Tomorrow night is the UEFA Champions League Final, which can easily be described as Europe’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. Even though there is a FIFA Club World Cup held every December, the appeal of the UCL Final has spread all around the globe. The U.S. has not been the exception, as for the fifth straight year Americans can view the Final on the free-to-air channel Fox. Here’s a preview of the teams fighting to be European champions.

Real Madrid C.F.

Los Blancos qualified for the Final by finishing 1st in their group, then defeated a trio of German teams (Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich) in the knockout rounds. Real have won 9 European Cups, most recently in 2002, but this is their first Final since Zinédine Zidane’s spectacular strike that night in Glasgow. The last three seasons, RM had gone out in the semifinals (to Barcelona, Bayern, and Dortmund respectively). Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading scorer for the second straight year, and has already won with Manchester United in 2008. Carlo Ancelotti has a chance for silverware in his first season in Spain, having won multiple Cups as both a player and manager with AC Milan. Overall, Real Madrid is 9-3 in European Cup/Champions League Finals.

Club Atlético de Madrid

El Atleti also qualified for the knockout stage as group winners, before advancing past AC Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea. This is only their second Final, having lost to Bayern Munich in a replay 40 years ago. Their roster this year includes David Villa, who won the Cup in 2011 with Barcelona, and Diego Costa, the squad’s leading scorer with 8 goals. Despite their lack of success in the Champions League, current manager Diego Simeone has guided the club to four different trophies since taking over in 2011, including the Spanish domestic league earlier this month. Atlético’s desire to win a first European Cup, plus the chance to do so against their fierce city rivals, will only add to the drama tomorrow night.

Additional Notes

This is the second all-Spanish UCL Final in the modern era; Real Madrid defeated Valencia in 2000…..tomorrow’s Final is at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, which also hosted the UEFA Euro 2004 Final; Lisbon previously hosted the 1967 European Cup Final…..Björn Kuipers is the fourth different Dutchman to officiate a European Cup/Champions League Final, the first since Dick Jol in 2001

This week, I’ll be commentating on two college softball national championship tournaments: the USCAA Championships in Ohio, and the NCCAA Championships in Virginia. This year, I’ve already covered the soccer and basketball national championships for both organizations, and they have all produced some memorable moments, so the next 7 days should be full of excitement. Here’s a quick look at each tournament…

USCAA Softball: May 12-14, Firestone Stadium, Akron, OH

The USCAA will be holding a 10-team double-elimination tournament Monday through Wednesday, with consolation games to determine 5th-10th place. Among the participants are the two teams from last year’s Championship Round, Lindenwood-Belleville and Ave Maria. The Lynx and Gyrenes would actually be on track to meet each other in a Winner’s Bracket Semifinal or an elimination game, depending on how they do in their first games. Top seed St. Mary of the Woods will be seeking their 9th National Championship, and have been ranked #1 in the USCAA Coaches Poll all season long. Carlow, Briarcliffe, Penn State Hazleton, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Penn State Mont Alto, Concordia-Alabama, and Penn College will also be fighting to be the best in USCAA Softball in 2014.

NCCAA Softball, May 15-17, Botetourt Sports Complex, Botetourt, VA

The NCCAA will also be holding a 10-team double-elimination tournament Thursday through Saturday. Defending National Champions Union and runner-up Shorter are both back for a shot at the crown in 2014. The Bulldogs begin their defense as the #6 seed, while the Hawks earned the top seed in 2014, and both teams return two players each who were named to last year’s All-Tournament Team. Also competing for a title at the BSC are Campbellsville and Central Baptist (both made it to Botetourt last year), joined by Oklahoma Christian, Azusa Pacific, Grace College, Trinity Christian, Cedarville, and Mississippi College.

Be sure to check out the Tourbeau Sports Group Network for all the action. Which teams will rule the softball diamond in 2014?

364 days ago, Ohio was facing archrival Miami (OH) in an elimination game at the MAC Softball Tournament in Akron. The Bobcats went into the bottom of the 7th inning leading the Redhawks 3-2, but Miami had a runner on base with two outs, putting the game-winning run at the plate. Savannah Jo Dorsey’s pitch was hit deep to the outfield, long enough that it would’ve been a home run. But Alyssa Wolfe made a catch running through the fence to record the final out, and the catch made that night’s SportsCenter.

That was on the Thursday of last year’s MAC Tournament. Fast forward to the Thursday of this year’s tourney…

Today, Ohio beat #1 seed Ball State 3-0 on a perfect game from Dorsey. The Cardinals had shut out the Bobcats in both of the two regular-season meetings, and had ended Ohio’s 2013 run on a walk-off triple, so getting a win today was always going to be important to the Bobcats. But now Dorsey has a perfect game, a performance that nobody in Firestone Stadium will forget anytime soon.

And how was the final out made? A deep fly ball, which would’ve been a home run, caught by Alyssa Wolfe.

Ohio advances to the Winner’s Bracket Final tomorrow against Buffalo. The Bobcats followed up last year’s win over Miami with another elimination game win over Kent State, a contest best known for a lengthy rain delay. What does this year have in store for Ohio Softball?

Today is Manchester United’s final home game of the 2013-14 season, against Hull City. To say their season has been a roller coaster is an understatement. There were always bound to be changes with David Moyes replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, but no United fan could’ve predicted the season that was. Here’s a look at the key moments…

The Good: A respectable UEFA Champions League performance

The first thing you can say about Manchester United’s UCL campaign was that they improved on a round of 16 finish in 2013, and made the quarterfinals in 2014. What’s more, to qualify for the last 8, they needed at least a 3-goal victory over Olympiacos, which they managed thanks to a Robin van Persie hat-trick. In the quarterfinals, they gave defending European champions Bayern Munich a run for their money; only after a Patrice Evra goal did Bayern score 3 quick goals to advance to the semifinals. Some critics said in pre-season that the quarterfinals was a fair expectation for the club, and David Moyes achieved that.

The Bad: Embarrassing home losses

Before the 2013-14 Premier League season, Sunderland had not won at Old Trafford since 1968. Last Saturday, the Black Cats won 1-0 with a Sebastian Larsson goal putting them firmly in control of their own destiny to stay in the EPL next year. Newcastle & West Bromwich Albion also won at OT this year to give United 7 home losses. The last time that happened (1973-74), the Red Devils were relegated. United may not be in danger of going down to the Championship this year, but the club clearly does not intimidate opponents under Moyes and Ryan Giggs like it may have under Ferguson.

The Ugly: Results vs. the Top 4

The current top 4 in the English Premier League is Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea & Arsenal. United’s EPL record against those clubs this year stands at 1 win, 2 draws, and 5 losses. That’s 5 points out of a possible 24. Last year, the Red Devils managed 16. The goal difference in 2013-14 is astonishing: United this year scored 3 goals, and conceded 14. A pair of 3-0 home losses to Liverpool and Manchester City in March only added to the string of Old Trafford defeats.

This has certainly been a season unlike any other for Manchester United. Tonight is the third match in the era of interim player-manager Ryan Giggs, after Moyes was fired last month. It is also the final home game for club captain Nemanja Vidic, who will join Italian club Inter Milan this summer. It will be interesting to see how the fans at tonight’s game react to the result, and what happens to the club in the summer months.