The TeamRank National Championship season is well under way, and as teams across the country continue piling up the points, some interesting stories are emerging.

 

The Atlanta Fire U16 Girls is a good example. Coach Mirza Mustafic’s squad is off to an excellent 8-1-0 start in the top flight of ECNL, including a 22-4 goal difference. Additionally, the team went undefeated at the recent Fall Showcase in the Phoenix area.

 

It’s that league standing that has the team ranked #1 in the South Atlantic region and in the top 10 nationally.

 

The TeamRank National Championship is a one-of-a-kind club team points ranking system. Rather than being a rolling, never-ending ranking, TeamRank features a season-long competition from August to July, incorporating league, championship and tournament results, for more than 10,000 club teams nationwide. Regional and national champions are crowned at the end of July and then the next season’s competition begins. Standings, including the points derived from ongoing league results, are updated monthly, region-by-region.

 

 

Mustafic noted that this Atlanta Fire team benefits from the bulk of its playing roster having been together for some time.

 

“Of course it starts with there being good players on this team,” he said. “They’ve been very successful from early on. They were coached before by Denny Jenkins and were very successful. It’s a very competitive group. They don’t like to lose and always strive to be a top team. A lot of the players have been together for a long time, so from a chemistry standpoint, you can’t beat it.”

 Mustafic said the new format of ECNL, which now includes regional division play along with the more nationally-oriented showcase, suits his team well.

 

“At U13 and U14 this team competed in the GYSA state league in the highest division. From there they qualified to play in the Region III Premier League. The landscape has changed a bit now with ECNL, but the main difference is just with the opponents,” he said.  “The schedule is about the same, but the competition is a lot better. We get more home games now which is a bonus, but this is a good format for player development so we’re pleased.”

 

Center midfielder Maddie Burdick said the team is encouraged by its strong start to the season, particularly as it can help it get a good seed for the season-ending event of the ECNL campaign. She said the group’s personality is equally serious and fun-loving.

 

“We’ve set some goals and as a group we really want to do well,” she said. “We move the ball well and play as a team. We’re not a bunch of superstars but we’re a family and most of us have been together since we were U9 or U10.

 

“So for the most part we are serious but we can be pretty crazy. There are some very outgoing, funny girls on the team and some of us go to the same school. We definitely have a lot of fun at this.”

 

Mustafic and Burdick both added that the team can adapt its playing style depending on the opponent and match situation.

 

“We have technical players and athletic players and can switch it up between playing possession and being more direct,” Mustafic said. “We work on both in training.”

 

“At times we are possession but we are good at going forward to,” Burdick said. “We like to go for it.”

 

As the season continues, keep an eye on this U16 team from Atlanta. You can track their progress in the ECNL and any other competition in our TeamRank section, the current results of which can be seen here.

 

The complete Atlanta Fire United playing rosters is as follows:

Maddie Burdick, Meredith Carson, Grace Damaska, Caitlyn Dawkins, Delaney Fechalos, Mary Fitzpatrick, Fiorella Gamarra, Caroline Gualdoni, Paige Hoover, Emily Kuelbs, Bria Mosley, Meghan O'Loughlin, Lauren Pinion, Jordan Salvador, Peyton Sedgwick, Jessica Sexton

Coach: Mirza Mustafic;  Manager: Tim Fechalos