U16 National Rankings

Defending National Champion Dallas Sting lost to Hurricane FC SHubert (OK) 2-0 yesterday in Region III Premier League West. That was their first loss since losing to Dallas Texans October 24, 2009...including runs through ECNL, Regionals, and National competitions (almost 40 games!). Changing of the guard? Maybe. Hurricane has not been scored upon this year (39GF to 0GA). Pretty impressive win for the girls from OK.

Could it be time to re-assess the U16 National Rankings? I plan to regauge after Final Four Event in early December. Anybody else want to throw their 2-cents in before?

Great information. Hurricanes are a great team.

National League and ECNL, Showcases or playing to win these games? Coaches can't say they are going to do both. In the past, ranking organizations did not look at showcases. You played to showcase the kids.

Please share!

Shame on me...I promised an updated rankings in January and here we are in February...but better late than never...

First...some observations...

Defending National Champions Dallas Sting were tied by a very strong Real Colorado team and a good...but not great Crossfire Premier Team in ECNL. That coupled with Hurricane FC unseating them as Region III Premier League West Champions...surely must remove them from the top spot.

Likewise, CASL & Scorpions both got tripped up by in ECNL competition, which dropped each a few spots.

Legends Breakaway have to win out in their National League bracket to keep Hurricane FC from clinching a trip to Nationals next Summer. Hurricane looks to be as strong as ever...offensively.

Same holds true for SoCal blues needing to win out to keep Dallas Texans from booking a repeat trip to the big dance via the National League.

Eclipse Select (ECNL) is a much stronger team this year than last year.

My first rankings had some major oversights leaving out teams like Real SoCal, who won the CSL, Michigan FC, who won the Midwest Premier League, as well as strong Chantilly Firecats, Concorde Fire and Legends Breakaway teams, who are holding their own in the National League or ECNL.

Likewise, I put a little too much stock in San Juan and Lonestars besting the ECNL Challenge B competitions last year as both are taking their lumps in Challenge A...making them not quite ready for top 25 designation.

Others to drop out are Ohio Premier, Slammers & Challenge, who have all had major injury issues this last year that have hurt their results.

So without further adieu...here is how the top 25 looks now (IMHO).

1. Hurricane 95 Shubert. They have won every game handily in both Premier League and National League. Very strong attack.
2. Real Colorado ECNL. The defending Region IV champs are a big, strong, fast team that is technically and tactically astute!
3. Dallas Sting ECNL. How far did you think they were going to fall? They are still the defending champs and their only loss in last year is to Hurricane.
4. Real SoCal - They showed Arsenal in CSL that they are the new queens of California South!
5. Arsenal ECNL - Still can beat anybody in the land on any given day when they bring it!
6. Eclipse Select ECNL. Without a doubt the most improved team in these rankings from last year.
7. CASL ECNL - J. Boyles and cast are still one of the prettiest brands of soccer that I have seen in this age group.
8. Scorpions ECNL - My assessment that they never lose when they are the favorites was a little premature...but strong they remain.
9. Dallas Texans Red - This future ECNL team is really not one of Hassan's more flashy teams...they just find a way to get Ws...in the National League...no less.
10. Michigan FC 95G - Midwest Premier League Champs bested Eclipse Select and others to point out my glaring omission in the initial rankings.
11. FC Virginia ECNL - Currently in fourth place out of 26 teams in ECNL Challenge A.
12. Mustang FC ECNL - A bit of slow start in ECNL...but U14 National Champs are still a power to be reckoned with!
13. Michigan Hawks ECNL - Strong maiden season in ECNL thus far.
14. Legends Breakaway FC - Finished in third place in strong Coast Soccer League, just behind Arsenal and ahead of SoCal Blues Draluck.
15. VSA Heat Blue 95 - Defending Region 1 Premier League South Champs.
16. San Diego Surf White ECNL - Sometimes this team is a bit of an enigma, but they have talent.
17. SoCal Blues Draluck - This future ECNL team finished a disappointing fourth in the CSL...but that is some stiff competition.
18. GSA Phoenix - Future ECNL team has another Georgia team nipping at their heels for tough state championship.
19. Concorde Fire ECNL- speaking of which...this team is having some surprising results in ECNL Challenge A...beating some fellow members of this top 25.
20. PDA Celtic ECNL - Region 1 stalwart is one of best competitors to mighty Scoprions.
21. JB Marine Whipke - This team came out of nowhere last year to win Region 2. Their results in National League show that they were not a one season fluke.
22. Brandon Flames - Still don't understand how Florida did not get any teams into ECNL with powers like this team.
23. Bethesda Freedom ECNL - Big drop from initial rankings but still believe this team is strong enough to maintain the ranking.
24. Colorado Rush Nike ECNL - See #23 above.
25. KCFC Force ECNL - Maiden season in ECNL has been up and down but wins over

Thoughts?

