Today we unveil our latest update to Grande Sports Academy TeamRank, the comprehensive ranking system for elite club soccer teams nationwide, and we release the latest standings for U16, U17 and U18 Girls. Next week, we will update the younger age groups on the Boys side. We will update our National Top 25 of each age group at least once per month.

(scroll down for system details)

The top stays on top at U16

Seven of the teams in the top 10 have begun league play, and all seven secured either victories or draws in opening matches, but San Diego Surf’s opening 3-3 draw against a struggling So Cal Blues squad raises some defensive questions for last season’s ECNL national champion. Among the others, West Coast FC has started the season strong at 5-0 moving them from No. 4 to No. 3, and No. 5 Michigan Hawks has already had some major production from forward Alexxis Lipsey, who has scored five of her squad’s nine goals in five matches played.

Newly formed Richmond United has had a good start to the season, earning a draw against No. 7 FC Virginia and a sound defeat of northern Virginia’s McLean Youth Soccer, which moves them into the 25^th spot. Former Richmond Kicker and TDS Raleigh Combine alum Morgan Hall scored in both matches.

Sting, Concorde climb at U17

This year’s Dallas Sting U17s are attempting to duplicate the fate of the U17s from the previous year, and if the first four matches are any indication, that feat might be possible. Sting is 4-0, with four shutouts thanks to the superior goalkeeper combination of Texas(s) recruit Nicole Curry and Oklahoma State recruit Dani Greenlee. The good start to the season bumps their ranking from No. 6 to No. 2.

Concorde Fire ECNL is receiving a lift from the addition of U.S. Youth National Team forward Reagan Glisson to the roster for the 2014-15 season. Glisson, a former member of Tophat SC, was the leading scorer in the U15 division of the USYS National League last season, and is already making a mark in the ECNL with four goals in four matches, helping Concorde to a 3-0-1 record and a No. 8 ranking in the Grande Sports Academy TeamRank Top 25.

More: ECNL Scoreboard | IMG Academy 150 Rankings

Southwest heating up at U18

In a conference normally dominated by teams from California, Arizona club SC Del Sol has made a statement early in the season, entering the Grande Sports Academy TeamRank Top 25 at No. 24. The team from Phoenix traveled to the So Cal and handed former No. 2 West Coast FC a resounding 4-1 defeat, and has an overall record of 4-0-1 at this early point in the season. The midfielder/forward trio of Oklahoma recruits Kyle Marie Escobedo and Emily Parker and Tennessee recruit Nicole Seaman, have benefitted from the addition of former foe and Arizona State recruit Natalie Stephens, who transferred from Sereno SC. The four have combined for all but one of the team’s goals so far.

Next Thursday: U13, U14, and U15 Boys

Grande Sports 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.

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