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.

Begin Slideshow

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

Read more International Football news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Begin Slideshow

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.

Begin Slideshow

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. 

Begin Slideshow

However, the question remains of how he will perform in 2012. Of those players who won three Grand Slams in a year, neither Jimmy Connors nor Mats Wilander won a Grand Slam the following year; while Nadal was only able to muster a single Slam. Indeed, Wilander would never even reach a Grand Slam final again.

Before this year, Djokovic was entrenched at No. 3 in the world with a single Grand Slam title to his name. The real springboard for him was leading Serbia to victory in the Davis Cup in late 2010.

Circumstances certainly helped him in the first Grand Slam of the year. The injury problems that plagued the 2009 champion, Rafa Nadal, ruled out one challenger, while he would certainly have been happier playing Andy Murray in the final than Roger Federer. However, we can take nothing away from the Serb, who was a worthy champion.

From this point, his confidence was sky-high and, for a long spell, he was unbeatable. The problems came once injuries and fatigue began to take their toll, and it remains to be seen whether he will come back at the incredibly high level that he found for much of 2011.

The later part of the season saw a few disturbing problems returning for the Serb. The shots that he had worked hard to improve during the year began to show some of their previous inconsistency. The serve in particular, which had improved measurably during 2011, began to show major signs of weakness, particularly in London.

Nadal will have spent the winter studying and planning how to defeat Djokovic as well. Boosted by a stunning Davis Cup win, just as Djokovic was at the end of 2010, Nadal will be back better than ever in 2012.

Despite claims of a disappointing season, Nadal reached three Grand Slam finals, five Masters finals—winning one—and picked up one additional title in Barcelona. Six of his seven losing finals came at the hands of the Serb, and by the end of the year, you got the impression that Nadal felt he could not touch Djokovic.

One month off, you suspect Nadal will come back with renewed confidence and desire. Roger Federer also hinted in the latter part of the year that he was still a contender. The first player to beat Djokovic this season in Roland Garros, he should also have beaten him at the U.S. Open, when he had two match points on his serve for a place in the final.

However, following that disappointment, Federer did not lose again in 2011, racking up 17 straight victories, dropping only six sets, as his rivals faded. His run has raised suspicions that those writing him off could be premature, and he goes into the Australian Open as a real contender for the title.

The one major question mark over Federer is his desire and motivation for the game. He has already said that his major goal for 2012 is an Olympic gold medal, the one accolade that is missing from his record-breaking career. However, on his day, he is still capable of beating any player, including an on-form Djokovic.

Andy Murray remains a mystery. He reached the final four of all four Grand Slams, including the final in Australia, but still that first Grand Slam title eludes him. He shows glimpses of the talent that he undoubtedly possesses—his consecutive titles in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai was evidence of that, especially his demolition of Nadal in Japan—but he still struggles to produce on the big occasions.

Djokovic will not have another season as good as this I would predict. Nadal will be back with a vengeance, buoyed by his Davis Cup triumph, and a new game-plan to beat his latest rival. Federer will continue to be a danger on his day—he may not have the consistency that he had a few years ago, but his top level is still enough to beat any player on tour.

Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro will remain a real threat for any top player in any given tournament. Whether they have the consistency to win a slam next year remains to be seen, but they could easily take out one of the big three.

It would be surprising if Djokovic followed in the footsteps of Connors and Wilander and failed to win a slam in 2012—there is no real weakness in his style of play for opponents to exploit as those two experienced. However, it would be just as surprising if he was able to emulate Federer’s 2007 season and repeat his three slams, or come close to Roger’s 81-4 season in 2005 or his 92-5 season in 2006.

He will rightly go into the Australian Open as the favourite with the bookmakers. I would be surprised, though, if he comes out as the winner at the end of the fortnight. However, if he can back up his 2011 with a similar season in 2012, he will move up alongside the likes of Federer as a true long-term dominant champion.

If you enjoyed this, follow @sportdw on Twitter or visit DW on Sport for more articles.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

No one would have foreseen such a successful season for the Serb. Coming into the year, Djokovic had never been ranked No. 1, and had only one major title under his belt—the 2008 Australian Open.

Djokovic came out of the gate on fire.

He began the season with a 41-match winning streak. Djokovic won three of the four major titles—losing only to Federer in the semis of the French Open.

He won 10 titles and totaled over 12 million dollars of prize money. His current record of 70-6 in 2011 speaks for itself. He was practically unbeatable.

Everything came together for the Serb this season.

He was already a polished player coming into the year, he just needed to take that extra step. All facets of his game improved. His serve became more of a weapon.

Djokovic displayed his flawless movement again and again. He put pressure on the server with his pinpoint returns.

Maybe the biggest thing Djokovic did to achieve what he has was get in the best shape of his life. In many matches prior to this season Djokovic would be gasping for breath late in matches. In some matches he was forced to retire.

This season, due to his great play, he was able to finish matches quickly, which helps with fatigue late in tournaments. But with his gluten-free diet, among other things, Djokovic was in great shape. Barring a few minor injuries, Djokovic stayed healthy throughout his impressive season.

Djokovic’s level of play in 2011 was nothing short of remarkable. Unfortunately, since tennis is not one of the most-followed sports in the United States, he probably will not get the credit he deserves.

But why is Djokovic deserving of the title of the best athlete of 2011?

It’s hard to argue against Aaron Rodgers, who led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl Championship. The Packers had not lost a game since December of 2010 before the Chiefs handed the cheeseheads their first loss of the year.

Unlike football and most other sports, tennis is a solo sport.

Of course we are talking about singles, not doubles. You have no one to rely on but yourself on the court. If you are having an off day, no teammate can pick up the slack for you. Everything falls on your shoulders.

