10.) December 19th – Brazil 2, Canada 2/Torneio Internacional Cidade de Sao Paolo Final

Granted, it’s recent history but this match was too entertaining to resist. A bullet header, a nasty injury, a red card, an amazing comeback (or two), all topped off with two world-class goals.

And thanks to reader Christopher who shared this link of Sinclair’s goal from a different angle. The curve on that ball is just unnatural.

9.) August 1st – Germany 2, Nigeria 0/2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Final

The last game of the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was noteworthy because it featured the first ever African side to reach the Final. After Alexandra Popp’s lovely effort, Nigeria made things uncomfortable for a Germany team that had previously been unmatched throughout the competition. Kim Kulig’s late header killed the game off, but Nigeria’s valiant effort shouldn’t be forgotten.

8.) September 16th – Denmark 2, Sweden 2/Second leg of UEFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying playoff

Denmark entered the second leg of the UEFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying playoff against Sweden down 2-1 on aggregate. The team scored two first half goals that thrilled the home crowd. If the score stood, Denmark would be through to the World Cup while Sweden would be knocked out of qualification for the first time ever. With this in mind, Charlotte Rohlin scored a momentous brace with seconds to spare in stoppage time. The terrific comeback put Sweden ahead on aggregate and left Denmark wondering what the hell had just happened.

7.) September 25th – South Korea 3, Japan 3 (Penalties: South Korea 5, Japan 4)/2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Final

Entertainment is pretty much guaranteed in a 3-3 draw, particularly ones that have to be decided in penalty kicks. Given how attack-minded and exciting these two sides were, perhaps FIFA should have just allowed the game to conclude at 3-3 before staging the second leg of the Final the next day. It probably would have ended 9-8 on aggregate.

6.) December 5th – Notre Dame 1, Stanford 0/2010 NCAA College Cup Final

Notre Dame proved to be the ultimate tournament team of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The team applied all the momentum it had acquired through the previous rounds to rob Stanford of its game plan and leave a vaunted Cardinal team searching for answers. Notre Dame proved a team could play smart, methodical soccer against an attack-minded side without cynicism.

5.) November 20th – Italy 0, USWNT 1/Leg of CONCACAF/UEFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier

Spoiler alert: the United States win. But they nearly didn’t and possibly shouldn’t have. Alex Morgan played the hero in a match in desperate need of one.

4.) May 20th – Lyon 0, Turbine Potsdam 0 (Penalties: Lyon 6, Turbine Potsdam 7)/2010 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final

The two best teams in Europe had to be separated by mere penalty kicks. Turbine Potsdam’s teenage goalkeeper was called upon yet again (she did the same thing in the Semifinal match against Duisburg) and she did not disappoint.

3.) May 3rd – Arsenal 2, Everton 3/2010 FA Women’s Cup Final

This match had everything: quality (Exhibit A: Natasha Dowie’s game-winner. Exhibit B: Julie Fleeting’s effort), suspense (3-2 in stoppage time!) and significance (not only was it Everton’s first FA Cup win, it was also a massive upset over the mighty Arsenal). P.S. wasn’t it nice how the stewards let Dowie and co. celebrate in the stands? They looked just as stunned as the Everton players.

2.) September 26th - FC Gold Pride 4, Philadelphia Independence 0/2010 WPS Championship

Nobody knew it at the time, but the 2010 WPS Championship would end up being the final act for the supposed best women’s club team ever before the curtain closed. FC Gold Pride had saved the best for last as the team played the upstart Independence off the park.

1.) November 6th - Mexico 2, United States 1/CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying Semifinals

This match won’t invoke any happy memories from USWNT fans but it’s as impossible to ignore as it is to forget. After Maribel Dominguez skinned the USWNT back line in the opening stanza, the team was forced to play on the back-foot throughout the entire match. Despite Carli Lloyd’s scrappy goal, the USWNT could never offer the quality required to beat a resolute Mexico team. As the World Cup approaches, this is the match that could define Pia Sundhage’s reign as USWNT head coach. But let’s hope not.

Honorable Mentions:

May 22nd – United States 4, Germany 0/International Friendly (Who remembers the little tussle between Grings and Kriegs near the end?)

May 30th – Australia 1, North Korea 1 (Penalties: Australia 5, North Korea 4)/2010 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Final

September 16th – Switzerland 2, England 3 (Aggregate: England 5-2)/Second leg of UEFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Playoff

September 23rd – Boston Breakers 1, Philadelphia 2 AET/2010 WPS Super Semifinal

November 11th – Arsenal 4, Rayo 1 (Aggregate: Arsenal 4-3)/2010-2011 UEFA Women’s Champions League Round of 16

And so concludes the final post of 2010. Hope everyone enjoys the last moments of 2010, if you haven’t done so already. See you in 2011.

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• 2010: the Year in Review