Today we unveil our latest update to Grande TeamRank Top 25, the comprehensive ranking system for elite club soccer teams nationwide, releasing the latest standings for U13, U14 and U15 Boys. Next week, we will update the younger age groups on the Girls side. We will update our Grande TeamRank Top 25 for each age group at least once per month.

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FC Westchester breaks into top 25 at U13

#1 FC Golden State Academy and #2 New York Red Bulls continue to dominate the competition in this youngest of age groups in the Grande TeamRank Top 25. Both have perfect records in their respective leagues, FC Golden State at 11-0-0 in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League, and NYRB at 7-0-0 in the Northeast PreAcademy League.

But the New York Red Bulls will face a formidable opponent on November 3, when Everton FC Westchester makes the trek over the Tappan Zee Bridge to try to knock them out of the ring. #20 FC Westchester is undefeated at 5-0-2 and already has a win over #15 Bethesda-Olney.

Union, United on the rise at U14

Philadelphia Union is off to a 6-0 start in the Development Academy’s North Atlantic Division, and climbs from #18 to #9 in the Grande TeamRank Top 25. Juan Infante leads the team in goals with eight, including a four goal performance against Richmond Strikers.

Georgia United has become the landing spot for IMG Academy 150 players from the north side of Atlanta in the class of 2017, and it’s paying off in the Grande TeamRank standings, where they climb from #24 to #13. U14 Boys’ National Team member and #9 ranked Juan Pablo Torres pulls the strings in the midfield for this suburban Atlanta squad, and has led them to a 7-0 record in the Southeast Division of the U14 Development Academy which includes a win over #14 Charlotte Soccer Academy. The true test for GA United comes in November when they face MLS clubs #18 DC United and #2 New York Red Bulls at the Development Academy U13/U14 event in North Carolina.

Small changes at U15

With players in this non-Development Academy age group eligible to play high school soccer, many of the top teams won’t start play until November, when the US Youth Soccer National League begins, so we all will have to wait until that first event concludes in North Carolina to gauge the country’s best as a whole. In the meantime, check out our new High School tab to see what the players are up to this fall.

One team to mention, however, is Charlotte United Gold, which has had a terrific season so far in the Region III Premier League-East. Charlotte United leads the league with a record of 10-1, and just last weekend handed #8 Concorde Fire Elite its first loss in Region III’s Southern Premier League. Last year’s Region III semi-finalist is on its way to better that result in 2014 and enters our rankings at #22.

Next Thursday: U13, U14, and U15 Girls

Grande 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.