Djokovic came through consistently in the big moments in 2011. Djokovic was the guy everyone was after. Instead of being the hunter, he was now the hunted.

Djokovic played through all of the chatter and pressure that comes with an undefeated streak. After finally losing his first match of the year, Djokovic rebounded strongly with a championship at Wimbledon.  

What is most impressive about Djokovic’s play was his consistency.

The tennis season is grueling. It requires a great amount of mental and physical fortitude to deal with the nonstop season. A player must travel all the time, and always be ready to play every day.

In this day and age there are no easy matches on the ATP World Tour. Any player will tell you the competitiveness is at an all-time high. Djokovic had to play a tough opponent every match, and for him to go 70-6 is incredible.

Prior to the 2011 season Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took turns winning the majors every year. Djokovic took a big step forward, and for the first time believed that he could beat the two great champions.

He did just that.

Djokovic solidified himself as the next king of tennis in 2011. Time and time again he beat the best—and for that, Djokovic deserves to be named the best athlete of 2011.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

But the best commentators haven't necessarily been those players. There are those that perceive the game better than others without necessarily being more skilled.

Here are some players we'd love to see commenting in the sport right now.

Begin Slideshow

Undeniably F1 is becoming an ever increasing sport within the UK and its popularity has risen rapidly since the BBC took the reins back in 2009. BBC F1 anchorman himself, Jake Humphrey often reports on twitter how viewing figures for both qualifying and race day have been at record breaking numbers and continue to climb race upon race. With this in mind, it’s no doubt that Sky want in, after all, as well as being for entertainment F1 is of course a multi-billion pound business with ever increasing profitability for a subscription based company such as Sky.

So what can we expect from Sky? Well earlier this month, the global giant announced that it would be launching the first ever dedicated F1 channel in March. Set to be fittingly named “Sky Sports F1” this will be the first time that the sport has had a channel solely dedicated to it. After the launch the channel will not just be broadcasting on a race weekend, it will in-fact broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sky have yet to release any information about exactly what type of content we can expect to “fill the gaps”, but rest assured the company want to do things properly.

The BBC have inadvertently put Sky under great pressure. Think about it, if as a viewer you already get the best quality broadcasting for free, why would you choose to pay extra to get the same quality if not worse? Sky know this, and are aware that the content they produce has to been seen and viewed by us the audience, as being of greater quality to that of the BBC in recent years (a feat that I must say is an extremely challenging task). Sky are notorious for producing all singing and all dancing broadcasts, and this might explain why we are hearing about certain well known faces on our screens making the move from the BBC for next season.

To produce the best programme, the best broadcasting team is required, and I have no doubt that Sky are throwing their metaphoric buckets of cash at certain people to try and twist their arms over to the new dedicated channel. The BBC’s line up remains strong with anchor man Jake Humphrey, ex racer David Couthard and eccentric shirt wearing Eddie Jordan all staying with the BBC. Lee Mckenzie will be staying in the pits but will be without friend Ted Kravitz. Ted will join Martin Brundle who will be heading up the coverage for Sky and is set to continue in his role as commentator along side Radio 5 Live’s David Croft. Anthony Davidson has also made the move from 5 Live and will be commentating on the practise sessions as they happen. Natalie Pinkham will partner Ted Kravitz down on the ground for the new Sky channel and all this will be anchored and co-ordinated by Sky Sport rugby presenter Simon Lazenby .

On paper, Sky’s line up looks undoubtedly strong. All bar Simon Lazenby have had many years experience in motor sport, however what will be interesting to see is if the team will be able to gel together as well as the BBC have done up until now. The BBC F1 coverage is renowned for its “slickness” and the onscreen “banter” between Jake, Eddie, DC, Martin and many of the drivers. Looking at Sky’s line up, I find it hard to imagine the same type of broadcasting being replicated, but I welcome the global giant to prove myself and many others wrong.

It is important to remember that competition is not necessarily a bad thing, up until now UK viewers could only watch coverage of F1 though the BBC, but competition now means that the two firms will have to think of new and innovative ways of attracting viewers to watch their coverage. We are likely to see new and improved broadcasting from both channels. One thing I personally feel that will be integrated a lot more into coverage, is social media. Quite how it will be done I am unsure, but sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow the presenters to connect with their audience, something broadcasters are keen to enhance.

Its safe to say that  2012 will prove an exciting and interesting season both for racing and broadcasting. There are still many questions to be answered but all will be revealed when the two broadcasters go head to head for the first race in Melbourne on the 18th of March. But the question is: Who will cross the chequered flag first?

For future F1 articles follow me on Twitter @Alexpettitt

Read more Formula 1 news on BleacherReport.com

The video of Roddick's performance is embedded above.

After he gets introduced, two things immediately jump out at you.

First, he's wearing one of the ugliest Christmas sweaters of all time—and that's saying something.

Secondly, why is he carrying a drink in his hand? Seems like he should have left that backstage or at least used it as a prop to smash on his forehead.

As for the actual singing, it isn't much better. Give him credit for not forgetting the lyrics, but he won't be winning any Grammys for his performance. It's hard to focus on his rhythm when he's pulling some weird dance moves at the same time.

Of course, just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it does.

Perhaps two of the worst backup dancers of all time later emerge to show off their lack of skills. It isn't so much dancing as it is moving their bodies in the most abnormal ways possible. Maybe they'll just blame it on Roddick's bad singing—that's what I would do.

This is probably one of those times where it probably seemed like an awesome idea to Roddick beforehand, but about halfway through he remembered he'll now be on YouTube forever and it suddenly wasn't so awesome anymore.

Even though his rapping ability isn't so hot, he's still married to model Brooklyn Decker. Roddick must be doing something right.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com