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SOCCER AMERICA'S TOP 25 GIRLS CLUBS
1. Eclipse Select
2. Dallas Texans
3. Slammers FC
4. PDA
5. So Cal Blues
6. Irvine Strikers SC
7. McLean Premier Soccer
8. Sting Royal
9. Carmel United
10. Real Colorado
11. San Diego Surf
12. Edmond SC
13. World Class
14. Michigan Hawks
15. Colorado Rush
16. Arsenal FC
17. St. Louis SC
18. Bloomfield Force
19. Eagles SC
20. Pleasanton Rage
21. Real So Cal
22. Free State SA
23. Bethesda SC
24. Mustang Soccer
25. Internationals SC
Criteria
Soccer America selects the top 25 clubs, based on success of their teams
in national youth championships over the last three years and national
recognition for players (including U.S. national youth team selections,
NSCAA/adidas Youth All-Americans and U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Interregional
All-Stars) from these clubs in 2007.
1
ECLIPSE SELECT. Thanks to
spectacular 2005 and 2006 seasons in the U.S. Youth Soccer National
Championships, the Chicago area club was able to maintain the top spot.
The Eclipse won the Moynihan Cup (U-17 division) in 2005 and sent two
other teams to the Region II finals. In 2006, it repeated as Moynihan
Cup champion, won the U-16 Masotto Cup and sent two other teams to the
nationals. Rising Star: Defender
Haley Cooper played on the U.S. under-14 girls national team at last
fall's Women's Nike Friendlies in California.
2
DALLAS TEXANS. The Texans sent
eight teams to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships the last
three years but produced only one champion: the '06 Red North team in
the U-18 division. Two Texans teams were runners-up in 2007: the U-17s
and U-16s both lost 3-2 decisions. The Texans' big star is Melissa
Henderson, who won the 2006-07 Gatorade National Player of the Year
award as a junior. She is headed to Notre Dame next fall.
Rising Stars: '93 Region III ODP
players Rosa Medina and Taylor Schneider.
3
SLAMMERS FC. The Newport Beach,
Calif., club moves up two spots after sending two teams to the
championship game at the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.
The U-18 Slammers fell in a shootout to the Bloomfield Force, while the
U-14s dropped an overtime decision to the Sting Royal. The year before,
the Slammers won U.S. Club Soccer's U-16 Super Group. They have won
seven national titles over the last six years.
Rising Star: Defender Mia Bruno,
a member of the U.S. under-15 girls national team.
4
PDA. The New Jersey club has
dominated the Region I championships, winning six championships over the
last three years. No other club can claim more than one title. Five of
the PDA regional championship teams went to the final at the U.S. Youth
Soccer nationals, but they all lost. PDA is best known for producing
national team players Heather O'Reilly and Tobin Heath, who played on
opposite wings at the recent Four Nations Tournament.
Rising Stars: Daniella Colaprico
and Daphnie Corboz of the Tsunami's '93 team.
5
SO CAL BLUES. What began as the
San Juan Rip Curl in 1990 turned into the So Cal Blues, the Southern
California girls giants. Long before girls soccer was popular, the Blues
were turning out great players. Their 2007 U-15 title was the club's
third national championship. They also won the 2000 U-16 championship
and 2005 U-14 title. Rising Star:
Gabriella Zarnegar won the adidas Golden Boot at the 2007 U-15 national
championships.
6
IRVINE STRIKERS SC. One of the
Southern California superclubs that excels in boys and girls soccer, the
Strikers have won national championships in 2006 (U.S. Youth Soccer U-14
division) and 2007 (U.S. Club Soccer's U-15 Super Group). The Strikers
had two players - goalie Makenna Henry and midfielder Natalia Ledezma -
make the U.S. U-15 girls national team:
Rising Star: Nicole De Puy played on the Region IV '92 team at
last fall's ODP Interregionals.