1. Hurricane FC - remain at the top, unbeaten for a while. Have some of the most dangreous strikers I've ever seen, particularly the girl committed to Oklahoma State. Easily the best offensive team I've seen in this age group
2. Dallas Sting ECNL - knocked off by Hurricane FC, still very very good. Several commitments on this team already, including Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State
3. Eclipse Select ECNL - very improved, starting to play well together. Picked up some solid regional team players. Very good defensive team. They could become very dangerous
4. Arsenal FC ECNL - always a tough out, their best scorer already committed to USC, as well as another forward to Boise State
5. CASL ECNL - very solid team that plays very good soccer, R3PL East winner. I think they have 8+ regional ODP players (and at least one national in their stud midfielder committed to North Carolina)
6. Real Colorado ECNL - the Region IV champion picked up some solid kids from Ft. Collins, remain very tough team
7. Scorpions ECNL - slipped a little bit, have some very dangerous scoring weapons. Offensively, this team is phenomenol. The twins committed to Boston College
8. Michigan Hawks ECNL - very good team, have proven they can beat top opponents. Very dangerous striker up top, already committed to North Carolina. They may move even higher later in the season
9. Mustang ECNL - rough start to the ECNL for Mustang standards. Have some very good national pool players that make them always hard to beat
10. PDA ECNL - always a good team, seem to be playing well at the moment. Picked up some top players from New York and Pennsylvania
11. Ohio Premier ECNL - on the bottom of the ECNL A table (have only played 3 games). Picked up a national pool player from Dayton within the last month. They are very well coached and should be very tough to beat this year
12. San Diego Surf ECNL - proven to be one of the top teams in California, won their College Cup tournament in November which had all the top So Cal teams competing in it
13. So Cal Blues - not nearly as dominant as they used to be. Have one of the best forwards in the nation, as well as a solid supporting cast. One girl has already committed to Duke
14. Dallas Texans - seem to always get the "win", although usually not too convincingly. Nonetheless still a top team with some good players
15. Real So Cal ECNL - won the CSL Premier division in the fall, have started well in the ECNL. Might end up moving up higher
16. GSA Phoenix - second best team from the eastern half of Region III, seem to struggle defensively but have always been a good team. The national team player playing for them while living in Virginia is very good up top
17. Colorado Rush ECNL - in my opinion one of the more underachieving teams in the age group, this team has many regional and national ODP players. Might be a team chemistry issue
18. FC Virginia ECNL - lots of talent on this team, especially in the defensive third. However, they have slipped a little bit. Surprisingly they didn't win the Virginia state cup for the third consecutive year last fall
19. JB Marine - the Region II champion fared pretty well in the national league. Might not be the top team in Region II but they have proven they can play with some of the nation's best
20. Legends FC Breakway - may end up winning their national league division. Seem to struggle with some of their better in-state opponents
21. Concorde Fire ECNL - this team has gotten much better results in the ECNL than I would have expected. They picked up a lot of top talent from the formerly strong NASA team. They could end up being the Georgia favorite
22. Challenge ECNL - top team from South Texas has a lot of young talent (playing up an age group). Seem to be playing well at the moment
23. Bethesda ECNL - results have been pretty satisfactory thus far. Haven't beaten any of the top teams but seem to be able to play with them
24. VSA Heat - not nearly as dominant as they were in year's past. Well coached team that played pretty well in the national league. Lost a top player that moved to Maine
25. Michigan FC - often overlooked in the shadow of the Hawks, this team is coached by one of the best coaches in the age group (who has won several national championships with other teams). Also won the MRL Premier division in the fall

Interesting. My rankings have 5 teams each from Regions 1 & 2, 7 from Region 3, and 8 from Region 4. Your rankings have exactly the same numbers from each region...although in some quite different places and with only two notable differences. Your rankings include Ohio Premier in leiu of KCFC and Challenge in lieu of Brandon Flames. Good picks...we will shall see how they work out.

Care to make picks for the USYS finals at this point? How about...

