Who’s the best team in the entire country? This question is quite frequently asked in Canada and truthfully no one will ever have the exact answer as there is no Canadian National competition that involves all teams.
Here at The Playbook however we will try to ‘put the pieces together’ and provide a “monthly insight” into who we think are the best U17 (2006 Teams) are across the country.
Enjoy the read below as this is our 5th Edition (August Recap) of who we think are the best teams despite province, competition, or league.
- NDC – Whitecaps
Whitecaps move up to the #1 spot after winning the Inter- Provincial Championship earlier this month. In their ‘final’ game of the season the group beat NDC Quebec by an astounding 5-0 to cap off the historic season. To put it in perspective how dominant Whitecaps have been in 2023. They won every single competition they played in including The Fifa Blue Stars Youth Cup, League 1 BC and the Inter-Provincial Championship.. Hats off ladies!
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- NDC – Quebec (CF Montreal Girls Academy)
Dropping to #2 in this month’s August Top 10 Recap is NDC-Quebec (CF Montreal Girls Academy). The group managed to make the final of Inter-Provincials after a strong performance in the semi-final versus Unity FC of British Columbia, but got absolutely picked apart by Whitecaps- NDC in the final. Regardless of the fact, congrats to the group which still had a terrific season!
- NDC – Ontario (Next-Gen)
Dropping to the 3rd spot in this month’s update is NDC-Ontario after losing their only match of the month to Alliance FC 2-1 in the League One Ontario Finals. This result was definitely disappointing from an avid Canada Soccer fan experience, as seeing all 3 NDC programs go head to head at Inter-Provincials would have been amazing but a tip of the hat still goes out to the group for winning League One Ontario outright.
4. FC Laval U17 AAA
Jumping 1 spot from #5 to #4 is FC Laval U17 after beating provincial rival and previously #4 ranked St. Hubert in the middle of the month. Following that performance the group has managed to go undefeated in league play and hold on to a 2 point lead as we head into the last month of the U17 LSEQ season with a spot at nationals on the line for whoever finishes first.
5. St. Hubert U17 AAA
Dropping back only 1 spot in this month’s recap is St. Hubert AAA as they fell to FC Laval 2-0 in regional league play this month. Despite the loss however the group was able to remain undefeated keeping in striking distance with FC Laval as they are only 5 points behind them in the standings with 2 games in hand. We will see if St. Hubert can “sustain” the pressure as they will most likely need to “win” every game in September to knock out FC Laval and qualify for Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals.
6. Burnaby FC
Holding firm at #6 is Burnaby FC formerly known as Mountain United FC. Even though they played no games this month they are still coming off their BCSPL championship in June. Burnaby will begin their ‘BCSPL mini-season’ in September in preparation for Nationals in October and we will see how the group fairs in these upcoming games to see if they will move up or down the rankings next month.
7. London Alliance London FC
New to the fold in this update is London Alliance FC. The group has been in the “Honourable Mention” category in previous months but after their Ontario Cup Semi-Final win over Erin Mills SC they fully deserve this nod. London Alliance will have 1 more game versus FC Berlin in the Ontario Cup Finals which they will need to win in order to qualify for Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals in October.
8. North Toronto Nitros U19 L1R
Dropping another spot in this month’s edition is North Toronto Nitros from #7 to #8. The group lost in the League One Ontario U19 Reserve final but have also bounced back strongly to end the month with 2 victories to start the League One Ontario U19 Fall season. NT will look to get back to their “consistent” winning ways in the next few weeks and we will see if they can climb back up the charts.
9. Calgary West United 2006 Girls
Coming in at #9 is Calgary West 2006 Girls after going undefeated at Alberta Soccer Provincial Championships with a 4-0 record and punching their ticket to Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals. The team was dominant in the competition with an impressive 17 goals for and only 2 against en route to victory. Meanwhile in league play the team is currently in 2nd place and only 4 points behind 1st with a game in hand, but it will not be easy as Calgary SWU who have been ranked previously won’t relinquish their league lead easily.
10. Erin Mills SC
Erin Mills SC move down to #10 this month after losing to #7 Alliance FC in the U17 Ontario Cup Semis-Finals. This will now knock the team out of contention for Canada Soccer Nationals where they would have been a favourite to win the competition. Despite the tough result the team was still able to show their dominance in August by winning the Canada Youth Cup in Nova Scotia against some quality Atlantic competition and will now look to remain undefeated in regional play within Ontario and upcoming showcase tournaments.
