As 2014 winds to a close, TSN. Cheap Jordan 9 Retro .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best soccer moments from the past 12 months including Steven Gerrards infamous slip, Germany drubbing Brazil, Landon Donovans goodbye and more! Steven Gerrard lets Liverpool slip By Mike Beauvais This does not [expletive] slip now. Listen. Listen. This is gone. We go to Norwich. Exactly the same. We go again. Come on! - Steven Gerrard following a 3-2 win over Manchester City on April 13. The turnaround at Anfield under manager Brendan Rodgers was remarkable in 2013-14. In only his second year, Rodgers took a team that hadn’t qualified for the Champions League in four seasons. There was truly a sense that this would finally be Liverpool’s year after nearly a quarter-century of heartbreak. The greatest test for Rodgers’ seeming team of destiny was a clash on April 27 against Chelsea at Anfield. It was here that the football gods, like they have so many times before, revealed their cruel sense of humour. Into first-half stoppage, Mamadou Sakho attempted to find Gerrard, who mishandled the pass, allowing Chelsea striker Demba Ba to pounce upon the ball. With Ba having a clear path to goal, Gerrard slipped attempting to get back, allowing Ba to go in alone and fire Chelsea ahead 1-0. Chelsea would add another, easing to a 2-0 victory, stopping Liverpool’s winning streak and effectively killing the Reds’ title push. The following week, Liverpool would blow a 3-0 lead, settling for a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, a clear sign that their sense of a fated triumph had been replaced by a creeping dread. On May 11 - with word of City’s 2-0 title-clinching win over West Ham filtering into Anfield just after the Reds’ 2-1 victory against Newcastle - Liverpool stood on the pitch as runners-up, condemned to second-best by a literal slip-up by the very man who warned against it. -- Tim Howard just won’t stop By Shane McNeil Tim Howard earned a name for himself as the Americans’ savior during the 2014 World Cup with an almost-unfathomable 16 saves in the team’s quarter-final loss to Belgium. Howard broke a tournament record over his two hours on the pitch in the game that ultimately eliminated the Americans. The performance earned the 35-year-old Everton man the adulation of a nation and even a shout-out from President Barack Obama in a post-game phone call. Missed the game? Here’s a handy recap. But here’s the funny thing about that game … of all the saves Howard made, his best of the tournament was not among them. That status belongs to what should have been a back-of-the-net blunder against Portugal. Howard gets a hand to Nani’s shot from distance, but in-doing so fails to put the ball out of play, or even out of harm. Instead, it goes off the woodwork and on to the boot of Eder. The follow-up shot is actually mishit, which forces Howard past the trajectory of the ball, but Howard reaches out a palm as he’s fading away and parries the ball over the bar. Even Howard recognizes afterwards that that ball should’ve gone in. -- Germany Drops a Touchdown on Brazil By Mitchell Machtinger Brazil was tabbed by many as the team to beat in the tournament on their home soil. It seemed almost inevitable that the host nation would claim its sixth title in front of all its fans, but first they had to win their semifinal against Germany. Low-scoring matches in soccer are to be expected, especially when high quality opponents faceoff. However, 11 minutes in, Germany scored its first goal. They scored again at the 23rd minute. Then again a minute later, and two more in the next five minutes. This semifinal, which was supposed to feature two of the best teams in the world, was over before the first half whistle was blown. Germany’s five-goal explosion had deflated the entire stadium and an entire country. The Germans looked dominant, winning 7-1, while Brazil looked like they had no business being in a semifinal at all. Just how easily Germany handled Brazil was a complete shock to soccer experts and casual fans alike. The story of this game was Brazil’s loss. But it’s important not to overlook just how good this German team was. They did go on to win the World Cup, after all. -- Landon Donovan Goes Out on Top By Ken Rodney He didn’t score either goal - those were provided by Gyasi Zardes and Robbie Keane - but as he was many times for club and country, the most important person on the field for the MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy was retiring captain Landon Donovan. After announcing earlier in the season that he would be calling it quits, the Ontario, California native was in the spotlight for Major League Soccer and he did not disappoint. Earlier in the season, before the retirement announcement, Donovan scored twice against the Philadelphia Union to become the MLS’ all-time leading scorer, a record that now sits at 144 goals. He was also famously left off the U.S. national soccer team that competed at the Word Cup in Brazil, after helping them advance to the quarter-finals in 2002 and the round of 16 in 2010. Still, none of that seemed to matter as he stood in the field of the StubHub Center with his arms raised in the air triumphantly after capturing his league record sixth MLS Cup. The MLS’ most celebrated, most decorated player and its marquee player, going out on top. Air Jordan 9 Online Store . