Human Rankings until FBR is back

I never said kick ball with good fast athletes wouldn't win a lot of games. I also said I would give Polaris top ten credit based on their wins.

But are you trying to say that they move the ball well by connecting accurate passes up the field? Really?

Yeah, just keep watching the MLS while drinking kool-aid

soccerman75 wrote: I watched them play as well, the team passes the ball well. Are they Grubbs, no, are they moving the ball, yes.

Is booting the ball randomly from the back line up to the mids/forwards, and hope they win the ball condisdered "passes well" and "moving the ball"?

soccerdad19 wrote:

soccerman75 wrote: I watched them play as well, the team passes the ball well. Are they Grubbs, no, are they moving the ball, yes.

Is booting the ball randomly from the back line up to the mids/forwards, and hope they win the ball condisdered "passes well" and "moving the ball"?

to boot" has a more specific soccer meaning and should not be used as though it means simply "to kick." To boot the ball in soccer is to kick it hard and long and usually high; an aimless, thoughtless sort of wallop that is the very antithesis of good soccer.

Is this what Polaris does, sounds like it too me. Give that team a break, they play good soccer. Lets see what great soccer does in PT.

1. FCD- best passing team, not physical enough
2. DT Higg- physical, core group been together long time. Good chemistry
3. Solar Colvin- physical also. Rely To much on long ball. Colvin will make this team better.
4. DT South - good defender, good center mid, good forward. Still behind top 3
5. Dynamo- pass really well. Need to attack more in final third, shoot,shoot,shoot
6. Renfro- if this team gets ex Moreno players watch out! They will give any team a game.
7. Fever- solid team, let's see what they do this spring.
8. Polaris- up and coming. Looking good
9. Liverpool Rangel- made semis last tourney. Interested to see what they do this spring.
10. TFC Elite
11. Sting
12. Feet
13. Waco Blast

Balotelli Fan wrote:1. FCD- best passing team, not physical enough
2. DT Higg- physical, core group been together long time. Good chemistry
3. Solar Colvin- physical also. Rely To much on long ball. Colvin will make this team better.
4. DT South - good defender, good center mid, good forward. Still behind top 3
5. Dynamo- pass really well. Need to attack more in final third, shoot,shoot,shoot
6. Renfro- if this team gets ex Moreno players watch out! They will give any team a game.
7. Fever- solid team, let's see what they do this spring.
8. Polaris- up and coming. Looking good
9. Liverpool Rangel- made semis last tourney. Interested to see what they do this spring.
10. TFC Elite
11. Sting
12. Feet
13. Waco Blast

Define the word physical for me. Soccer isn't football. Seems to me you have your sports mixed up. You dont have to hit a players and knock them off the ball to be physical. Appling pressure and making the offence turn the ball over is just as good, hence Barca. not big not physical but will apply just the right amout of pressure to make turnovers.

My Top 15

1. Dallas Texans (They wooped everyone in Fall League)
2. FCD (solid team, sounds like they need to be more physical?)
3. SRSA. (always finds a way to win)
4. South (wins all games against 5-10, and some against 1-3)
5. Fever. (wins most against 6-10, but has trouble with 1-5).
6. Dynamo ( very good passing, needs more offense )
7. Polaris. (haven't seen this team play, but looking forward to)
8. Rangel. ( good team, needs more offense )
9. Renfro ( good ball movement, played Grubb tough in MB)
10. Moreno
11. TFC Elite
12. Tx Spirit
13. Feet
14. Sting
15. Gio

1.FCD-solid from top to bottom
2.SARA-will new coach change the style of play, or will this be the same team as Webb had
3.DT-Higg-not playing PT, but playing boys?
4.DT-South-will be tested for that #4 spot, but can they take down SARA or FCD.
5.Fever-Can they have a break out season.
6.Dyanmo-Good passing team, lack goals from offence. Time will tell
7.Rangel-Do not know really know how this team looks after players left. Might be a long season.
8.Renifo-If new players stay on team, they are poised to move up.
9.Sting-Will they have a top team come sat?
10.Polaris- not proven if they belong in top 5.If they do well in P.T I will look at this team different.

