June 25th, 2013 was a significant day for me, personally. To date, it’s the only time I’ve witnessed a cricket match (any format) in its entirety in person. That was the day England hosted New Zealand at the Oval in London for the first of two scheduled T20I contests. (The second one, planned for two days later, would be rained out and not made up.) The sold-out crowd made for an electric atmosphere in London, and the match did not disappoint, with England falling just short in a game that came down to the final delivery. The ECB uploaded two different videos of highlights; one of New Zealand’s batting innings…

…and one from England’s innings…

England have had a roller coaster of mixed fortunes – in all formats of the game – in the two years since that night at the Oval. It started with a high, as Alastair Cook led the squad to success in the Ashes series in the second half of that summer, retaining the urn for the third consecutive series. That joy would be short-lived, however, as only three months passed before England and Australia met Down Under for another series. This time, it was the Aussies doing the celebrating, winning all five Tests in convincing fashion.

2014 was another year of ups and downs for the squad, as focus slowly turned to the World Cup in Australia & New Zealand at the beginning of this year. What occurred Down Under this time around was a disaster, as England failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, leading many skeptics to wonder what’s next for the players. With the New Zealand having just finished, all eyes will be on winning back the Ashes. England will be regarded underdogs – although not quite to the extent that they were back in 2005 – and the younger players who struggled against the Blackcaps can expect even more scrutiny should they struggle against Australia.

The upcoming tour is set to create another chapter in Alastair Cook’s legacy as England captain; will it be positive or negative?

The 2015 U.S. Open was always going to make history over the last few days with a first-time host and a first-time television broadcaster. The second golf major of the calendar year usually produces plenty of drama – arguably more consistently than the other three majors – and this year did not disappoint. And as is the case with any major sporting event, the stories varied, with plenty of highs and lows.

High

Jason Day played all 72 holes at the 2015 U.S. Open. To someone who’s not familiar with how the week unfolded, the preceding sentence is not a story, but what he went through over those four days makes that statement noteworthy. While approaching the green on the final hole of his second round, Day collapsed, having a bout with vertigo, but the Australian was able to finish on Friday, which is an accomplishment in itself. That Day’s third-round performance put him in Sunday’s final group had some fans wondering if the stars would align for him. A final-round 74 derailed hopes of a dream ending, but throughout the week he showed glimpses that a major championship win is not far away.

Low

Dustin Johnson has not had a great deal of luck when it’s come to playing in majors. In 2010, Johnson had the 54-hole lead of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach before shooting 82 in the final round. Later that year, he grounded his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship, receiving a two-stroke penalty that took him out of a playoff. Johnson also had a close call at the 2011 British Open, before his “suspension/voluntary leave-of-absence” at the end of 2014. This year, Johnson had an eagle putt to overtake Jordan Spieth and win the U.S. Open, but not only missed that, but also missed a birdie putt that would’ve put the two in an 18-hole playoff Monday. Is Johnson ever going to win a major championship, or will he be “that guy” who always comes within touching distance without getting a victory?

High

He remains the second-ranked player in the world behind Rory McIlroy, but Jordan Spieth has enjoyed an amazing two months on the PGA Tour. Following his dominant play at Augusta to win the Masters, the 21-year-old was another figure always in contention throughout the four rounds at Chambers Bay. He didn’t have the smoothest of Sunday rounds in Washington state (especially when compared to Louis Oosthuizen & Adam Scott!), but Spieth made shots when it mattered, including a birdie on the 18th following a double bogey on the 17th. A “Spieth Slam” remains alive; will the Dallas native continue this solid play at St. Andrews and Whistling Straits over the next two months?

Low

This year’s championship marked the first ever professional golf telecast for FOX Sports. The network always had big shoes to fill, particularly after the stellar job done by NBC from 1995-2014. However, reaction has been mostly negative about the coverage over the four days. From commentators talking about “Australian” Louis Oosthuizen (he’s from South Africa), to cameras not documenting Spieth’s live reaction to Johnson’s missed eagle & birdie putts on #18, the network has plenty to learn from going forward. There were several bright spots for FOX, but fans will expect a much better production when the Open visits Oakmont in 2016.

Hosting a U.S. Open on the West Coast hasn’t always been popular, but two of the more recent championships staged in the Pacific time zone have seen some of the most dramatic 72nd hole finishes in the sport’s history; it was at Torrey Pines in California where Tiger Woods birdied the final hole in regulation in 2008 to force that playoff with Rocco Mediate, and now Johnson’s 3-putt on Sunday will rank among the more memorable blunders. When the Open returns to Pebble Beach in 2019, what new drama will golf fans witness?

England cricket’s first home series of the summer has been full of ups and downs with New Zealand. From records broken to disappointing finishes, fans have not run out of things to talk about, both positive and negative.

