The Australian and Indian cricket teams meet Tuesday for the first of four Tests in what is the last international series for either team before the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The first Test was slated to begin on December 4, but was postponed after Phillip Hughes died on November 27, having been struck in the neck by a bouncer two days before in a first-class match.

It’s been an emotional time not just for Australians, but for cricket fans all over the globe. While Hughes wasn’t a player with a spot cemented in the national team, he still contributed significantly against international competition; in the first Ashes Test of 2013 at Trent Bridge, he and debutant Ashton Agar put together the highest tenth-wicket partnership in history, as Australia nearly won that match against England. Many fans tuned in from around the country last week to watch the athlete’s funeral, where national team captain Michael Clarke was among the speakers.

As for the upcoming Test, Clarke was a doubt because of injury, but will start for the home side. Indian captain MS Dhoni, meanwhile, will miss out as he recovers from a broken thumb, meaning Virat Kohli will be leading the visitors. How do the Indians react to this situation, knowing their opponents will be playing with spirit to honor a former teammate? What about both teams’ psyches ahead of the World Cup? In past scenarios, Australia have faced archrival England in the Ashes series, followed by ODIs and a T20I match or two. This year, it’s just four Tests.

Expect an emotional scene this week in Adelaide, as Australia continues its road to recovery from tragedy.

Landon Donovan’s playing career will come to an end after Sunday’s MLS Cup, which features his Los Angeles Galaxy taking on the New England Revolution. With the new playoff rules set by MLS, Los Angeles will host at the StubHub Center, as they had more regular season points than New England. Donovan has made his final season in professional soccer count, with 10 goals and a league-leading 19 assists in 2014, maintaining a high level of play even after his announcement on August 7.

This will be a bittersweet moment for American soccer fans of the current generation, witnessing the final game of a player who has been the one man synonymous with U.S. Soccer for over a decade. Donovan began his professional career with German club Bayer Leverkusen before being loaned to San Jose, where he led the Earthquakes to MLS Cups in 2001 and 2003. When he joined Los Angeles in 2005, Donovan won three more Cups, with a chance to add a sixth title this weekend. He has also made appearances on loan to Bayern Munich and Everton.

Donovan’s career with the U.S. national team has seen many highs and lows in 15 years. Making his senior debut in 2000, as part of a group eager to put the disaster of the 1998 World Cup behind them, he would score two goals at Korea/Japan 2002, as the Americans had their best finish at a World Cup since 1930. After being part of a disappointing campaign in 2006, Donovan scored three more times in South Africa 2010, including the dramatic game-winner against Algeria. This video (uploaded to YouTube by kitchel22130), which has almost five million views, perfectly illustrates the raw emotions of fans watching back in the States:

Even with the controversy surrounding his omission from the 2014 squad, Donovan remains the most significant player of this generation, and is now one win away from being able to join a group that includes John Elway, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Glenn McGrath; a group of athletes and coaches that go out as a champion.

Can the Galaxy beat the Revolution on Sunday? This year’s MLS Cup should provide some great memories.

The Big Ten Conference became the “Big 14” in 2014, as Maryland and Rutgers joined from the ACC and American, respectively. It was always going to be interesting to see how the two football squads competed against new opponents, and also how the East Coast welcomes a league with a history of institutions located in the Great Lakes region. So how did the Terrapins & Scarlet Knights fare in football season #1?

Maryland went 7-5 in 2014, finishing 3rd in the Big Ten East with a 4-4 league record. The Terrapins started conference play with a solid win at Indiana, and came from behind in road victories at both Penn State and Michigan. Three of those four league losses were by more than 20 points, although they were against the three best teams: Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. C.J. Brown accounted for 20 touchdowns, while wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught five touchdowns; Diggs, however, was first suspended one game for his involvement in a pre-game incident at Penn State, then was declared out for the season after suffering a lacerated kidney. The wide receiver may return for a bowl game.

Rutgers also went 7-5 overall this season, going 3-5 in conference play. After winning five of its first six games to start 2014, including a  rally against Michigan, the Scarlet Knights struggled from mid-October through the end of the year. It didn’t help that they faced Ohio State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin in a three-week span, but Rutgers did outscore Maryland 24-3 in the second half to win the meeting between the two league debutants and close its season with a victory. Gary Nova threw for 20 touchdowns (four TD passes each in three separate games), while head coach Kyle Flood, who led the team to bowl games in his first two years, will hope he can become 3-for-3, and get a first bowl win.

Also, even though they’ve been in the Big Ten longer, Nebraska is still “new” compared to most of the other schools. It’s been four years since the Cornhuskers announced they were leaving the Big 12, meaning this year’s seniors who redshirted in 2010 didn’t play, but did experience the atmosphere of that conference. Nebraska has gone 22-10 in Big Ten regular-season play, winning the Legends Division in 2012. However, head coach Bo Pelini was fired Sunday; the school has already named the replacement, although Mike Riley will not coach in the bowl game.

Both the Terrapins & Scarlet Knights are bowl-eligible, but the league office has sent a memo saying there is a possibility that either or both teams (and Illinois, too) could miss out on a 13th game this year. Whether that happens or not, both schools had respectable showings as the rookies of the Big Ten, and should provide more good teams in 2015.