Pre-Season Top 20
1.DT Higg(Top 3 are still interchangeable)
2. FCD Grubb(whats not to like...forwards good, mids good, def good, GK good, coach good, hot moms good)
3. SRSA(still can beat anyone)
4. DTS(everyone needs a good forward and theirs is a stud, and equally studly sweeper)
5. Fever Red(I told you guys last week that they are underated)
6. FCD Red(beat Polaris,beat Feet, beat TFC Elite)
7. Polaris(here to stay)
8. Dynamo(good but a little inconsistent..beat SRSA...lose to Feet)
9. Sting Searls(most have them ranked to low..ex Glotz players...ex Rowdies have had time to gel with other players)
10. LP St John(good def and goalie....need to score though)
11. TFC Elite(did rather well last weekend)
12. Defeeters(team is inconsistent...but talent is there...give new coach time)
13. Tx Spirit North(big and tough....need scorers though)
14. Solar Gio(in my best Sheen voice "winning")
15. Solar Barnes(always scrappy and hard to score on)
16. Waco Blast(put DTS forward from Waco on this team and they move up 8 spots)
17. Sting Royal Searls(havent seen them yet...just speculating)
18. Sting Parker(competed well playing tournies 3 weeks in a row)
19. XLR8(has speed at forward...I've seen it on the track)
20. FCD West(maybe not this high but my surprise team this spring)

Just a note for anyone with interest or willing to share this info: Sting Parker is looking for a new, full time keeper. It has been keeper-by-committee and they're looking for a keep to get'm to the next level.

Appreciate anyone willing to pass along.

Thanks. Best of luck to all this spring.

RoidRage wrote:Pre-Season Top 20
1.DT Higg(Top 3 are still interchangeable)
2. FCD Grubb(whats not to like...forwards good, mids good, def good, GK good, coach good, hot moms good)
3. SRSA(still can beat anyone)
4. DTS(everyone needs a good forward and theirs is a stud, and equally studly sweeper)
5. Fever Red(I told you guys last week that they are underated)
6. FCD Red(beat Polaris,beat Feet, beat TFC Elite)
7. Polaris(here to stay)
8. Dynamo(good but a little inconsistent..beat SRSA...lose to Feet)
9. Sting Searls(most have them ranked to low..ex Glotz players...ex Rowdies have had time to gel with other players)
10. LP St John(good def and goalie....need to score though)
11. TFC Elite(did rather well last weekend)
12. Defeeters(team is inconsistent...but talent is there...give new coach time)
13. Tx Spirit North(big and tough....need scorers though)
14. Solar Gio(in my best Sheen voice "winning")
15. Solar Barnes(always scrappy and hard to score on)
16. Waco Blast(put DTS forward from Waco on this team and they move up 8 spots)
17. Sting Royal Searls(havent seen them yet...just speculating)
18. Sting Parker(competed well playing tournies 3 weeks in a row)
19. XLR8(has speed at forward...I've seen it on the track)
20. FCD West(maybe not this high but my surprise team this spring)

I think thats a pretty solid list, I would have Sting Dunston and Dynasty somewhere in the bottom 5 there. Saw both teams play last week and both look top 20 worthy

Sting Dunstan tougher team to play against for sure!

I'm back!!! And here it is.......my breakdown

1.FCD Grubb (very good players at every position, very skilled. They move the ball with purpose)
2. DT Higg (extremely athletic all around, but less skillful players than FCD, generally speaking)
3.  SRSA (very tough group. less skillful than top 2. Relies heavily on long balls blindly kicked to corner flags. Possible transition to new style of play with new coach might make them worse before they get better....can parents handle that? Time will tell)
4. DTS (one or two quick passes and stud forward is off to the races. Hard to beat quickness of their sweeper)
5. Dynamo (trying out new players in different spots has led to inconsistency. Best posession game. Have trouble against "boot ball" teams due to lack of speed at center back. They are 1 or 2 solid additions away from being considered in the big "top 3")
6. Fever Red(if they beat dynamo then flip flop. Style of play is very physical, forward, and direct. Strong coaching emphasis on conditioning props them up to this spot. I predict a steady decline in rankings over next year or two)
7. FCD Renfro (new additions enhance an already strong core. Improving posession between mids and forwards while defenders still "send it")
8. Polaris (Very athletic, what they lack in ball skills they make up for with speed. Most direct style of play in top ten with defenders that frequently kick the ball out of bounds)
9. LP Rangel (here for right now, but I think loss of a couple very good players will have them dropping unless, of course, they use very good guest players)
10. TFC Elite(is this a true team? Great potential if they train together)
11. Sting Searls(Solid additions should be gelling by now. They try to play posession just need some more time to improve on it)
12. Defeeters(Need more time with new coach. I don't really see an identity in the way they play. Only have seen one game recently and everytime a girl got the ball she just kicked it up field. I think they can play better. Talent and athleticism is there)
13. Tx Spirit North(They are very big! A lot of boot ball though)
14. Solar Gio(have recently beat renfro and sting searls. Winning tournaments. Top player acquisitions, or just guest players? Pass and move the ball around very well. Have to see league play results before I move them up)
15. Waco Blast (honestly haven't watched them play in a while, but agree with RR....add DTS forward and they move up considerably)
16. Sting Parker (respectable performance in recent tourneys)
17. Sting Royal Searls(I haven't seen them either. Do they have a full roster or will they be getting a lot of help from other team?)
18. Solar East Barnes (physical and scrappy with some speed up top. Kick ball)
19. Sting East (scrappy with speed. They try to pass the ball around and do a decent job)
20. South Lake Saints (my surprise pick. They need more time to gel. They try to play posession, but need more time working at it. They have some good speed spread around at different spots on the field)

