The Grande Sports TeamRank Top 25, the comprehensive ranking system for elite club soccer teams nationwide, continues April updates this week with the U16, U17, and U18 girls teams. We will update our National Top 25 for each age group at least once per month.

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Desert Dominance

McLean Youth Soccer’s dominant display helped the Virginia club jump up to No. 2 in the TeamRank Top 25 for the Girls U16 club soccer team ranking. McLean won all three of their games at the ECNL National Event in Phoenix last weekend. McLean finished the event with 14 goals scored and 0 goals conceded. McLean only trails So Cal Blues in the TeamRank and the ECNL Champions League standings. Blues also went 3-0 in Phoenix and improved to 19-0 on the season. The Southwest leader also scored 14 goals in Arizona and conceded 0. 

FC Stars of Massachusetts also used a 3-0 weekend in Arizona to jump up the TeamRank Top 25 in this age group. FC Stars defeated San Diego Surf, Slammers FC, and West Coast FC while in Arizona. The Stars are now fourth in the ECNL Champions League standings. 

Outside of the top five, there were a number of other teams that did well in Arizona including Boston Breakers Academy, Real So Cal, and De Anza Force, which helped the placement of each in the TeamRank April update. 

No Clear Front Runner 

Compared to the U16 age group, there are no clear favorites in the U17 age group. Real Colorado is the top team on paper, but the availability of star player Sophia Smith might be in question for the future given her role with the U.S. National Team. 

The absence has opened the door for challengers in the ECNL, but no team looks eager for the task at this point. Slammers moves into the No. 2 spot in the TeamRank Top 25 after a strong showing in Phoenix last weekend at the ECNL National Event. PDA, FC Stars of Massachusetts, and Crossfire Premier also look like other teams to watch this spring. 

The Last Ones Left 

The U18 age group has been a difficult one to predict in the ECNL in the past. There have been a number of upsets in the playoffs as defensively sound teams typically have the best chance of winning the national championship. Michigan Hawks, the top team in the TeamRank Top 25, fits that bill. The well-coached squad is the favorite heading into the final months of the season. 

San Juan Soccer Club and Best Breakers Academy both made moves inside of the TeamRank Top 25 for the April update. The two clubs look to be int he ECNL playoff picture at this point in the season. 

Grande Sports TeamRank is the comprehensive team-ranking system devised by TopDrawerSoccer.com to provide an objective and common-sense approach to determining which elite youth soccer teams are the best in the nation.

The rankings, updated monthly, are primarily results-based, with a nod toward the league and championship competitions that emulate how excellence is determined in leading soccer nations around the world.

Tournaments are also included but at a reduced value due to the many mitigating factors involving such events, including attrition and guest players.

A final layer of executive evaluation is provided to account for variables that often impact results, thus ensuring that the monthly lists are not subjective, but are not purely mechanical.

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