The TeamRank Top 25 presented by Barca Academy, the comprehensive ranking system for elite club soccer teams nationwide, begins updates for the 2017/2018 season with the U16, U17, and U18 boys club soccer teams. We will update our National Top 25 for each age group at least once per month.

For consistency sake, Development Academy teams in the U18/U19 age group are ranked in the U18 age group for the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25. The Academy teams in the U16/U17 age group are ranked in the U16 age group for TeamRank. 

Early Returns 

FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, and Portland Timbers hold onto to the top three spots in the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25. LA Galaxy and FC Dallas are perennial favorites in the Development Academy. Timbers have recruited a very strong team for the U18/U19 age group for this season. Akil Watts looks like he could be a player to watch in the Academy this season. 

This is the first ranking of the season for the TeamRank Top 25 with much of the rankings dependent upon the rosters while some teams still have not played their first games of the season. The TeamRank will be updated once a month for the rest of the season. 

Click here to view the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25 for the U18 boys. 

Fast Start

Tampa Bay Premier looks to be the team to beat in the U17 age group. The Florida side is fresh off a National Championship and started ECNL play with a 4-0-1 record for their first five games. The rest of the teams in this age group will be playing catch-up. 

Baltimore Celtic, San Jose Earthquakes PDA, West Coast FC Armour look like some of the other teams that could be among the best in the nation in the U17 age group. 

Click here to view the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25 for U17 boys. 

Defending the Crown

Defending champions Atlanta United take hold of the top spot in the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25 for the U16 age group. While the Atlanta United roster will look considerably different in 2017/2018, the club is built for long-term success and should contend for the title again this season. 

FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, and Real Salt Lake look like the other teams to watch early on in the U16/U17 age group of the Development Academy. They each hold a spot in the top five of the Barca Academy TeamRank Top Five for the U16 age group. 

Click here to view the Barca Academy TeamRank Top 25 for U16 boys.

 

Barca Academy 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.