Region 1 = In a minor upset...Scorpions relinquish their title to PDA from New Jersey this year.
Region 2 = Eclipse Select. This team has improved dramatically and will best Michigan Hawks, Michigan FC, Ohio Premier, and JB Whipke for the Region 2 title.
Region 3 = CASL. In my mind...this is the toughest region to pick as there is a lot of parity at the top. Dallas Sting, Hurricane FC, GSA Phoenix, Dallas Texans, Challenge, Lonestars, Concorde Fire, Brandon Flames, Charlotte SA can all make some noise...but it goes to the girls from CASL this go 'round)
Region 4 = Real Colorado (Could be any one of six teams (Real SoCal, Arsenal, Mustang, SoCal Blues, San Diego Surf are all in the mix...but Real Colorado is the real deal. Arsenal might beat 'em out...but I think the girls from Colorado will repeat in the region.)
National League Blue = Socal Blues (They will win out this weekend and finish ahead of Dallas Texans +8 GD to take the Blue Division nod)
National League Red = Hurricane FC (Legends Breakaway have to beat Hurricane to wrest the title away from the girls from OK. I just cannot make that bet.)

Interesting scores from ECNL event in San Antonio today in this age group. Some surprises to say the least:

Bethesda 1-0 Mustang
Dallas Sting 0-0 Ohio Premier
Lonestar 3-2 Michigan Hawks
Solar 2-2 PDA
Concorde Fire 4-0 Real Colorado
Challenge 1-1 Colorado Rush

QuicK questions about rankings. Is there a definitive ranking system for u14 girls. I see got soccer and national soccer rankings, but I wondered about an official ranking system?

Not really because the teams have not matched up. No one will know who the top teams are until regionals.

Interesting standings in U16 ECNL Challenge A after all of the noational tournaments, save the ECNL National Championships. My top ten picks in my most recent rankings were:

1. Hurrican FC Shubert - Not in ECNL this year but will surely be one of the top teams next year in their maiden season.
2. Real Colorado ECNL - Currently into the ECNL National Championship picture (top eight vie for the championship) with a 3rd place standing at this point.
3. Dallas Sting ECNL - In the biggest surprise...the defending USYS & ECNL National Champs will not be vying for the ECNL Championship this year as they are currently stand in 14th place.
4. Real SoCal ECNL - Barely squeaked into the ECNL National Championship with an 8th place standing.
5. Arsenal ECNL - Like Sting...this ECNL season has proven tough on this team from SoCal as they are in 15th place in ECNL.
6. Eclipse Select ECNL - On top of ECNL Challege A almost all season...they suffered their 1st loss to Scorpions in PDA tourney...but are still on top of the standings.
7. CASL ECNL - The Region III power is still very much in the hunt sitting in second place currently.
8. Scorpions ECNL - Sitting in fourth place after a nice win against Eclipse Select
9. Dallas Texans - This Fall 2011 entry into ECNL will take their fine showing in the USSY National League into the USYS National Championships.
10. Michigan FC - The MWL Premier League winner is the only member of my last rankings who is not already or will not be an ECNL member beginning this fall.

FC Virginia ECNL, who I had ranked as #11 and the surprise entrant (at least to me) Concorde Fire ECNL, are the other two teams that will be vying for the ECNL National Championships this summer. Any thoughts?

Two very different answers to two very different questions IMHO. Achieving a higher ranking at any of the national ranking sites have different criteria but they all include beating very good competition consistently. If your DD's team is not playing in ECNL, one of the Premier Leagues around the country, and/or in some of the more prestigious tournaments out there...they will have a hard time getting the national attention for the ranknings. Remember...these are just subjective rankings so this is more for fun than anything else. If they get results against top teams...they will get into somebody's rankings. But don't pay too much attention to national rankings before U15 or U16 as they don't play enough out of their local districts before then to merit a good assessment.

In regards to US WMNT...It is my opinion that the rest of the world has done more to catch up to the US than it has been lack of development in the US. That said...I believe our women will provide a good showing in the World Cup. Whether or not that will be good enough to win...we shall see.

USYS Region III Quarter Finals kick off this morning with the following games in U16 age group:


Concorde Fire South Elite (GA) (SC) vs. BUSA 95 ECNL (AL) (SC)
Sting 95 (TX-N) (SC) vs. GSA 95 Phoenix Red (GA) (PLE1)
Hurricane FC 95 Shubert (OK) (SC) vs. Lonestars 95 Red (TX-S) (SC)
94 CASL Spartan Elite Black (NC) (SC) vs. NWA Lightning Strikers (AR) (SC)

Pick here is a Sting vs. Hurricane Final with Hurricane defeating the defending national champions on Wednesday. But, Concorde Fire and CASL could both prove to be in the final mix.

Region IV bracket play also begins today but the interesting first round matchups don't start until tomorrow. Some that I will be watching are:

Tuesday
San Diego Surf White vs. Real Colorado National

Wednesday
Colorado Rush Nike vs. Legends Breakaway
Las Vegas Premier White vs. Crossfire Premier ECNL

Pick here is these eight make the quarter finals:
Bracket A
Legends Breakaway
CO Rush Nike

Bracket B
Real Colorado National
San Diego Surf White

Bracket C
Mustang Blast
Las Vegas Surf

Bracket D
Crossfire Premier
Las Vegas Premier White

Pick for the Final in Region IV is a repeat of last year's final in this age group but with a different outcome:

Mustang Blast defeats Real Colorado National

Region I Schedule is out http://tournaments.usyouthsoccer.org/events/2011-Region-I-Championships/.

