Sir Alex Ferguson chose a good year to retire, as his Manchester United squad ended up winning their 13th Premier League title -- which also happens to be Ferguson's 13th with the club. The club made good use of striker Robin van Persie's league-leading 25 goals, but he wasn't the only one to excel this year. Despite a controversial season, Luis Suarez was a force for Liverpool, and Gareth Bale came into his own at Tottenham Hotspur. Juan Mata's vision led to bunches of Chelsea goals, while Everton's Leighton Baines might have been the league's best defender. Regardless, the league's power structure seems to be oriented toward Manchester United once again.

Who was the player of the season in the Premier League?

•  
  32%
  Luis Suarez
•  
  14%
  Juan Mata
•  
  28%
  Gareth Bale
•  
  2%
  Leighton Baines
•  
  24%
  Robin van Persie

(Total votes: 6,904)

Who do Manchester United have to thank most for their title?

•  
  38%
  Sir Alex Ferguson's winning DNA
•  
  34%
  Robin van Persie's goals
•  
  28%
  Their rivals' weaknesses

(Total votes: 5,457)

Will Luis Suarez still be a Liverpool player next season?

•  
  64%
  Yes
•  
  36%
  No

(Total votes: 5,505)

Who was the best manager this past season?

•  
  62%
  Sir Alex Ferguson
•  
  15%
  Andre Villas-Boas
•  
  6%
  Arsene Wenger
•  
  1%
  Roberto Mancini
•  
  16%
  Rafa Benitez

(Total votes: 5,360)

Only four teams remain as the battle to be crowned winner of the UEFA Champions League continues on. It will be the best of Spain taking on the best of Germany, as Bayern drew a matchup with Barcelona, while the other half of the bracket pins Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund. Which team will play its way to a league title?

• zephyr26kagawa: "Dortmund to win would be brilliant for football. Great club, brilliant youth policy, brilliant stadium with passionate fans. Go Borussia!"
• Footballing-GOD: "Even without a single English team, the UCL fixture list looks yummy. Hope we don't talk about the referees in these 3 games "
• H120574: "That's the perfect semi-final stage and the best four teams from the best two leagues in Europe & the big boys are there to entertain the world"
• Messi Plus Ronaldo equals Le Tissier: "I HATE BARCA ... But if they win the Champions League this time -- Because of the road they have taken, it will be truly deserved. And i would classify them as the best team ever -- INDEED."
• MadridStyle: "The best draw. Bayern v Barca will be awesome to watch as a neutral."
• Bhushan511: "All the 4 teams are looking great and competent; it is surely going down to the tactics the Managers use! And I bet there is nobody better than Mr. Jose! I am sure he would be lifting UCL while Chelsea picks the cup!"

Team USA might have benefited from the snow in their win against Costa Rica, but unless there's a blizzard coming that everyone missed, they won't have that luxury in Mexico. Tonight's World Cup qualifier in Estadio Azteca is a daunting one for Team USA, which is 0-5-1 in qualifiers when visiting Mexico. Can the U.S. pull off a win this time?

• TeamUSAfan75: "Why dont we have our own Azteca?? A place that our opponents fear and are truly scared to play at. Any stadium in US (beside denver) that fits those purposes?"
• Davidisyourdaddy: "American fans, don't get your hopes up... Another loss. Guaranteed"
• boofyusa: "I really hope the US can escape with a point, or at least a non-humiliating loss. Everyone seems to be talking up the little hiccups that Mexico has suffered the last 2 games (and also the completely meaningless--at least in this context--friendly win we had there last year) and how that will likely translate to a US result. I believe the exact opposite, especially since it's the biggest rivalry for the two teams. "
• swat330199: "I expect 2-1 for Mexico but wish for a 1-1 draw."
• hpr641: "For the US, a win would be incredible, a draw would be just fine, and even a loss would leave them in OK shape (especially since they'll have 4 home games vs. 3 away games left). For Mexico, a loss (even a draw, but to a lesser extent) would leave A LOT of worries and with no more games to play for over 2 months. With a win, they'd have 5 pts. through 3 games and find themselves right on course for a top-3 finish. "
• Capitalp1982: "3 points would silence all the critics. 1 point would still be a big win! Going to be hard, but this is the type of stakes we will face at the WC next summer. Win lose or draw hopefully we perform well."

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It's still early in World Cup qualifying, but Team USA can't be feeling good about its 2-1 loss to Honduras on Wednesday. An early goal from Clint Dempsey seemed to have the U.S. on track, but Honduras responded quickly with a stunning bicycle kick score and then went ahead in the second half after Tim Howard failed to corral an errant shot. Jurgen Klinsmann was highly critical of his squad after the game. Can the U.S. turn it around in time to secure a spot in the 2014 competition?

How worried should U.S. men's soccer fans be about the team's 2-1 loss to Honduras in a World Cup qualifying match?

•  
  47%
  Very worried
•  
  41%
  A little worried
•  
  12%
  Not worried

(Total votes: 55,001)

What grade would you give Jurgen Klinsmann so far as Team USA men's soccer coach?

•  
  3%
  A
•  
  19%
  B
•  
  42%
  C
•  
  18%
  D
•  
  18%
  F

(Total votes: 64,498)

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard is in a lot of trouble for his reaction to a Swansea ball boy's shenanigans during Wednesday's League Cup semifinal. With Chelsea trailing 2-0 in the second-leg match and time ticking away, Hazard attempted to boot the ball out from underneath 17-year-old ball boy Charlie Morgan, who had leapt on it instead of returning it -- and apparently kicked Morgan in the process. The English FA says a standard three-game suspension for Hazard is "clearly insufficient" and plans a tougher penalty. But some have expressed sympathy for Hazard given Morgan's game-delaying tactics. Does Hazard deserve a harsh penalty for his actions?

• dblu2: "Someone give me justification for kicking someone on a soccer field. Any justification. I dare you. I don't care about the circumstance. There is NO justification for Hazard's actions."
• DoinItRightLV: "HThe ball boy delayed the game on purpose.. kicking him is not the right thing to do but it looked like he was trying to poke the ball out, not hurt the kid. The post-kick acting was just another stall tactic."
• pelicanhill70: "3 games is more than enough. The FA is just bowing to public pressure. The ball 'Boy' is more a young man who was wasting time on purpose. He shouldn't have kicked him but he barely touched the idiot."
• gosc1: "Hazard tried to kick the ball but give me a break..The ball boy was planning on wasting time and played up the injury..The dude was fine...talk about overreacting--The FA should ban itself for 3 games."
• alax89: "From the second angle, the guy clearly tried to kick the ball out from under the kid. He didn't intentionally kick the kid. Toss the ball boy for being a clown and messing around with the game."
• NV99-LBSU03: "While there is no reason whatsoever for a soccer player to kick a ball boy, regardless of the ball boy's actions, I think the FA should also fine Swansea for what is basically "unsportsmanlike conduct". Hazard deservedly received the red, and will also acquire a lengthy suspension on top of it, but for the ball boy to get away scot-free will only encourage other teams to have their non-player staff engage in time-wasting."

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