The sports world always gets a major boost of excitement whenever it’s a World Cup year. Soccer’s greatest event rarely fails to deliver an unrivaled sporting spectacle that is heavy on entertainment value with a fair bit of controversy thrown in for good measure.
But the 2014 World Cup proved to be especially memorable, as half of Sportsnet’s top 10 soccer news stories of the year took place during that magical month in Brazil.
Toronto FC’s “Bloody Big Deal” (Jan. 13)
For the first time in a very long time, there was genuine hope for Toronto FC. The additions of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley signaled a new era in the history of the troubled Major League Soccer franchise. After seven losing and playoff-less seasons, the Reds were instantly transformed from league laughingstock to a contender. MLSE president and chief executive officer Tim Leiweke guaranteed the Reds would make the playoffs in 2014. This was a Bloody Big Deal! Or so we thought.
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La decima now a reality for Real Madrid (May 24)
Winning la decima — a 10th European title — had become an unhealthy obsession for Real Madrid ever since it won its ninth Champions League tile in 2002. It took Los Blancos 12 years to get to another final, as the obsession grew. Guided by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, the Spanish outfit beat rival Atletico Madrid to finally claim their tenth crown and make history.
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Spain crashes out of World Cup, but legacy lives on (Jun. 19)
Most fans and pundits recognized that La Roja — winners of Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 — were a bit of a spent force going into this summer’s festivities in Brazil. Still, a first-round exit? Eliminated after only two games? Humiliated 5-1 by the Dutch in their opener? Unbelievable! Spain’s unprecedented reign of domination ended in stunning fashion in Brazil.
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Luis Suarez bites – again (Jun. 26)
The saddest part about Luis Suarez chomping on Giorgio Chielleni wasn’t the depravity of the act so much as it hardly came as a surprise. Suarez had bitten an opponent twice before, but this latest incident came during the biggest and most-watched sports event in the world. For days, instead of focusing on what a great World Cup it had been to that point, we were all talking about Suarez’s “Jaws” impersonation. Ugh.
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James Rodriguez shoots to fame (Jun. 27)
Look, it’s not as though James Rodriguez came out of nowhere at the World Cup. Soccer fans “in the know” were well aware of the Colombian star who toiled in relative obscurity with Porto and Monaco. But Rodriguez announced himself to the rest of the world in Brazil, scoring spectacular goals and finishing as the tournament’s top scorer. Suddenly, he was a global superstar, as underlined by his big-money move to Real Madrid, and being the most searched athlete on Google in 2014.
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A day of national shame for Brazil (Jul. 8)
Who saw this coming? Who could have predicted that Brazil—who hadn’t lost a competitive game on home soil since 1975—would capitulate so spectacularly to Germany in the semifinals, prodcing the single most remarkable result in World Cup history?
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Fourth World Cup long time coming for Germany (Jul. 13)
After wiping the floor with the hosts, the Germans turned their attention to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final. Philip Lahm and his cohorts had a much harder time of it, but ended up securing Germany’s fourth World Cup crown thanks to Mario Goetze’s extra time winner.
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FIFA mired in scandal – again (Jul. 31)
It never seems to end with FIFA — controversy hounds world soccer’s governing body at every turn. FIFA appointed former U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia to look into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid processes. But when Garcia’s investigation uncovered corruption, FIFA misrepresented his findings and said there was no hanky panky. Garcia later resigned from the FIFA ethics committee. All of this while Sepp Blatter cozied up to Russian president Vladimir Putin as his army displaced over 50,000 Ukrainians from their homes, and Russia remains on course to host the 2018 World Cup.
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Toronto FC fails to make playoffs — again (Oct. 18)
History will record that Toronto FC was eliminated from playoff contention on Oct. 18 following a 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact on the penultimate week of the MLS season. The reality was the Reds were out of it following a disastrous summer under Ryan Nelsen, falling apart after the World Cup break. TFC collected just two wins and earned a measly eight points (out of a possible 27) after Greg Vanney replaced Nelsen as coach. Sure, TFC set club records this season for wins (11) and points (40). But after they way they spent in the off-season and shoved the “Bloody Big Deal” campaign down our throats, it was playoffs or bust.
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Thierry Henry calls it quits (Dec. 16)
Thierry Henry had enough. During a 20-year career that began when he was just 17, the Frenchman did it all — wining a World Cup, a European Championship, league championships and a Champions League. Oh, and he scored goals. Lots of them — 226 in total for Arsenal. At 37, he had nothing left to prove. He had already given spectators so much. His retirement wasn’t unexpected, but it did bring an end to the career of one of the greatest goal-scorers in the modern era. And here are some of best moments at Arsenal.
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