7
MCLEAN PREMIER SOCCER. The
Virginia club burst into Soccer America's girls rankings after a
sensational 2007. The U-16 Freedom won the club's first U.S. Youth
Soccer national championship when Caroline Miller scored twice in
overtime to lead the Freedom to a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Texans
Red. Freedom stars Jenna Richmond and Julia Roberts toured Argentina
with the U.S. U-17s. Three McLean teams won Virginia state titles in the
fall. Rising Stars: '92 Region I
ODP players Torri Allen and Jennifer Skogerboe.
8
STING ROYAL. The Sting Royal
returns to the Soccer America girls rankings after winning the U-14
national title in 2007. The Sting also has one U-16 and one U-18
championship and five U-19 championships to give it a total of eight
U.S. Youth Soccer girls titles, the most of any club in the country.
Among the North Texas club's head coaches is former indoor great Tatu,
the coach of the '95 and '96 teams.
Rising Star: Jessica Howard, winner of the adidas Golden Boot at
the 2007 U-14 national championships.
9
CARMEL UNITED. With players from
Indiana, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and Navy, the U-19 Cyclones were
loaded and won a girls title at the U.S. Youth Soccer National
Championships - the first national title for an Indiana club. Carmel's
most notable alumna is Lauren Cheney, the 2007 Soccer America Women's
College Player of the Year and U.S. Soccer's Young Female Athlete of the
Year. Rising Star: Haley Keller
scored Carmel's only goal in the U-14 division at the National
Championships.
10
REAL COLORADO. Real Colorado was
the only team to win all four games at the 2006 U.S. Youth Soccer
National Championships, capturing the U-16 Masotto Cup. With the opening
of Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Real Colorado is playing its showcase
tournaments at the home of MLS's Colorado Rapids.
Rising Star: Midfielder Beth West
traveled to Argentina with the U.S. under-17 national team at the end of
last year.
11
SAN DIEGO SURF. The California
team has dropped off slightly. After six straight seasons with at least
one team in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships, the Surf has
been shut out the last two years. The Surf's three national titles came
in 2000, 2002 and 2003. The club organizes the Surf Cup and Surf Girls
Cup, two major girls tournaments. Rising
Star: Kate Perry was named to the Region IV '93 team that
competed in the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer Thanksgiving ODP Interregional.
12
EDMOND SC. For the third straight
year, the Oklahoma club makes the Soccer America girls rankings. It was
No. 19 in 2006 and No. 9 in 2007. The club's breakthrough came in 2004
when Edmond reached the U-14 finals at the National Championships. Two
more appearances in the finals followed in 2005 and 2006. The '90 and
'91 teams have, 20 players, led by Oklahoma-bound Dria a total of
Hampton, headed to Division I programs next year.
Rising Star: Forward Caitlan
Mooney, who along with Hampton, is in the U-18 national team player
pool.
13
WORLD CLASS. The club is giving
PDA a run for its money as the top girls club in New Jersey. Its U-16
World Class Arsenal team is coached by the U.S. U-18 girls national team
coach Kazbek Tambi and advanced to the U-17 finals at the 2007 U.S.
Youth Soccer National Championships. World Class midfielder Taylor
Wilson was on the U.S. U-17 girls national team last year.
Rising Star: Defender Amber
Brooks from Pennsylvania played on the U.S. U-16 girls national team in
2007.
14
MICHIGAN HAWKS. The Hawks have
sent four teams to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships the last
three years, but none has reached the final. The Hawks' three national
championships came in 1989, 2001 and 2004. The club's boys program - the
Wolves - has also won three national titles. Despite increasing
competition from other Michigan clubs, the Hawks remain dominant. They
won five of six state championships last year.
Rising Star: Region II '93 ODP
player Lisa Vogel.
15
COLORADO RUSH. Headquartered in
Lakewood, Colo., the Rush was formed in 1997 through the merger of Club
Columbine and the Lakewood United Soccer Club. It quickly became a giant
in girls soccer, winning six national titles over four years
(1998-2001). It added a seventh title (in the U-19 division) in 2006.
