootout nail-biter, but also serving up the kind of blowout that should scare Chelsea heading into the championship match. (Arsenal beat Sunderland 7-0 to secure a spot in the final.)
Interestingly, given the seriously lopsided nature of the score, the match didn't always look like it was going to go in Arsenal's favor. On the contrary, the first half hour passed with neither team finding a way to get on the board. Then, Arsenal forward Emma Mitchell picked up two yellow cards in the span of three minutes and was sent off, leaving the Gunners one woman down with two-thirds of the match left to play. Suddenly, the game seemed to be Sunderland's to lose.
Instead of knocking Arsenal off their game, though, Mitchell's red card invigorated the soccer squad and brought out arguably the best play we've seen from the Gunners all season. In particular, Arsenal midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk started playing like the season depended on it, ultimately giving the Gunners an unlikely 1-0 lead heading into the half. Arsenal doubled their lead early in the second half and then got a stroke of good luck at the 77-minute mark, when Sunderland's Abby Holmes picked up a red card.
With the playing field leveled yet again, Arsenal took the momentum they had built since Mitchell's red card and doubled it. Despite the fact that only 25 minutes or so remained, Daniëlle van de Donk went on to score two more goals, while her teammates added three of their own. Those five goals in the last half hour put the Gunners on another plane and should give the football team plenty of momentum heading into the final.
Chelsea's Semi-Final Stumble
Chelsea and Arsenal almost seemed to switch places for the FA Cup semi-finals. Prior to the semis, the Blues had won their games by wide margins and Arsenal had struggled to advance. In their semi-final game against Manchester City, though, Chelsea were very nearly denied the opportunity to defend the first-ever FA Cup title.
Indeed, after a scoreless first half, Man City took the advantage with a goal from Jane Ross. A great free kick from Ji So-yun won the Blues a chance to continue in extra time, though, while a goal from striker Fran Kirby put Chelsea in the lead at the 120th minute. With almost no time left for City to scramble a retaliatory attack, the Blues won the game 2-1 and avoided a penalty shootout.
Predicting the Final
So which team will win the championship match? Will Arsenal use their burst of momentum from that 7-0 Sunderland win to clinch their 14th title? It's always hard to bet against the Gunners in a Women's FA Cup title, simply because they've won it so many times. Indeed, Arsenal have won three of the last five FA Cup finals, and they did so in shutout victories each time.
With that said, if there's a team that can beat Arsenal, it's Chelsea. As the reigning champs in both the FA Cup and the FA WSL 1, the Blues have to be considered the frontrunner to win at Wembley on May 14th. They've had a stellar run in the FA Cup this year and got through the semis despite having a markedly more difficult draw than Arsenal. Add the fact that Chelsea were the team to knock Arsenal out of the Women's FA Cup last year-with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory-and the Blues look prepped to win their second consecutive title in this tournament.
Chelsea's chances look even better after their WSL 1 match against Arsenal on Thursday, April 21st. Fran Kirby, fresh off her game-saving goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals, gave the Blues an early lead by scoring at the 17-minute mark. She would go on to make it a brace at 81 minutes, which-when coupled with a goalless performance from the Gunners-made for a pretty resounding Chelsea victory.
Arsenal even had the home-field advantage in the game, and if the Gunners can't beat Chelsea at home, how can they hope to topple the reigning WSL 1 and FA Cup champs at Wembley on May 14th?
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal manager Pedro Martinez wasn't pleased with the defeat. He was quoted as saying that, "with performances like that, we can't think about winning the league." Granted, the 2016 WSL 1 season is still very young and plenty could still change. Right now, though, Chelsea have strong momentum and Arsenal do not. The Women's FA Cup final could come down to little more than that.
What are your predictions for this year's women's English football season? Will Chelsea win a second FA Cup title at Wembley Stadium, en route to another great year in the WSL 1? At Soccer Box, we want to hear your thoughts, so find us on social media to share your predictions or bets. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google +. And of course, tune in on May 14th as Chelsea and Arsenal face off in what could be the most exciting women's football match of the year so far!