The first Test between the two teams saw England behind the eight-ball for most of the match; it wasn’t a question of who would win, but rather what the margin would be. However, Alastair Cook’s second innings century laid the groundwork for what would prove to be an emphatic win for the hosts at the famed Lord’s Cricket Ground. The second Test will be remembered for two moments in particular; James Anderson reached 400 Test wickets, having surpassed Sir Ian Botham in April for the most wickets taken by an English bowler. The second historic accomplishment at Headingley was Cook becoming the leading run scorer in Tests; the captain became the first Englishman to score 9,000 career runs in the five-day format. Yet for those personal achievements, England rather collapsed in their second innings, allowing New Zealand to pick up a 199-run win, and draw the Test series.

The One Day International series have not been lacking in drama, either. Perhaps motivated by the Headingley Test loss, England wasted no time putting up a score of 408/9, their highest score ever in ODIs. New Zealand responded by taking the next two matches, in spite of England continuing to put up respectable scores; it was the first time the hosts made 300 in three consecutive ODI contests. That streak continued on Wednesday, with captain Eoin Morgan getting a century, his partnership with Joe Root helping England reach their highest-ever successful run chase.

Saturday sees the ODI series finish at Chester-le-Street, and it’s fair to expect that encounter follow a similar format to what fans have already witnessed; a match that features both excellent bowling and sensational batting. Then on Tuesday, England & New Zealand will meet at Old Trafford for the only T20I of this tour. Having been at the first (and because of rain, essentially the only T20I of the 2013 series), I witnessed a game that came down to the final ball between two evenly matched squads. England came up just short in that match, but are hungry to prove that they can get results in the shortest format of the game, as well. It’s set to be an exciting finish to the series, and a great tune-up for the Australians’ visit next month.

There will be a plethora of plot lines to follow over the next four days during the second golf major of 2015. The U.S. Open will make history in multiple ways, and could potentially be the site of another historic first. Chambers Bay Golf Course will welcome the world’s best to the Pacific Northwest for an exciting week of championship action.

The first historic part of U.S. Open Week 2015 is that the tournament is being staged in that part of the country for the first time, and Chambers Bay is hosting its very first major. This is a win for the public course, which has only been in operation since 2007, but its staging of the 2010 U.S. Amateur played a factor in the USGA’s decision to bring the Open to Washington state. The Northwest hasn’t played host to a major since the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee, so players and fans can both expect to view some spectacular scenery.

Another “first” for this year’s tournament is the first year of a new TV broadcast partner. Fox Sports has exclusive rights to USGA events, after NBC was the longtime over-the-air broadcaster. Fox will have big shoes to fill when it comes to the production, and Joe Buck, Greg Norman will come under a lot of scrutiny over the four days, particularly if the broadcasts aren’t very crisp. This is the first golf Fox will have televised, so criticism from skeptics will be very similar from what was said when the network first acquired the NFL, among other properties. Norman does have experience, though, as a television analyst in the past, and Buck is an avid golf fan who will bring credible knowledge to the booth; it won’t be a scenario like when Gus Johnson was the top voice for soccer.

With these “firsts” already set in stone, is 2015 the year when the stars finally align for Phil Mickelson, and “Lefty” wins his first U.S. Open? Some of his runner-up finishes have been iconic in the sport’s history; the scene at hole #18 following Payne Stewart’s win at Pinehurst in 1999; the collapse on #18 at Winged Foot; the despair after coming up short at Merion two years ago (before recovering to win the Open Championship). Golf fans have seen many of Mickelson’s highs and lows; a win this week would see him finally reach that coveted group of golfers with career grand slams. This is likely not his last chance to win this major, but it’s arguably his best chance, on a new course, with a new broadcaster looking for that tournament-defining moment.

Who is your favorite to win at Chambers Bay? Leave a comment below!

For those who are skeptics about the unpredictability of soccer, consider this. The bottom half of the quarterfinal bracket for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup included the following nations: Germany, Mali, Serbia, and the United States. One of those four teams would be headed to the Final on June 20, and odds are that nine of 10 neutrals would pick Germany to be in that position. The USA-Serbia match could be viewed as a toss-up, but conventional wisdom said Die Mannschaft would have little, if any, difficulty progressing to the championship match.

No one told the Malian squad before their quarterfinal against the Germans last Sunday in Christchurch. Highlights uploaded to YouTube by FIFA’s official channel:

It’s not just a shock that Mali was able to upset Germany, but that they were able to do so on penalties, as the Germans have developed a reputation as excellent penalty takers. It must be said, though, that with this being the U-20 World Cup, the players in this tournament will surely grow and compete for spots on the senior squad for future men’s World Cups.

