5 Basic Facts About Arsenal-Birmingham for the Soccer (Football) Noob

A certain soccer club, known as Arsenal, will be facing off another certain soccer club, by the name of Birmingham City, this Sunday.

For the soccer noob, these names will just have sounded like something out of a war history, but they are, incredibly, names given to soccer teams.

Likewise, there are inevitably many rudimentary details which need to be known, the most basic of facts, by the soccer noob—that class of person who knows close to nothing about soccer, let alone these teams mentioned, for instance.

It is claimed that this Arsenal-Birmingham encounter, which will be set at a certain Wembley Stadium, will be of historic import. Well, in one sense, all sporting encounters are historic.

If you are a soccer noob, however, looking to entertain a viable conversation on the sport, certain fundamental facts will need to be known—knowing something about this match will be crucial, if one is to even at all pretend to know anything about it at all.

Knowing anything else about this upcoming match—where it will be played, the teams who will be playing and any critical detail—will help in enlightening the soccer idiot. These few slides, I hope, will go some way in doing so.

Wembley Stadium: The Scene of Historic Matches

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: England manager Fabio Capello attends the announcement of Vauxhall becoming the official leading partner to the England teams at Wembley Stadium on January 11, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

First, of course, there's the venue. Arsenal and Birmingham are two English teams. Before anything is revealed about the tournament they are playing in, we have Wembley Stadium, where the two teams will be clashing.

It's London's great highlight sports arena, almost single-handedly designed for soccer (or, as the English would have it, football) enjoyment. Finished about four years ago after a period of reconstruction, it is by far one of the more spectacular sporting venues.

While the modern arena would sit about 90,000 people, with the longest unsupported roof structure, it is a place as hallowed as another London sporting mecca, Wimbledon, in boasting of sporting glory.

Here, in 1923, the first ever FA Cup final was played, and here it has been largely for the last 90 years, save from 2000-07 when Wembley was under construction.

Of course, so prestigious a venue has played host to other events, too.

What Tournament Is This?: The Football League Cup

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NORTHAMPTON- ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: The Carling Cup is seen during a photo call held at the Sixfields Stadium on October 14, 2010 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Arsenal and Birmingham City will be contesting, not an FA Cup Final, but rather the Football League Cup, an uniquely English tournament. Featuring some 92 teams, with 20 coming from the Premier League and 72 from the Football League,  it runs on a knockout system, with the champion earning a place in the wide European League.

Essentially, one can see this as a golden opportunity for both Arsenal and Birmingham to earn the right to represent England in pan-European competition. Of course, the reality is probably less quixotic—what with English teams having foreign coaches anyway, winning the League Cup, as it is known, or the Carling Cup, would represent more an individual team achievement than anything.

The road to this encounter has been tough—Arsenal and Birmingham have both had six rounds, with Arsenal having a bye in the first round, while Birmingham has played all six matches. At the end of the semifinals, they stood victorious, leading each in the round-robin 3-1 and 4-3, respectively.

It's game time, but who exactly are Arsenal and Birmingham?

Team Profile: Arsenal

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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 24: An Arsenal FC sign is seen outside the Emirates Stadium on February 24, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Arsenal is widely recognised as one of the Premier football clubs in England, being one of the most prolific by far. A winner overall, through different team changes, of 13 First Division and Premier titles and 10 FA Cups, their records stand for themselves. They are Premier League material, of course, one in an elite field.

As much as the name should sound like some remnant of a soldierly association—they are the "The Gunners"—Arsenal was simply a name, with its military connotations, suited to a team sport.

In truth, it was begun by some workers in the Royal Arsenal, hence the team name, in 1886. Since then, it has grown into one of England's most successful football clubs.

It has been blessed, of course, with a lot of fine coaches, with such figures as George Graham, and now Arsene Wenger at the helm; of course, its players have always managed to be the best in the world.

Playing this Sunday in the League Cup Final will be their seventh final, having won just twice. Winning at Wembley again is surely on their agenda.

Team Profile: Birmingham

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BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Ben Foster talks to the press during the Birmingham City Carling Cup media day at St Andrews on February 22, 2011 in Birmingham, England. Birmingham will play Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunda

Birmingham City, on the other hand, are a slightly more recent addition to the Premier League lineup, having earned not quite as much silverware as Arsenal—no FA Cups line their winnings record. In fact, they have only won one League Cup, back in 1963, having appeared in two finals.

It would probably be a contest of David and Goliath come Sunday—Arsenal a seasoned team at the highest levels, while Birmingham a relative newcomer to League-level competition.

While Arsenal have reached seven finals, Birmingham are only at their third, while they have only two finals appearances at the FA Cup, compared to 10 wins there by Arsenal.

Yet, they have the older origins, having begun as a team back in 1877. While not quite as blessed as Arsenal with world-class coaches or cohesive teams, they have nonetheless made the long march through the draw, and have fought to a 4-3 aggregate lead in their semifinal round. They will face Arsenal on Sunday with confidence—the ball is round, after all.

Some People Who Should Be Known: The Coaches

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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal issues instructions during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium on February 23, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty

Well, first of all, the coaches are the key figures, the generals on the football battlefield. Arsenal is led by the aptly named Arsene Wengner, its long-standing coach from 1994. A Frenchman by birth, he has turned his loyalties, mercurially, to an English team.

Birmingham, at the same time, is led by Alex McLeish, whose leadership has so far proven solid and worthwhile—getting Birmingham to a Wembley final, a match which is considered one of the biggest in the soccer calendar, for the first time in over half a century, is probably due in large part to him.

Then, of course, there are the players. While coaches, logically, are the true mind of a soccer team, the players are its arms—well, legs.

At the end, however, wins are known for the teams who won, and teams who lost. There are too many names to retell, however, for the soccer noob, with 22 people on the field at any one time, to say nothing of the reserves.

One piece of advice remains: Sit back, relax and enjoy the soccer.