The glittering Football Association Challenge Cup – yup, that’s its full name – was displayed at the British Consulate in San Francisco earlier this month (AP Photo).

You can when holders Manchester City play the Galaxy at 1 p.m. at Home Depot Center (live on ESPN).

Tickets, starting at $30, are still available.

The knockout FA Cup, where minnows were pitted against giants beginning in the third round and the tournament built to its day-long televised finale a la the Super Bowl, was a much-loved and prestigious sporting event when I was growing up in England, unlike the lightly-regarded U.S. Open Cup here.

It’s Victorian Era beginnings – it began in 1871 – and reputation for unlikely giant-killing moments (Hereford United and Ronny Radford anyone?) gave the tournament an air of nostalgia and romance.

The 1923 “white horse” final (the first at Wembley), the epic 1953 Stanley Matthews final and classics like Chelsea-Leeds United in 1971 on that bog of a pitch are an integral part of the competition’s lore.

And the indelible images of any post-final celebration always included the iconic trophy being held aloft by the captain and its lid atop the Man of the Match’s head.

From the Football Association website:

The original trophy, much smaller than the present one, was made by Messrs Martin, Hall & Co. and cost 20. In 1895, after Aston Villa had won the competition, the cup was stolen from the window of a firm of football outfitters in Birmingham where it had been placed on display. It was never recovered.

The present trophy, played for since 1992, is the competition’s fourth and an exact replica of the third. Manchester United have won the Cup the most times (11), followed by Arsenal (10) and Tottenham Hotspur (eight). Forty-two different clubs have won it.

But never by Norwich City – not that I’m bitter (ahem).

From the Galaxy press release:

Fans at Sunday’s game will be able to have their photo taken with the actual FA Cup that Manchester City won last year, as well as the Supporters’ Shield which the Galaxy won in 2010 for having the best regular season record in MLS. Additionally, fans will have the chance to enter to win an authentic Galaxy or Manchester City jersey from Sunday’s game, simply by having their photo taken with either of the trophies inside the Southwest entrance of the stadium.

It’s free.

City beat Stoke City 1-0 to win the cup.

Now Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is describing his club’s closest rival as being among the favorites for the EPL title.

From left, Manchester City Manager Roberto Mancini, Manchester City player Gareth Barry, Galaxy striker Juan Pablo Angel and Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena attend a news conference today in Marina Del Rey to promote Sunday’s World Football Challenge game between the two teams at Home Depot Center (AP Photo).

From the obligatory World Football Challenge news conference today at the Ritz-Carlton:

MARINA DEL REY (AP) – Manchester City Manager Roberto Mancini considers Carlos Tevez an important member of his squad despite the Argentina striker’s uncertain future with the club.

Tevez has expressed a desire to leave the English Premier League club after
two seasons in order to be near his family in South America. He remains with Manchester
City after an agreement on a move to Corinthians was unable to be worked out.

“At the moment, Carlos is still a City player,” Mancini said. “In the future, we will see what
can happen. For us, Carlos is an important player.”

Mancini said he has yet to speak with Tevez but respects the captain’s wish to play closer to his family. The Manchester City manager said the uncertainty isn’t affecting the way he is preparing for the season.

“Carlos wants to leave for his family,” Mancini said. “Only because of this the, club accepts
it. I think it’s because we respect his reason.”

Tevez appeared to be on his way to Corinthians until the proposed move fell through this week. The transfer would have reunited Tevez with his former club, but Corinthians said they needed more time to arrange a deal.

Tevez has been a stabilizing force up front in his time with City, scoring 43 goals in Premiership play over the past two campaigns. He had 20 goals last season in helping
Manchester City qualify for the Champions League.

While his departure would be a blow to Manchester City, the club is exploring avenues of
improving its squad through the acquisition of multiple players, according to Mancini, who
wouldn’t mention specific names.

The club has been linked to highly sought-after striker Sergio Aguero of Atletico Madrid. But Mancini cautioned that the competitive market doesn’t make it easy to sign players of Aguero’s caliber.

“It’s difficult to buy good players because all the good teams want these players,” Mancini
said. “I hope before the game against United, we can add players.”

Manchester City has been training in the United States in preparation of its season opener
against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield on Aug. 7.

Manchester City will play the third game of its preseason tour Sunday against the Galaxy. Already Manchester City has defeated Club America and the Vancouver Whitecaps on its trip.

“The games have been good for what we need at this stage of preseason,” midfielder Gareth Barry said. “The one on Sunday will probably be the toughest test. But we’re where we want to be.”

Tevez has been absent from the U.S. tour while playing for Argentina in Copa America. Barry said his teammates remain relatively unaffected by the uncertainty surrounding the star striker.

“Obviously, there are a few conversations about it. But the lads are just trying to get fit and enjoy the games,” Barry said. “For the players, there’s nothing really you can do anything about.”

Here’s how Brit Chris Birchall, the Galaxy midfielder, is approaching the game against a club that dwarfs those he played for in England.