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Cheap Air Jordan 9 . -- Barry Bonds is all set to return to the San Francisco Giants. http://www.cheapairjordan9.com/ .J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil.CLEVELAND -- The Indians can thank their starting pitching for keeping them in playoff contention. Trevor Bauer continued that trend Sunday by taking a shutout into the seventh and Cleveland hung on for a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros. The Indians (66-63) have used strong work by their rotation to stay in the post-season picture. Clevelands starters have recorded a 1.71 ERA in 13 games since Aug. 9. Manager Terry Francona knows securing a playoff spot wont be easy. The Indians trail Kansas City by six games in the AL Central and are battling several teams in the crowded wild card race. "We have our work cut out for us, but if we pitch like that were going to give ourselves a chance," he said. The Indians have won four of their last five series, including three straight. "We havent been scoring a ton of runs," he said. "The hope is the pitching stays strong and we start scoring runs, spreading a few games out." The starters have allowed 15 earned runs in 79 innings in their dominant stretch. Bauer (5-7), winning for the first time since July 18, held Houston to four hits and struck out nine. The right-hander was pulled after issuing a leadoff walk in the seventh. "Every day you run a new guy out there and you have this feeling youre going to have a really good start," Bauer said. "Its nice for the team to have that confidence. Its been unbelievable." Cody Allen, the Indians fourth pitcher, worked out of ninth-inning trouble for his 17th save. He walked pinch-hitter Chris Carter to start the inning and gave up a one-out single to Jake Marisnick. Jose Altuve, the ALs leading hitter, singled to load the bases with two outs, but Allen struck out Dexter Fowler to end his 29-pitch outing. Carlos Santanas sacrifice fly in the third put Cleveland ahead while Lonnie Chisenhall had an RBI single in the fourth. Jose Ramirez added an RBI single in the seventh. Rookie right fielder Tyler Holt helped Bauer with two outstanding defensive plays. Holt robbed Marc Krauss of a hit with a diving catch to end the first inning with a runner on first. Cheap Jordan 9 Shoes. Holt again took a hit away from Krauss with another diving catch for the first out of the sixth, also with a man on first. Bauer was 0-3 in his last six starts coming into the game in a season that has been marked by cases of wild inconsistency. He allowed five first-inning runs in two of his last three starts, but didnt give up a hit until the sixth in the other. "Hell go through spurts where he throws three or four balls in a row, but you look up and hes throwing a lot of strikes," Francona said. "He has periods where he kind of loses what hes doing, but he really competes. He gets mad at himself when he doesnt do what he wants." TAKE A BREAK OF Michael Brantley, in a 3-for-30 slump since Aug. 15, wasnt in Sundays lineup. With the Indians off Monday, Francona thinks the two-day break will help the All-Star, who snapped an 0-for-15 skid Saturday with an RBI single. Brantley is batting .311 and has already reached career highs in homers (18) and RBIs (81). BETTER REST UP The Indians dont play Monday, their last off-day until Sept. 25. Cleveland will play 30 consecutive days beginning with Tuesdays game in Chicago. The Indians were scheduled to be off Sept. 8, but instead will host the Angels in a make-up of a rainout in June. TRAINERS ROOM Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (sore forearm) is expected to start Wednesday against Oakland. He was pulled after five innings Friday, but played catch Sunday. Indians: C Yan Gomes (seven-day concussion disabled list) is expected to accompany the team on its road trip that begins Tuesday in Chicago. Hes eligible to be activated Friday. UP NEXT Astros: RHP Scott Feldman (7-9) opens a three-game series at home against Oakland on Monday. He matched a career high with 121 pitches in defeating the Yankees in his last start. Indians: LHP T.J. House (2-3) will start the opener of a three-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine straight starts. 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