AP Pollster wrote:I'm back!!! And here it is.......my breakdown

1.FCD Grubb (very good players at every position, very skilled. They move the ball with purpose)
2. DT Higg (extremely athletic all around, but less skillful players than FCD, generally speaking)
3.  SRSA (very tough group. less skillful than top 2. Relies heavily on long balls blindly kicked to corner flags. Possible transition to new style of play with new coach might make them worse before they get better....can parents handle that? Time will tell)
4. DTS (one or two quick passes and stud forward is off to the races. Hard to beat quickness of their sweeper)
5. Dynamo (trying out new players in different spots has led to inconsistency. Best posession game. Have trouble against "boot ball" teams due to lack of speed at center back. They are 1 or 2 solid additions away from being considered in the big "top 3")
6. Fever Red(if they beat dynamo then flip flop. Style of play is very physical, forward, and direct. Strong coaching emphasis on conditioning props them up to this spot. I predict a steady decline in rankings over next year or two)
7. FCD Renfro (new additions enhance an already strong core. Improving posession between mids and forwards while defenders still "send it")
8. Polaris (Very athletic, what they lack in ball skills they make up for with speed. Most direct style of play in top ten with defenders that frequently kick the ball out of bounds)
9. LP Rangel (here for right now, but I think loss of a couple very good players will have them dropping unless, of course, they use very good guest players)
10. TFC Elite(is this a true team? Great potential if they train together)
11. Sting Searls(Solid additions should be gelling by now. They try to play posession just need some more time to improve on it)
12. Defeeters(Need more time with new coach. I don't really see an identity in the way they play. Only have seen one game recently and everytime a girl got the ball she just kicked it up field. I think they can play better. Talent and athleticism is there)
13. Tx Spirit North(They are very big! A lot of boot ball though)
14. Solar Gio(have recently beat renfro and sting searls. Winning tournaments. Top player acquisitions, or just guest players? Pass and move the ball around very well. Have to see league play results before I move them up)
15. Waco Blast (honestly haven't watched them play in a while, but agree with RR....add DTS forward and they move up considerably)
16. Sting Parker (respectable performance in recent tourneys)
17. Sting Royal Searls(I haven't seen them either. Do they have a full roster or will they be getting a lot of help from other team?)
18. Solar East Barnes (physical and scrappy with some speed up top. Kick ball)
19. Sting East (scrappy with speed. They try to pass the ball around and do a decent job)
20. South Lake Saints (my surprise pick. They need more time to gel. They try to play posession, but need more time working at it. They have some good speed spread around at different spots on the field)

Very good analysis. You must watch a lot of games! I think this post is spot on, with #1 - #8 teams solid as a rock.

The 02 division is really shaping up nicely all the way down to #20 -- not much separates #12 from #20 at this point. DDs have been moving up from lower-ranked teams to teams in the top 20, making most teams better. The first year of Lake Highlands D1 should be a lot of fun, where teams ranked in the higher teens have the ability to pull off surprise upsets against teams in the top 10. I think that this is great for the league and for the DDs. The parents, on the other hand, might stock up on some Glenlevit

It seems like the most acute "battle royale" is for spots 9, 10, 11, 12 right now. We will see how it plays out this season but my bets are that Sting Searls and Solar Gio cement top 10 slots by the end of Spring.

