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) across the country.
Enjoy the read below as this is our 9th/ Final Edition (December Recap) of who we think are the best teams despite province, competition, or league.
- Toronto FC Academy U19
Holding firm at the #1 position in our latest update is Toronto FC U19, ending their dominance of the 2006 age group in our last edition. The team highlights the year with a League 1 Ontario Reserve ‘Fall’ championship earned in November and being the #2 Overall Seed going into MLS Next Playoffs this past June. With many players now signing professional contracts and for top NCAA/ U SPORTS universities this was truly a special group from the well known GTA based academy.
- Vancouver Whitecaps Academy U19
Finishing the rankings in 2nd place in our final update is Vancouver Whitecaps U19. The group remains undefeated in the Fraser Valley Soccer League with an overall record of 8 wins, 3 ties and 0 losses. Similar to TFC, many of these players will move on professional contracts and NCAA/ U SPORTS scholarships in the near future and we are excited to see where they end up.
- CF Montreal Academy U19
CF Montreal remains in the 3rd position in our December update, albeit without any competitive games for the last few months. The absence of noteworthy games have made it just too difficult to give a true assessment of where this team “currently” is but based on performances last summer we think this is a true reflection of where they land.
- Burnaby FC
Holding firm at #4 is Burnaby FC going into the final ranking as the best non-MLS Academy team in the country. The key driver for this ranking was their gold-medal performance at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals. It will be fun to see where these boys end up as university and college commitments continue to roll in and who knows if we potentially see any of them with CPL teams in the near future.
- Sigma FC
Moving up to #5 is Sigma FC after a very impressive showing at their annual Sigma FC Showcase. The group beat #6 ranked Rush Canada and #10 ranked team BTB Academy to justify this spot. For a full calendar year it is pretty clear Sigma was the best non-MLS academy team in Ontario and this was without standout KJ Tavernier for major parts of the season.
6. Rush Canada L1R
Moving up one spot to #6 in our latest update is Rush Canada. Similar to Sigma the group had a good showing at the Sigma FC showcase with a win versus BTB Academy and also newly ranked #8 Vaughan SC. Rush was a formidable side all year and as a group proved consistently to be a top team in Canada for the 2006 age group.
7. BTB Academy
Dropping to #7 in our final update is BTB Academy from Edmonton. AB. If the group didn’t lose so many players to Vancouver Whitecaps academy this summer they would have definitely pushed for the “Best Non MLS Team” crown at #4, but the loss of these players ended up catching up with them. At the Sigma FC Showcase the group lost to #5 ranked Sigma FC and #6Rush Canada but did manage a great result vs #8 ranked Vaughan tying them 1-1. Like we mentioned before at full strength this team is elite and with a silver-medal finish at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals this team has a ton to be proud of.
8. Vaughan HP
Jumping back into the Top-10 is Vaughan HP after a strong showing at the Sigma Showcase. The group tied #5 Sigma Academy and #7 BTB Academy to go along with a resounding victory over formerly Top-10 ranked CS MRO. With many players in this group finalising commitments to top university programs we will be keeping tabs to see where some members of this talented team end up.
9. Halifax City SC
Ending the year in our 9th spot is Halifax City SC. The team took home bronze at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals and is fully deserving of a year end Top 10 finish. Along with walking away the league title in the ultra competitive Nova Scotia Soccer League the team showed that teams out east can compete with anyone in the country.
10. Calgary West
Holding the final spot of our last 2006/ U17 Ranking edition is Calgary West. The group hasn’t played any meaningful games in a while but after strong performances in league play within Alberta we could not leave them out. The CMSA regular season champs won the league by a landslide margin and also beat #7 BTB in an exhibition game, which tells us this team could compete with anyone on any given day. We wish the group nothing but the best as many players will graduate from the club and join post-secondary programs in 2024.
