Can Carlos Somoano win a national title in his first season at the helm of the North Carolina Tar Heels?

UNC is #1 in our preseason edition of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 National Ranking. The ranking projects the field for the postseason NCAA Tournament on a weekly basis, including the automatic conference and at-large berths.

The Tar Heels, previously guided by Elmar Bolowich (with Somoano as assistant), have been knocking on the door for a while with a string of College Cup appearances. The talent is definitely there, so let's see what transpires this season.

Of course championship-caliber talent isn't exclusive to Carolina, and teams like Maryland, Akron and Louisville will be among those contending for top honors this season. Defending champion Akron will be one of the most interesting to watch, as Caleb Porter lost almost an entire starting lineup to professional soccer, but has retooled like nobody's business with recruits and transfers. One thing for certain,this program will not be taking a year off in their pursuit of excellence.

The parity level in the men's game, with its ultra-physical style, will produce a number of surprises as the season unfolds. We'll do our best to keep track of all the developments, conference-by-conference, but for now,here is our initial offering.

Continue to the the Preseason Tournament 48 Ranking.