Both semifinals are set for Wednesday, with Brazil facing Senegal in Christchurch, while Mali and Serbia will meet in Auckland. Of the four remaining nations, Brazil is the heavy favorite to win what would be its sixth title in this competition. But the Seleçao needed penalties to get past both Uruguay and Portugal in the knockout round; should they reach that phase against Senegal, will their luck run out? And can Mali continue their Cinderella run against the Serbians, who needed more than 90 minutes to progress in both the Round of 16 and the quarterfinal?

For those interested in watching future household names in the sport, the rest of the week provides great opportunities to see them in action in New Zealand.

The United States takes on Sweden Friday evening in the second group game of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. It will be a unique scenario, as Swedish native and coach Pia Sundhage – who led the USA to two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal in the 2011 WWC – will be on the opposite touchline from many of her former players.

There’s been a lot of recent news this week about comments Sundhage made concerning her former team. The Swede particularly singled out Hope Solo, describing the goalkeeper as a challenging player to work with. This comes with some irony; it was Sundhage who helped bring Solo and many other teammates together in the wake of the goalkeeping fiasco during the 2007 Women’s World Cup.

For those who don’t remember, Solo had been performing admirably as the Americans reached the semifinals. On the eve of their match against Brazil, then-head coach Greg Ryan dropped Solo in favor of longtime veteran Briana Scurry; Brazil won the semifinal emphatically. Following the game, Solo told a reporter there was no doubt in her mind she would’ve made critical saves had she played, leading to her being ostracized by Ryan and most of the players. When Sundhage took over, she was instrumental in closing that gap, but her comments over the past few days may provide the U.S. with some extra motivation.

Many analysts say the Americans didn’t perform particularly well in their opening match against Australia, despite the 3-1 win. Captain Megan Rapinoe excelled, among others, but there were times when the team was treating the game more as a friendly rather than part of an international competition. With many players on this year’s squad on the team that lost to Sweden in the group stage in 2011, they’ll be keen to avoid the same mistakes that put them in the predicament of a quarterfinal with Brazil four years ago. With Sweden blowing a two-goal lead against Nigeria in their opening match, expect both teams to be pushing early for that critical first goal.

How much of the Women’s World Cup have you been able to watch so far? Do you think Team USA can go all the way, and claim its first title since 1999? Leave a comment below!

In the United States, arguably the most important day on the sports calendar is Super Bowl Sunday. In Europe, arguably the most important sports event that happens on a yearly basis is the UEFA Champions League Final. Saturday’s match will be aired around the world, as Juventus & Barcelona fans hope their clubs can add to their trophy cabinet.

Soccer is not always a sport for the sentimental storyline. If it was, Liverpool would have won the Premier League in 2014, and Steven Gerrard likely would’ve retired by going out on top. However, both clubs have a sentimental story to bring to Berlin this weekend. Longtime Barcelona midfielder Xavi is set to make his final appearance for the club, and the man who missed out on the Blaugrana’s 2006 triumph, but was at the core of the winning sides in 2009 & 2011, is hoping the stars will align for a “ride off into the sunset” scenario. For Juventus, they simply need to look to two players – goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon & midfielder Andrea Pirlo – who were on the 2006 Italian team that lifted the World Cup in the Olympiastadion. For those two to have won the most prestigious trophy in the sport, and then win the most prestigious club trophy, in the same venue, would be an amazing feat.

For Juventus, a win on the biggest stage would solidify their return to Europe’s elite. In 2006, the club was demoted the second tier of the Italian system, Serie B, in the wake of the infamous Calciopoli scandal. Many Italians on the team at that time were on the World Cup-winning squad, a side that defied the odds to win in unlikely circumstances. Juve had no problem returning to Serie A, and are coming off their 4th straight Scudetto championship. The Bianconeri will be heavy underdogs in 2015, but are eager to add to their two European Cups.

Barcelona also arrive in this year’s Final as domestic league champions; in fact, whoever wins will complete the storied “treble,” having won the domestic league, domestic cup, and Champions League in the same season. The Blaugrana have been the standard to which many other top clubs have been compared to for almost a decade, starting with that 2006 win in Paris. Should Barcelona win on Saturday, it would be the eighth time in 10 years that either they, or the team that beat them in the semifinals, were crowned champions of Europe. (Juventus, by contrast, can argue that they eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the semifinals, proving perhaps that “to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.”) Lionel Messi is on the verge of an individual milestone, as no player in the modern era has scored in three separate Champions League finals. Again, Xavi will be wanting to go out on top, but things don’t always go according to plan; he was on the 2011 team that spoiled what would otherwise have been Edwin van der Sar’s farewell party at Wembley.

There are plenty of matchups to keep an eye on. One of the big blows for Juventus, though, will be the absence of Giorgio Chiellini, the defender who Luis Suarez bit in the 2014 World Cup group stage. The Uruguayan will have a reunion with Patrice Evra, after the infamous racism scandal from the 2011-12 Premier League season. And who will win the intriguing battle between Suarez/Messi/Neymar and the Italian Buffon, who at 37 might be looking to retire on top if he lifts the Cup?