Tougher for me to pick Qtr finalists in this region as I am more familiar with the other three regions. That said...what the heck.

Bracket A
FC Delco Lightning (PA-E)
North United Fire (PA-W)

Bracket B
East Meadow United (NY-E)
CYA Firecats (VA)

Bracket C
Scorpions Elite (MA)
VSA Heat Blue (VA)

Bracket D
Bethesda Freedom (Md)
PDA Celtic (NJ)

C & D are the stronger brackets to me and I think the semifinal winner between Bethesda Freedom and Scorpions Elite will win the regional championship.

Only problem with your picks is that it looks like Region I doesn't have a Quarterfinal...they go straight to Semis....so here's my thoughts for group winners:

Bracket A
WVSC Rowdies 94 Girls

Bracket B
CYA Firecats

Bracket C
Scorpions Elite

Bracket D
Bethesda Freedom

I'm iffy on Bracket D b/c I like PDA there too.

I see Scorpions winning out.

I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up, go T...but it does not change my RI picks. Still say winner of semifinal between Bethesda and Scorpions will take home the trophy.

BTW...pretty close on the results for RIII and RIV so far. RIII final was Hurricane winning a 1-0 nail-biter over the defending national champion Sting and the RIV the semifinals for RIV QTR finals were pretty close to form with 6 of 8 expected teams making the round. I still say it will come down to Mustang and Real Colorado in the final again. We shall see.

Agree on RIV...but like Real Co

I do too...but know Mustang has the ability to switch the results from last year's final. Interestingly...I think about the teams that my DD's team has played throughout this year...and I would rank them in the following order (this year's games only):

1. Real Colorado - Whipped by 4 goals! Strong team in all facets of game.
2. Sting - We have played them close in the past but they had a great game and beat us up pretty thoroughly.
3. Eclipse Select - Vastly improved team this year.
4. CASL - Can win against anybody any time. They don't have the scoring punch they have had in the past this year though.
5. Michigan Hawks - We pulled a thrilling 3-2 last minute win but they play great soccer.
6. Ohio Premier - Probably best defensive team we have faced.
7. D-Feeters - Not even best team in their own town (Dallas) but strong enough to play with anybody in nation.
8. FC Virginia - Lost to this well schooled team in last minute.
9. Crossfire Premier - We played poorly but they deserved the win.
10. CESA - Vastly improved team. I believe they will bump up to ECNL Challenge A in the Fall.

Looks like Region II started off with a bang this morning. OP beat KC Fusion 7-0, JP marine tied Carmel United, and Eclipse Select ECNL beat Michigan FC 3-0. Pool B looks like it is the toughest bracket, with OP, Mich FC and Eclipse. If they all beat each other up, there could be an opening for another team to sneak in. Winning that bracket could come down to how many goals the winner can score against the 4th team in the pool. I am predicting Eclipse will come out of the bracket, based solely on the fact that I want them to. Good Luck to all!

WOW! The U16 Regionals battle between OP and Eclipse ecnl concluded with a PK shootout that went to the 10th round, with the last 5 being sudden death! Congrats to OP on winning Pool B in a show of extreme mental toughness by both teams!

FYI: Eclipse is still doing ok though. They took 6 teams and the U13s are already through to the semis (3-0), the U14s, U15s and U19s are still undefeated (2-0) and the U18s have won one and tied one. On with the show.....

We are close to having the National Championsips set for the U16G age bracket. Qualified so far:

Region III Champs: Dallas Sting (TX-N) (Finalists)
Region IV Champs: Mustang FC (CA-N)
Region II Champs: Either Ohio Premier (OH-S) or Michigan Hawks (MI)
Region I Champs: TBD
National League: Hurricane FC Shubert (OK) (Also won Region III Championships; Sting is actually RIII Finalists)
National League: Dallas Texans (TX-N)

Here are your National Championships teams for the U16G age bracket:

Region I: Scorpions (MA)
Region II: Michigan Hawks (MI)
Region III: Dallas Sting (TX-N)
Region IV: Mustang FC (CA-N)
National League: Hurricane FC (OK)
National League: Dallas Texans (TX-N)

Says here that any of the teams above can win it all...but Hurricane FC has been playing better than anybody in the country under Kerry Shubert. I would bet against them.

errr...that is I would NOT bet against them.