Rising Star: Mackenzie Akerfelds,
a member of the 2007 U.S. U-15 national team player pool.
16
ARSENAL FC. The Southern
California club, a longtime powerhouse on the boys side, is making a
name for itself on the girls side. Shawna Gordon is one of the top
midfielders on the U.S. U-17 girls national team, and its '93 class is
one of the deepest in the country.
Rising Stars: Jennifer Gonzalez and Lo'o LaBonta were called into
the U.S. under-14 girls national team last fall.
17
ST. LOUIS SC. For many years
known as a boys power, St. Louis SC (the former Busch club) won its
first girls national championship in 2005 when it captured the U-15
Lilly Cup at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships. It won 10
girls state titles the last two years.
Rising Star: Kelley Gravlin played on the Region II's '92 team at
the 2007 ODP Interregionals.
18
BLOOMFIELD FORCE. The Michigan
club won its first national championship in 2007 when it captured the
Kelly Cup with a shootout victory over the Slammers in the U-18 final at
U.S. Youth Soccer's National Championships. The Force is joining forces
with the Novi Jaguars to form Team Michigan.
Rising Star: Alyssa Wombwell is
coming off a stellar '07 high school season.
19
EAGLES SC. The Ventura County
(Calif.) program returns for the second straight year in the girls
rankings. The Eagles won the 2004 U-14 U.S. Youth Soccer national
championship and captured their second title in the same group last year
when they won the U-17 national title with a 3-2 victory over the
powerful Dallas Texans Red. Rising Star:
Region IV '92 ODP player Hayley Boysen.
20
PLEASANTON RAGE. The Northern
California powerhouse, winner of national titles in 2002 and 2004, was
second at the Region IV U-16 finals in 2006 and won the U-17 regional
title in 2007. They have two players on the U-17 national team: Megan
Jurado and Olivia Klein. Rising Star:
Jessica Michelson was named to Region I's '93 team for the 2007
ODP Interregionals.
21
REAL SO CAL. The Southern
California club is once again ranked in the boys - at No. 4 - and the
girls. Real So Cal won the U-15 North American championship in 2006 when
it was No. 1 in the Super Y-League's Best XI Girls rankings.
Rising Star: Marie Mackenzie
played on the U.S. under-14 national team at the 2007 Women's Nike
Friendlies.
22
FREESTATE SA. The Freestate
Shooters, the top team in Maryland's Freestate Soccer Association, won
their first national title in 2007 when they captured the U-17 Super
Group at U.S. Club Soccer's National Cup VI. Two Shooters played
Division I college ball in 2007 and 12 others have committed to Division
I programs in 2008 and 2009. Rising
Stars: Lyndse Hakonson and Janice Johnson of the Phoenix played
for Region I in the '92 Interregionals group.
23
BETHESDA SC. The Maryland club
has had strong boys and girls programs for many years. This marks the
fourth time in five years Bethesda is ranked in both the boys and girls
rankings. It won its first girls U.S. Youth Soccer title in 2001 and
produces regional and national contenders each year.
Rising Star: Alexandra Doll, who played for Region I's '93 team
at the ODP Interregionals over Thanksgiving.
24
MUSTANG SOCCER. Mustang is one of
the strongest clubs in Northern California. The Blast won the 2006
Region IV U-17 championship and lost to the Slammers in the 2007 final.
It hosted the Red Bull National League's inaugural games for the U-15
and U-16 girls at its 2007 Stampede tournament.
Rising Star:
Megan Kufeld played on the U.S. under-14 national team at the
2007 Women's Nike Friendlies.
25
INTERNATIONALS SC. The Cleveland
area program became the first club to win three girls titles at the
Super Y-Leagues North American finals when it captured the U-13, U-15
and U-16 championships. The Internationals finished the year No. 1 in
the SYL's Best XI girls rankings.
Rising Star:
Desiree Aber, the U-16 girls Super Y-League MVP.
Source:
Soccer America |
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