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 7th Edition (October Recap) of who we think are the best teams despite province, competition, or league.
- NDC – Whitecaps
NDC- Whitecaps keep the #1 spot in October’s recap. Their Inter-Provincial Championship in September proved to everyone that they were the best NDC group in the country. It will be hard to judge any of the NDC groups for November but the NDC Competition is coming to Mississauga, Ontario in December that will serve as a great opportunity to evaluate all of them again and see if we will get any change in order.
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- NDC – Quebec (CF Montreal Girls Academy)
Holding at #2 in this month’s recap is CF Montreal Girls Academy. The group managed to make the final of Inter-Provincials but lost in convincing fashion to Whitecaps- NDC in the final. Similar to NDC- Whitecaps it will be hard to judge all NDC groups over the next few months but all eyes will be on the National Development Centre Competition in December.
- NDC – Ontario (Next-Gen)
Coming in at the 3rd spot in this month’s update is NDC-Ontario. In the previous (4) Top-10 recaps NDC Ontario was either 1st or 2nd in the rankings but after not qualifying for League One Canada Inter-Provincials saw them drop to #3. This ranking will probably hold for the next month, but let’s see what the group can do in December when they host the National Development Centre Competition in Mississauga, Ontario.
4. Burnaby FC
Moving up as the best non ‘National Development Centre’ group is Burnaby FC after winning Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals in early October. In the competition the team went undefeated and beat some highly rated 2006 teams like Calgary West FC and St. Hubert. The group still has a few games to go as the BCSPL closes out their mini-season and we will see if the team can “hold” this ranking.
5. FC Laval U17 AAA
Dropping to #5 in this month’s recap is FC Laval U17.It will be hard to judge FC Laval U17 moving forward with no league games until 2024 but hopefully we will see them in some showcase tournaments against quality competition in the near future.
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6. Calgary West FC
Coming in at #6 is Calgary West FC after finishing 2nd at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals. Their biggest win of the competition came against previously #6 ranked FC Berlin 2-0, and we’re within PK shoot-outs from defeating currently #4 ranked Burnaby FC for the national title. With the season officially over in Alberta we won’t get to see this group in any other competition until 2024 but what a season it was for the Calgary side.
7. St. Hubert U17 AAA
Dropping to the #7 spot in this month’s recap is St. Hubert after capturing the bronze medal at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals. We definitely thought the team could have made the final of the competition but the bronze medal is nothing to be ashamed of. The season in Quebec has now come to an end and we are excited to see St. Hubert in potential showcase tournaments to end 2023 or to start 2024.
8. North Toronto Nitros U19 L1R
Holding firm at #8 in this month’s recap is North Toronto Nitros U19 L1R. The group went undefeated in the month of October putting together 5 wins in 5 games for the League One Ontario Fall season. It seems as though the group will have a real chance to remain undefeated in the season but only time will tell to see if they will be crowned “invincible” league champs.
9. St. Johns SC
Making their first appearance in the Top 10 in St. John SC after a majestic run at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals which saw the group finish 4th place in the competition. At the competition the team managed to beat #6 ranked Calgary West (eventual silver medalist) 2-1, and formerly #6 ranked FC Berlin 1-0. Historically teams from Newfoundland don’t do this well at the competition but this group was truly special and deserve every bit of this recognition.
#10 Langley United
Coming in at the #10 spot in Langley United off the back of a great start to the campaign in the BCSPL mini-season. The group is undefeated with 8 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses in their first 9 games and hold an impressive 29 goals for and only 12 goals against, while holding a 13 point lead in the title race. As it currently stands they are “running away” with things but lets see how the rest of the mini season plays out and if they can continue to climb the Top-10 charts.