My prediction: Juventus wins 2-1 for a third European title. Leave a comment below on how you think the match will go!

Sunday marked the end of the 2014/15 season for Manchester United, with a scoreless draw at Hull City. It was a unique campaign for the club, one that included no Champions League for the first time in almost two decades. As with every other season, United experienced many ups and downs from August to May.

Priority #1 for incoming manager Louis van Gaal was extremely simple on paper: to get United back into the Champions League. (In truth, this goal was probably Priorities #2-10 as well.) Several sponsors made it very clear over summer 2014 what the ramifications would be should the club miss out on Europe’s most prestigious club competition a second time. The Red Devils’ 4th-place finish in the Premier League means they will be in the UCL’s play-off round, but that task of reaching the UCL is “mission accomplished” for the manager. Another accomplishment for the club: their first Premier League home win over bitter rivals Manchester City since 2011. A double over Liverpool (wins at both Old Trafford & Anfield) also brought delight to United supporters.

The campaign was not without its challenges, however. Van Gaal & company will be lamenting a chance to automatically make the Champions League group stage, after a mini-collapse late in the year. Following their home win over City, the Reds failed to score in three successive defeats at Chelsea, at Everton, and in a home game with West Bromwich Albion. An earlier in-game collapse came in late September, when United threw away a 3-1 lead at newly-promoted Leicester. Of course, the key moment when van Gaal realized this job would not come easy was the League Cup second round in August, when a United team was embarrassed at Milton Keynes Dons 4-0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPVbLMPMypc

As the club heads into the summer, there are plenty of questions about the future of Manchester United. It’s already been confirmed that Radamel Falcao is returning to Monaco after a rather disappointing loan spell in England, and he may not be the only one leaving. David de Gea, who has been tipped by many to succeed Iker Casillas as the Spanish national starting goalkeeper, may also be replacing Casillas at Real Madrid in the coming season. Other names linked with moves away from Old Trafford include Angel Di Maria and Robin van Persie. Also, with Javier Hernandez and Nani having completed their loan spells in Spain & Portugal, respectively, does van Gaal have a plan to include them in the United squad going forward?

How do you feel Manchester United fared in the 2014/15 season? Leave a comment below!

One of the defining characteristics of any sports team is its ability to right a ship after enduring tough times. Whether the change is immediate, or whether it takes an extended period of time, the feeling of success arguably has a greater impact on players than a feeling of failure, particularly if success is consistently rarely. Memorial Day weekend provided many examples of turnarounds for teams in multiple sports.

In baseball, Ohio University struggled mightily in its first two seasons under head coach Rob Smith. The Bobcats only managed 14 wins overall in 2013, followed by 11 in 2014. This season, Ohio managed the best turnaround in the nation among NCAA Division I baseball squads, with 36 wins and their first Mid-American Conference Tournament title since 1997. The Bobcats are headed to the Champaign regional of the NCAA Tournament, along with Illinois, Notre Dame, and Wright State.

England cricket has had a tumultuous few months, to put it bluntly, since their World Cup fiasco in Australia and New Zealand. In their first home Test of the summer – against the Kiwis – they were looking down the barrel of a heavy defeat. But an inspired 2nd innings from Alastair Cook, complimented by Ben Stokes hitting the fastest-ever Test century at Lord’s, propelled England to an unlikely victory. It was the visitors’ match to lose through the first three days, but the hosts rallied with a comeback that give them plenty of confidence for the 2nd Test, and the Ashes series with Australia later this summer.

Staying in cricket, the Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League had a slow start to the 2015 IPL season before completing an impressive turnaround of their own. The club endured similar adversity last year, losing their first five group matches before embarking on an improbable run to qualify for the play-offs, highlighted by a dramatic final group game against Rajasthan. This year, Mumbai dropped their first four contests, before rallying to finish second in the standings, automatically qualifying the Champions League Twenty20 group stage. A dominant performance over Chennai in the first qualifier, then another win over the Super Kings in the final gives Mumbai their second IPL title in a three-year span.

Norwich City is also celebrating a great weekend after a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Football League Championship play-off final. The Canaries are headed back to the English Premier League just one year after being relegated. A strong performance in the second leg of the semifinal with Ipswich, then two goals in the opening quarter-hour against Boro, carried Norwich – whose manager, Alex Neil, was only appointed in January – into another season in the top flight. In a 2005 documentary, Stephen Fry (who is on the board of directors) once said he doesn’t mind when Norwich lose because he almost expects them to; but when they win, “I am so happy, infinitely happier…”

How many more impressive turnarounds in sports will fans see in the remainder of 2015?