10. Fullerton Rangers go back-to-back

Lots of talent comes through the California pipeline – as you’ll see more and more on this list – but one team that really did a lot to stand out was the Fullerton Rangers U15s. After winning at Dallas Cup and capturing the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship in 2011, the Rangers pulled off both of those achievements against in 2012. Not too shabby.

9. California club goes viral

For all the bluster and talk about how far behind American youth soccer is, some clubs get it right.

And while this is a very small sample size, Barcelona USA, a club from Southern California that does its best to emulate the Catalan powerhouse, is doing something right. A U11 Cup semifinal highlight video recently hit 1 million views on YouTube, getting notice from numerous overseas outlets, including prominent media outlets in Spain and England.

8. CASL U17s nip Hawks to win ECNL crown

Pressure on the biggest stages tends to always bring out the best in players, and at this year’s ECNL National Finals, the quality on display was significant. Two top clubs, Michigan Hawks and CASL Chelsea Ladies tussled for the U17 Championship this past summer, putting on a show that ultimately went to penalties after a 1-1 draw. North Carolina club CASL did just enough to edge things in PKs to secure the crown.

7. U17 MNT midfielder Junior Flores signs with Borussia Dortmund

He’s a long way from the Bundesliga, but U.S. U17 MNT midfielder Junior Flores made waves in American soccer circles by signing with the reigning

German champions Borussia Dortmund on a pre-contract deal (he’ll join the club in the spring of 2014 on his 18th birthday).

There’s plenty of time between then and now, and for the time being Flores is focused on 2013 and helping the U17 MNT qualify for the World Cup. Nonetheless, the news still made quite a splash.

6. Dream run for Southern California club at Barcelona tournament

It’s safe to say that American club teams don’t get a lot of respect at international tournaments, and that was especially the case at the youth tournament MIC, held in Barcelona, Spain this year. An All-Star team of kids from FC Golden State and Strikers FC navigated their way to a semifinal finish after catching a lot of their international opponents by surprise.

5. Ema Boateng wins Gatorade National Player of the Year

As the landscape of youth and club soccer continues to slowly but surely shift in the United States, Ema Boateng reminded everyone that talent comes in all shapes, sizes, and most importantly, in places outside the Development Academy. Boateng was named the Gatorade Player of the Year, despite not competing in the Academy until after finishing a banner year of high school soccer. The Ghanaian immigrant enjoyed a standout freshman season at UC Santa Barbara in the fall to cap everything off.

4. FC Dallas U18s secure Dev. Academy Championship

It’s still early to discuss all-time greats in the Academy setup, but the FC Dallas U18 group that lifted the 2012 title is surely going down as one of the best club teams the league has seen.

Featuring numerous players who now Division 1 standouts, FCD strolled through the Academy Playoffs to earn a Finals Week spot, where they did just enough to capture the U18 crown in a wild 3-2 game against Vancouver Whitecaps.

3. CONCACAF domination for U17 WNT

When it came to the U17 WNT against CONCACAF, it was far from a fair fight.

The youth women’s setup ran away with the regional title, outscoring its five opponents 26-0, capping it off with a narrow 1-0 win over Canada to become CONCACAF championship.

Sadly, the team couldn’t escape a difficult group stage at the World Cup, as North Korea and France progressed on goal differential, despite the U17s drawing with both of those teams in group stage and not losing a single game in Azerbaijan.

2. Richie Williams takes head coaching job with U17 MNT

The former MLS star took over as head coach for the U.S. U17s in January after Wilmer Cabrera left his post, and is in the process of preparing for the 2013 World Cup qualification period. He guided the U.S. to a 10-6-5 record in competitive and friendly matches against international competition in 2012.

1. U20 WNT snatches World Cup triumph

While college stars heavily comprised to roster of the U20 WNT, it doesn’t diminish the significance of the triumph for the U20s in Japan, emerging as World Cup champions thanks to a 1-0 victory against Germany. The title came after a sputtering start to the competition, but head coach Ron Swanson and the rest of the group really turned things around quickly.