Today we take a look at the U13, U14 and U15 Boys in our monthly Grande Sports Academy TeamRank Top 25 update. Keep following us throughout the season as we track the best teams in the country.

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Maryland teams in the spotlight at U13

Baltimore Celtic Darby continues to win championship after championship and climbs six spots to No. 8. In the last month, Celtic started off with a championship run in the Maryland Youth Soccer State Cup, qualifying for the Region I Championships later in June. The very next weekend, after finishing the inaugural season in the Region I Champions League on top of the blue division standings, Celtic clinched the overall RICL championship with a 2-0 victory over Beadling Soccer Club.

Another Maryland squad to make headway in the month of May is Bethesda-Olney 2001. Part of the Northeast Pre-Academy League, Bethesda-Olney climbs five spots to No. 11 after wins over DC United, PA Classics, NJCSA, and Continental FC Delco helped improved their record to 14-2-2 overall.  Bethesda-Olney will face No. 6 Cedar Stars Academy, among others, to finish out the regular season before vying for a spot at the NPL Finals when playoffs begin on June 20.

Sockers, Juventus climb at U14

Sockers FC earned four wins in U14 Development Academy play since our last update to extend its record to 17-4 and climbs to No. 9 in the Grande Sports Academy TeamRank Top 25. Sockers leading scorer Aidan Liu has 15 goals on the season, and six in his last six matches. Two of those goals came in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over cross-town rival Chicago Magic PSG on May 16.

Juventus SC climbs four spots to No. 21 this month after earning six straight wins against NorCal opponents, including a 1-0 victory over No. 8 San Jose Earthquakes. Juventus were able to keep prolific scorers Adonis Diaz and Jason Yanez at bay, and a 57’ tally by Tyler Goloubef proved to be the difference.

MORE: Development Academy Scoreboard | IMG Academy 150 rankings

USYS Regional spots on the line at U15

Many of the teams at this age group are in the midst of USYS State Cup play, and those that haven’t already qualified for a spot at their respective region championships are hoping for one last chance at that elusive national title.

One of those teams is No. 5 Real Colorado National 99 who missed out on a spot via USYS National League play, but has breezed through the Colorado State Cup and will look to qualify during the Region IV Championships in June.

Dallas Texans 00 Red, now at No. 13, also narrowly missed qualifying for nationals via the National League, where they finished third in the blue division, and had just a single loss in league play. The Texans missed out on an automatic berth to the Region III Championships as well by finishing second in the Region III Premier League West last fall, also with just one loss, and with the fewest goals against of any team in the division. But the Texans are still in the hunt thanks to a North Texas State Cup championship run earlier this month, and still have the Region III Championships in their path.

Next Thursday: U13, U14, and U15 Girls

Grande Sports Academy TeamRank Top 25 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.