I made mention of this here, but I figured it’s worth going a bit more in-depth with this idea.

After the NFL’s experiment in London, tons of people are talking about the possibility of a Premier League game in America. It’s an idea that’s guaranteed to make one club’s fans in England really pissed off, because they want to lose a “regular season” game even less than any NFL team. Though some people talk about it, the Premier League has no playoffs. The cup competitions supplant the need for a playoff system to determine the league champ.

So why not bring a cup match to America? Specifically, how about the Carling Cup Final?

After all, English fans view the Football League Cup as a secondary trophy. Sure, it comes with a UEFA Cup bid, but it’s nowhere near as prestigious as the FA Cup or the European Cup, so they might not mind as much if that game moved to America. Nobody loses a Premier League home fixture, and chances are good that two quality clubs from the top flight will play in the Final.

Plus, clubs that want to establish a stronger foothold in America might take the Carling Cup more seriously, because the reward would be coming to the States and selling lots of extra apparel to new fans who want to feel like they’re part of the “most exciting league on the planet.” That has to be enticing to a few club owners — especially the American owners.

So what do you guys think? Would bringing the Carling Cup Final to America make more sense than a regular season Premier League game? Or does the uncertainty of who might play in that final make it less appealing than, say, a West Ham v. Chelsea fixture set months in advance? Feel free to post a comment with your thoughts.