Japan broke the hearts of the US public with a penalty shootout victory to win the Women's World Cup in Germany.

Few would have begrudged Japan the trophy after a tragic year in which 20,000 people died in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March.

In an emotional final Alex Morgan put the USA in front but Japan equalized late on in regulation through Aya Miyama to take the match into extra time.

Abby Wambach thought she had won it for the Americans only for player-of-th-tournament Homare Sawa to score with three minutes to go.

Japan went on to win the penalty shootout 3-1.

Barcelona's case for best ever had been an entirely qualitative one before 2011, but winning their second Champions League title in two years in May, Pep Guadriola's Blaugrana's trophy haul is putting numbers to their case. The three-time defending Spanish champions against defeated Manchester United in Europe's showcase even, outclassing England's champions on their opponents home soil. As 2011 ends, Barcelona's on their way to more silverware, having lost only once in all competitions - competitions which include the Club World Cup, won in December.

Uruguay was the world's first great soccer power, winning the first two World Cups they entered (1930, 1950). Since, Uruguay's power was limited to the continent, a generous description given they'd not won a Copa America since 1995. In 2011, one year after a semifinal appearance at the 2010 World Cup, La Celeste won a record 15th contential title, defeating Paraguay on their rival Argentina's home soil. As 2011 comes to a close, the country of 3 million ranks fourth in FIFA's world rankings.

Lead by new coach Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre, Mexico completed one of the most dominent Gold Cup runs in history, even spotting rival United States two goals in the final before roaring back to a 4-2 win. But consider this a federation award. Although Mexico had its controversies to navigate through 2011, it was a wildly successful year on the field. The U-20 team came in second in Colombia while their U-17s went 7-0-0 to win the Under-17 World Cup.

After relinquishing the league title in 2009-10 to rivals Benfica, Porto used 2010-11 to reassert themselves, going undefeated in league on their way to a league, cup, Europa triple. Their Europa final against Sporting Braga was the last match for coach Andre Villas-Boas and striker Radamel Falcao, but in the face of a renewed push from Benfica this season, the holders still sit undefeated at the top of the Primeira Liga.

For most of 2011, Manchester United sat top of the Premier League, entering the calendar year undefeated in England, winning their record 19th first division title, then starting hot in the 2011-12 before eventually spending much of the fall in second place. In between, the Red Devils made another run to the UEFA Champions League final, their third final in four years.

It's easy to forget the US women didn't actually win this summer's World Cup, given they'd garnered more attention than at any point in the previous 12 years. Though they were ultimately defeated in the Women's World Cup final, their success could be seen in that last match's television ratings, with the game ranking as the sixth-most-watched soccer broadcast in US television history.

Internationally, Santos is known more for Neymar than their results on the field, but coming off winning Brazil's title in 2010, the club proved to be more than a one man show in 2011. Placing the current squad along side the great 1960s teams of Pele, Santos won the Copa Libertadores, defeating Uruguay's five-time champions Penarol for the club's first continental title in 48 years. Though their trip to Japan did not go as planned, Santos' ability to cash in on their 2010 title still made 2011 a year to remember.

The first season of Jose Mourinho in the capital saw Real Madrid take some well-earned silverware (even though they would eventually break the Copa del Rey) and push Barcelona to the limit during four spring Clasicos. Given the distance their Catalan rivals had created in Pep Guardiola's first two years, Real Madrid took a step forward in 2011, to the point that the rivals' first meeting of the 2011-12 Primera season saw Real Madrid favored ahead of the match in the Bernabeu.

By the end of the year, Bruce Arena's team had vaulted themselves into the conversation as best Major League Soccer team of all time. Capped by a 1-0 victory over Houston in November's MLS Cup, LA Galaxy completed a season they lead from near the start, giving David Beckham a fairy tale ending to his five-year stay in Los Angeles.