The 2010s brought dramatic change to the high school soccer landscape.

When the Development Academy mandated its players could no longer compete in high school soccer, it sparked heated debate and brought about a shift that has led to even more private school dominance in the high school space.

The 2010s saw the continued dominance of St. Benedict's (N.J.) and St. Ignatius (Ohio) married up with the emergence of Montverde Academy (Fla.). Those programs combined for 17 FAB 50 national titles during the 2010s. Cypress Bay (Fla.), in 2012 and led by several Weston FC DA players prior to the rule change, holds the distinction of being the ONLY public school team to finish No. 1 in either the Fall or Winter FAB 50 rankings during the 2010s.

The practical fallout from the DA rule has been a case of the rich getting richer. In the private school sector, top programs have been able to maintain a high level of play, either by getting DA players to return or pulling heavy from talent non-DA clubs. Meanwhile, schools that could have closed the competition gap are left wondering what could have been as some of its best soccer players are walking the halls as students -- not high school players.

This past decade also witnessed an influx of international students coming to the U.S. for high school as a launching off point for college, or even a pro career. What started as a trickle has become a deluge. In fact, South Kent School (Conn.), which finished as the Prep Top 10 No. 1 team in 2019, had 16 foreign players representing five continents on its 31-man roster this past season.

As we close the chapter on the 2010s, TopDrawerSoccer takes a moment to reflect on 20 of the best high school teams of the past decade.

High School Boys Teams of the Decade

Open Gallery

2010 Dallas Jesuit (Dallas, Texas)

2010 Dallas Jesuit (Dallas, Texas)

Winter FAB 50 No. 1

Dallas Jesuit and Strake Jesuit were newcomers to the UIL, joining the dominant public school league in Texas after its private school organization was folding. As fate would have it, Dallas Jesuit and Strake would go undefeated and meet for the 2010 Texas Class 5A state title. After a scoreless match, Buffalo-bound keeper Ryan Aubrey made two saves in the shootout as Dallas Jesuit won to become the first private school to win a UIL team state title. The result capped a 25-0 season. That Dallas Jesuit team featured 15 players who started for the three local Development Academy teams at the time. In addition to Aubrey, the program’s other Division I signees were Kingsley Bryce (Saint Louis), Mark Daus (Santa Clara), Trey Rayfield (Tulsa) and Christian Garciamendez (Davidson). Bryce went on to a brief MLS career while Daus also was a professional player.

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