Today we unveil our latest update to TeamRank, the comprehensive ranking system for elite club soccer teams nationwide. Today we release the initial standings for U16, U17 and U18 Girls. Next week, we will update the older age groups on the Boys side. We will update our National Top 50 of each age group at least once per month.

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Sting has something to prove at U16

Dallas Sting didn’t want anyone to think they were going to rest on their laurels after last season’s runner up finish at ECNL National Finals. They gave the ECNL something to talk about in their opener last Sunday, beating FC Dallas 8-0, and start our rankings for 2012-13 in the top spot. #2 Colorado Rush isn’t going away, however, and plan a repeat performance from last summer. With the addition of midfielder Alexius Hill to an already power-packed squad, opponents better beware.

GSA Phoenix Red debuts the season in our #3 spot. Last season’s ECNL League A winner is off to a great start having scored 10 goals in its first two matches. #4 PDA has yet to begin its 2012-13 campaign, so we’ll have to wait to see if they can follow up last season’s semifinal run at the ECNL National Finals.  West Coast FC rounds out our top five following an impressive Surf Cup championship crown and looks to be the dominant force in the ECNL in Southern California.

 

New Season, new stars at U17

After winning their conference, the ECNL Flight A, and ending 2011-12 with an ECNL National Champion crown, the Slammers had a really rough go of it in pre-season tournament play this summer. Chalk it up to tournament fatigue, but the Slammers entered Surf Cup with all of the aforementioned accolades, and exited before the knock-out rounds. We still have Slammers at #4, however, and hope regular season play is a little more kind to the defending champions.

Our new #1 is Sporting Blue Valley. The name may have changed, but the record remains the same.  Last year’s KCFC lost to Slammers 2-1 in the national semifinals after having gone undefeated in conference play, ending the season ranked second. So, one could assume that with the combining of two ECNL club rosters after the merger of KCFC and Blue Valley Soccer Club, the individual teams would only get stronger. We’ll see if that theory holds up when play begins September 15.

Coming in at second and third respectively are Dallas Sting and PDA.  Sting tied their opening match against FC Dallas, while PDA’s regular season won’t start until March of 2013. Finishing off the top five is ECNL newcomer MVLA Lightning. Last season’s US Youth Soccer Region IV winner has a history of knocking off ECNL sides, so it’s only fitting that this team will now get to play them on a regular basis. MVLA Director of Coaching Albertin Montoya has a full plate this fall coaching the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team through the U17 World Cup in Azerbaijan as well as making sure his club's transition to ECNL play is a smooth one back at home.

CASL Cruising at U18

#1 CASL Chelsea Ladies seem to have continued their winning ways and started the season with a 5-0 beat-down of Atlanta Fire United. With that kind of opening night, there isn’t any reason to believe that CASL shouldn’t remain on top of our rankings, at least until someone proves us (or them) wrong.

Eclipse Select at #3, and Dallas Sting at #5, likewise, began the season with convincing wins over Vardar and FC Dallas, respectively. Both teams are starting the new season right where they left off in June.  #2 Michigan Hawks, last year’s runners up, begin ECNL play on Saturday, September 15 and we’ll see if they can remain worthy of our second spot.

Last but not the least to mention is our lone non-ECNL entry in the top five.  VSA Heat Blue comes in at #4 to begin the 2012-2013 season following their commanding 6-0 win in the finals of the US Youth Soccer National Championships last July.  VSA are entrants in the US Youth Soccer National League, which doesn’t begin competition until late November, so instead they will be spending the fall season with the Virginia Youth Soccer State Cup which opens play September 15.

Next Thursday: U16, U17, and U18 Boys

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.