The Soccer Year 2009 in Review

2009 was a wonderful year for the soccer fan.  It had a bit of everything.  Success from the US National Team, Seattle FC flashing onto the scene, Champions League glory for Lionel Messi and Barcelona and a wonderfully entertaining World Cup qualifying.   Here are some of the highlights of the 2009 soccer year.

1. US National Team -
A very successful year indeed for the US Men.  World Cup qualifying for South Africa 2010 went as smoothly as one could expect.  Sure there were hiccups along the way such as getting crunched in Costa Rica and giving up early goal after early goal in qualifying.  But when all was said and done the US qualified with a game to spare following an impressive 3-2 win in Honduras.  That leads us to the Confederations Cup where the US earned international respect as they crushed Egypt and defeated top ranked Spain before falling 3-2 to Brazil in the Final.  The only real negative on the year will be the injuries to Charlie Davies and Gooch Onyewu.  2009 wrapped up with a favorable and enticing World Cup draw where the Americans were placed with England, Algeria and Slovenia.

2. Champions League -
Barcelona stole the show as they rallied to defeat Chelsea in the semifinal rounds and then totally outclassed Manchester United in the Final behind 2009 FIFA player of the year Lionel Messi.  The English sides could not deal with the short passing game, possession and darting runs of Barcelona.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo -
The 2008 FIFA player of the year left Manchester United and took a huge payday from Real Madrid which spent money in waves during the transfer period.  The club spent more than $350 million bringing in new talent.  The fall of 2009 can't be called a success for Ronaldo though as he was injured and missed many of the important games for Real Madrid as well as Portugal in World Cup qualifying.

4. MLS -
A fascinating season to say the least as Seattle FC and it's wonderful fans crashed upon the scene with young star Freddy Montero.  One can only hope the Philadelphia Union can make a similar arrival in 2010.  Upsets dotted the landscape though as top seed Columbus crashed out in the opening round of the playoffs followed by other big boys Chicago and Houston.  The resurgent LA Galaxy made it to the MLS Cup where they were dispatched by cinderella Real Salt Lake who claimed the title despite having a losing record in the regular season.

5. World Cup qualifying -
Things went mostly according to plan as the favorites all qualified for South Africa, but some went smoother than others.  England, Germany, Holland, Brazil, Italy and Spain all cruised through. Meanwhile, France, Portugal and Argentina struggled mightily.  Portugal slipped through the playoffs to qualify while Argentina needed a win in their last qualifying match, which they got.  France, on the other hand, needed one of the most controversial goals in history as Henry's handball pushed France past unlucky Ireland.  IN CONCACAF, Mexico and the US gained spots while a last day flurry cost Costa Rica and left Honduras in third.

With the World Cup, Champions League, MLS expansion and a Chelsea-Man U-Arsenal EPL race 2010 looks to be a cracker for all soccer fans worldwide!