GERMANY BEATS ARGENTINA IN EXTRA TIME, WINS 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP!!!

All eyes were on Rio as the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final took place between Germany and Argentina.

For 90 minutes, Argentina learned from Brazil's mistakes against Germany in the semis and managed to shut down the attack. Unfortunately for them, this took away from their own attack as well. Each side had their chances but to no avail as the 90 minutes ended still 0-0.

It would be in extra time in the 113' where the tie would be broken. Just minutes away from penalties, Mario Gotze managed to control a cross from German teammate Andre Schurrle and hit the ball into the back of the net putting Germany up 1-0 and becoming a national hero.

The Germans then held on defensively and managed to clinch the victory and their 4th World Cup Title.

An amazing game and tournament for Germany who just dominated almost every match they were in. From beginning to end, they were certainly the top club in this tournament.

Germany also becomes the first European team to win the World Cup in South America.

Argentina falls short but certainly had their moments in this tournament. Messi dominated many of them and managed to be named best player in the tournament. A consolation prize that I'm sure he would like to exchange for another trip to the Final in four years time.

As for the entirety of the tournament, it was certainly worth the wait. There were shockers like Spain being eliminated in the group stage and Brazil getting dismantled by Germany. There were stars being born like James Rodriguez of Colombia. There was even history made as Germany's Miroslav Klose scored 16th career goal at the World Cup passing Ronaldo of Brazil's 15 for most all time.

And then there's the US who actually managed to get out of the group stage for a second time in a row, something that has never been done before. Sure we were eliminated in the Round of 16 like last time but it seems like the team itself is getting a bit better.

Congrats to Germany on winning the World Cup. The best team certainly won.

P.S. Okay, reset the countdown clock. Only 1426 days until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. DOSVEDANYA, COMRADES!!!

Corinthians Beats Chelsea to Win Club World Cup

After 5 straight seasons where the UEFA Champions Cup winners won the Club World Cup, it's Corinthians of Brazil that breaks that streak... against Chelsea FC of course.

Chelsea's impressive run through the UCL last season didn't seem to carry over to Japan. Corinthians managed to defeat the blues 1-0 off a heading goal in the 69th minute by Peruvian Striker Paolo Guerrero. Chelsea tried to equalize late in the game and Fernando Torres appeared to have it until he was called offsides.

Chelsea's season woes continue as all they have left to basically play for is the Premier League and hope they make into the UCL next year. That sole objective will most likely determine whether or not Rafael Benetiz will be the manager next year. Heck, the way Roman Abramovich handles managers, Benetiz might not make it back to London.

Either way, congrats to Corinthians for beating the blues and winning the World Title. It might not be as prestigious as the Champions Cup but it is in name.

Galaxy Win 2nd Straight MLS Cup as Beckham Says Goodbye to LA

In what would be his final game for the LA Galaxy (and possibly last MLS game), David Beckham went into the Home Depot Center for the last time to claim one more piece of silverware.

The LA Galaxy welcomed back the Houston Dynamo for a 2nd straight year to play for the MLS Cup. Last year had the Galaxy defeated the Dynamo 1-0 to take home the trophy and looked for a repeat this year. Houston didn't seem as willing to let LA win as they scored first just before going in for halftime. Calen Carr managed to get a great pass and made a fantastic run that he was able to convert for a goal in the 44'.

In 2nd half the momentum swung completely the other way and stayed there for the most part. Calen Carr was injured and had to come off in the 59' taking some of the pressure off the Galaxy. A minute later, Omar Gonzalez was able to hit a heading cross sent in by Juninho to score the equalizer. Landon Donovan then gave LA the lead in the 65' on a penalty kick after a Dynamo player committed a hand ball inside of the penalty box. The Dynamo comeback efforts were for naught and Robbie Keane would make a 2nd penalty kick for LA after Houston goalkeeper Tony Hall earned a yellow card for knocking Keane down in the penalty box.

David Beckham came off for the last minute or so and the LA Galaxy win their 2nd straight MLS Cup 3-1.

Another MLS Title before Beckham departs. A fitting end for him and possibly Landon Donovan if he too chooses to leave LA for elsewhere. The fans are made happy by Beckham one last time with a title.

As for where Beckham might end up, perhaps Paris Saint-Germain is still be interested. Certainly some club would be willing to sign him, it's just about what place would make Beckham happy.

Whether you were or were not a fan of Beckham, he certainly has brought attention to the sport in the US which has expanded with both teams and soccer specific stadiums. Now comes the tricky part of figuring out how to keep the fan enthusiasm up and the league expanding. Seeing how the sports has done, I think they will do just fine.

US Win in Mexico for the First Time Ever

Near the end of the Olympics, Mexican football fans changed their chants from "Gol" to Gold as the men's national team beat Brazil for the Gold Medal, 2-1. Despite the fact that it wasn't the World Cup and it was the U-23 squad, it was still a big deal for Mexico. Now the overall men's national squad played a match against the US and part of it was celebrating the win over Brazil. Looks like we crashed the party.

Over the last 75 years, the US has never been able to beat Mexico in their own country. Winning in Azteca Stadium seemed impossible and a bit of a dream. The US coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, seemed to think it could be done. In fact, he knew it could. Despite Mexico dominating shots, corners, and possession, the US were still in it late in the game. No goals were scored yet as the 80' approached and frustration was starting to show for Mexico. The US then managed to score. In the 80', Michael Orozco managed to put in a goal for US squad thanks to some nice passes near the net. Then the defense managed to hold on thanks to some fine moves by Goalie, Tim Howard, and the US managed to win, 1-0. Finally the US managed to beat Mexico in Mexico for the first time ever.

Truly a fine performance by the US Squad to win in that environment. Klinsmann has done a fine job coaching this national team and, despite being 0-23-1 in Mexico, he had them believing that they could pull off a victory and they did just that. Though just a friendly, it is proof that the US can overcome difficult circumstances, greater talent, roaring crowds, and that they could take it all on at once.

Klinsmann has done a great job with this national squad. I can't wait to see what they can do in a couple of years.