I would agree on Searls being top 10, Solar Gio still questionable in my mind and will only tell after they begin to play top 10 competition. Renfro completely depends on whether the guest players become rostered, big difference in play with and without. Dynamo good possession soccer but will haved to score against tough defenses to remain top 5. The top 4 are pretty solid in my mind with South apparently getting stronger every day. As Polaris team continues to refine their style they have the potential to challenge for top 5 spot, lots of athletes and strong defense to get through making scoring against them tough. It will be a great spring going to Select!

soccerman75 wrote:I would agree on Searls being top 10, Solar Gio still questionable in my mind and will only tell after they begin to play top 10 competition. Renfro completely depends on whether the guest players become rostered, big difference in play with and without. Dynamo good possession soccer but will haved to score against tough defenses to remain top 5. The top 4 are pretty solid in my mind with South apparently getting stronger every day. As Polaris team continues to refine their style they have the potential to challenge for top 5 spot, lots of athletes and strong defense to get through making scoring against them tough. It will be a great spring going to Select!

Let me guess...your dd plays for Polaris.

Had time to kill between meetings today.

Went back through the thread, took everyone who ranked a minimum of Top 20 and consolidated them. Assigned 20 pts. to #1, 19 to #2, 18 to #3, etc.

No, she does not, read the post, lots of opinion on multiple teams in top 10. Like alot of people here I live it at a soccer field every weekend and watch lots of games. The only team I stayed away from was Fever so Passthedarnball doesn't try to call me out as a Fever hater!

soccerman75 wrote:No, she does not, read the post, lots of opinion on multiple teams in top 10. Like alot of people here I live it at a soccer field every weekend and watch lots of games. The only team I stayed away from was Fever so Passthedarnball doesn't try to call me out as a Fever hater!

D you want to be a polais parent? There's room! Just kidding. Hopefully we will have some great games this weekend and it will unexpectedly warm up!

Man the warm-up would be nice, looks pretty chilly!!

EyesWideOpen wrote:

soccerman75 wrote:No, she does not, read the post, lots of opinion on multiple teams in top 10. Like alot of people here I live it at a soccer field every weekend and watch lots of games. The only team I stayed away from was Fever so Passthedarnball doesn't try to call me out as a Fever hater!

D you want to be a polais parent? There's room! Just kidding. Hopefully we will have some great games this weekend and it will unexpectedly warm up!

Those Polaris parents are just a great group of people. Just saying, not even a Polaris parent....

bwgophers wrote:Had time to kill between meetings today.

Went back through the thread, took everyone who ranked a minimum of Top 20 and consolidated them. Assigned 20 pts. to #1, 19 to #2, 18 to #3, etc.

Dude, U R awesome. Looks great.

bwgophers wrote:Had time to kill between meetings today.

Went back through the thread, took everyone who ranked a minimum of Top 20 and consolidated them. Assigned 20 pts. to #1, 19 to #2, 18 to #3, etc.

Thanks BW! We have to get you an 02 dd so you can focus more on our group. You can adopt my dd if necessary!

soccerman75 wrote:No, she does not, read the post, lots of opinion on multiple teams in top 10. Like alot of people here I live it at a soccer field every weekend and watch lots of games. The only team I stayed away from was Fever so Passthedarnball doesn't try to call me out as a Fever hater!

Sorry..your son plays for Polaris then? JK.

lovelivinonthepitch wrote:

soccerman75 wrote:No, she does not, read the post, lots of opinion on multiple teams in top 10. Like alot of people here I live it at a soccer field every weekend and watch lots of games. The only team I stayed away from was Fever so Passthedarnball doesn't try to call me out as a Fever hater!

Sorry..your son plays for Polaris then? JK.

Nevermind. I figured out who you are. Used to be with Fever White. now Polaris...that explains the subtle jabs at Solar Gio. NTX Soccer is a small community my friend!

Wrong again but nice try. Maybe we can just focus on the topics at hand? And for the record, there were no jabs, simply commentary, this is for fun, not personal.

I'm glad that FBR might make a comeback soon. FBR seems to be really good for ranking teams below #20 because its just hard to see those teams play often enough to rank them well.

I really hope that the insightful human rankings continue, with all the great commentary too. It is hard to rank truly independent of what the software says. I think we tend to lean on it too much for a starting point. It should be very separate just like analyzing a stock for buy-sell-or-hold on a fundamental perspective (PE, PEG, free cash flow, new products, etc) and technical analysis (50 day moving average, 200 day, chart patterns).