Things are looking promising in 2012, with the start of World Cup qualifying for the men and the 2012 Olympics for both men and women's sides.

But before we ring in the new year, here are the 10 most memorable moments of 2011 for both the men's and women's national teams.

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It was Donovan who set up some of the biggest goals in American history, and of course Donovan who scored the winning goal against Algeria back in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup.

In 2011, Donovan started off the year looking to continue to play an important role for the national team and looking to help the Americans win their first Gold Cup since 2007.

However, Donovan found himself benched while playing on the national team for the first time since June of 2007 in the Yanks' quarterfinal clash with Jamaica.

In the second half, Donovan did come in as a substitute and helped the offensive play increase in what was a 2-0 win.

Against Panama in the semifinal, Donovan once again started on the bench and came in to help set up a winning goal in the second half.

Donovan scored his only goal of 2011 for the national team in the Yanks' 4-2 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

Under Jurgen Klinsmann, Donovan went on to miss every match after the Americans' friendly with Costa Rica. However, the last two of those were due to the MLS Cup final (which Donovan and his Los Angeles Galaxy side won) and an injury to his right quadriceps cost him matches against Honduras and Ecuador.

However, going into 2012, it will be interesting to see what sort of a role that Donovan will play for the American national team.

Donovan starts off next year by playing for two months in the Premier League for Everton, similar to what he did two years ago for the Merseyside club.

However, playing in England right before playing for the Galaxy and the U.S national team's World Cup qualifiers will certainly put a strain on Donovan.

Already Donovan has started to tire with the Galaxy; he was substituted off of four MLS matches last season, the same total as over the past three seasons.

Considering how difficult it can be in the Premier League (even though he did succeed there two years ago), it should be expected that Donovan's stats and appearances will probably go down.

This is not to say that this is the start of a downward spiral for the American; instead, his stats should increase in 2013 assuming he does not go out on loan to Europe again.

Considering how weak the opposition will be for the Americans in the first round of CONCACAF qualifying (Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Guatemala) and Klinsmann's large amount of young players that are coming through the ranks, Donovan should expect a smaller role in 2012.

Even if Donovan is coming off the bench, he is bringing with him a strong presence. He is one of the top players in CONCACAF and will bring with him a strong offensive flair.

Of course, that would be a huge swing in momentum if Donovan were to be the first man off the bench. If the U.S. is ever down (which they should not be, at least against these opponents), they have a man who can score the big goal and has the creativity to take them far.

If Donovan continues to start (which is what most people are thinking), he will continue to destroy these opponents and will persist these opponents just like he has always done.

Just don't be surprised if Donovan finds himself getting substituted more often. With many young players in their ranks (including a returning Stuart Holden), Klinsmann could replace Donovan in these matches in order to allow him to keep up his fitness.

With Donovan being 32 years old once the 2014 World Cup begins, this could turn out to be the start of a strategy for the national team in Brazil three years from now.

Who knows. Maybe if it's used, it could be a strong and positive strategy for the Americans.

Follow me on Twitter @Andrew_Jordan

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Those important players will forever be synonymous with the squad that they were a part of, for better or for worse.

Here are the 11 most important American internationals from 2011.

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Think Zinedine Zidane with the French National Team, Claude Makelele with Real Madrid, Xavi with Barcelona or Maradona with Argentina. Although usually a goalscorer or playmaker, this player is sometimes a defender, a holding midfielder or even a goalkeeper.

Over the past few years, the talisman for the United States Men’s National Team has been Landon Donovan. When the chips were down and the team needed someone to step up and win the game, Donovan has been there.

But, at 29, Donovan is entering what will most likely be his last World Cup cycle. And with other prospects to fill the void like Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey or Carlos Bocanegra also nearing the end of their international careers, who will be next?

Note: For the sake of argument and looking to the future, anyone north of 25 years of age was excluded from the list, taking Stuart Holden or even outside candidates like Benny Feilhaber or Sasha Kljestan out of the running.

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What should weight more in this case: a technically beautiful goal or a goal that determines the fate of the team? So many variables, so many scenarios. How to make sense of it all? 

Nevertheless, I have taken the task to heart, and put this collection together. Hopefully, this list balances the technical merit each goal deserves with the value it had to the team. 

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Here are his top 10 career moments as a footballer.

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Finally, Klinsmann has changed it up a little bit. Players who fans have been calling for are on this list, and while there are some steadies here—and while this is clearly a lower quality squad—it will be interesting to watch this group take on two very competitive teams.

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The incredible success that Brazil have experienced down the years make it hard to compile a list of the top 10 Brazilian players of all time; there are just so many worthy of recognition.

Partially for that reason, and partially because it is hard to compare something that is incomplete with something that is, only players who have finished their careers and retired from professional football have been considered for this list (hence no Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos or even Rivaldo, however close they may be to retirement).

So, here is my list of the 10 greatest Brazilian legends of all time. I hope you enjoy the list and please feel free to post any opinions, or your own top 10 in the comment section below. With so many to choose from, there are bound to be players I've left out who you'd like to see included, so do remember this is just my opinion!

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But 2012 will be a very busy year for the red, white and blue. With eight matches scheduled already, the USMNT will turn its focus to qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

Let’s look at the upcoming USMNT fixtures and some predictions for 2012.

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While there were some bright spots to 2011, many USMNT fans will be remember the past 12 months as some of the worst we have seen since the 1990 revival.

However, failure is not always a bad thing, and you will see that 2011 should be remembered as more than just some defensive mistakes and off-target shots. Here is the USMNT Year in Review.

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