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.
- Toronto FC Academy U17
Toronto FC U17/ 2006 Boys will remain in the #1 position this month as the team played no games in the month of August. However we can confirm the group alongside some remaining 2005 born players will be joining the League 1 Ontario Reserve league for their ‘Fall Season’ that started at the end of August.
- Vancouver Whitecaps Academy U17
Similar to Toronto FC U17, Whitecaps U17 will “hold” their #2 position as they played no games in the month of August. Unlike TFC however we haven’t heard anything about where this group will be playing in the fall but rumours have been swirling that they might play in the Fraser Valley Soccer League (Men’s league in BC) with this group until League 1 BC starts up next summer.
- CF Montreal Academy U17
CF Montreal will stay locked in at the 3rd spot in this edition as they also did not play any games in the month of July. Without a defined U19 system however, we have seen many players from their U17 team make the transition and play PLSQ/ Ligue 1 QC with CF Montreal U23s this summer. To name a few Marc- Alexandre Happi, Alessandro Biello, Gael De Montigny and Rafael Coulanges have been regular call ups.
- Born to Be Academy
Moving up to #4 is Born to Be Academy after securing a spot at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals to end the month. The big questions with BTB was how they were going to look after multiple players from the team moved on to the Vancouver Whitecaps academy to start their MLS Next season, but after going 4-0 at Alberta Provincials and proving to be the best U17 team in the province it looks like they haven’t missed a beat.
- Club de Soccer Mont-Royal Outremont
CS MRO stay at #5 in our August update after a very impressive month that puts them in the driver’s seat to qualify for Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals. The group went 2-1 in the month but most importantly beat rival St. Laurent 4-1 which was a “must win” as St. Laurent was ahead of them in the standings. With 3 games left to play in September is does look like CS MRO will be the Quebec representative at Canada Soccer Nationals and hopefully all roads will lead to a BTB (#4 Ranked) vs CS MRO (#5 ranked) final.
- Rush Academy L1R
Coming in at #6 is Rush Academy Canada after taking home the League 1 Ontario U19 Reserve division title. On their way to victory this month they beat previously ranked in July’s edition #7 Sigma FC and #4 North Mississauga L1R. The group is extremely talented and it will be interesting to track their progress and see how they make out in the Fall Season of the League 1 Ontario Reserve campaign.
- North Mississauga L1R
Dropping down to #7 in this month’s edition is North Mississauga L1R. The reason for the drop was their loss to now #6 Rush Canada in what was an excellent League One Ontario U19 Reserve Final. Despite missing a few key players in the game due to suspension, results are results but we know this group will look to bounce back in the League One Ontario U19 Fall season to round out the year.
- Halifax City SC
Coming in at #8 is Halifax City SC after earning a spot at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals with an impressive 4-1 victory over Suburban FC to secure their spot. The team has also “runaway” with the Nova Scotia Soccer League posting a 17 win , 1 loss and 2 tie record and a astonishing goal difference of +72. With teams who are ‘eligible’ to play at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals it won’t be surprising if Halifax is able to get a medal at the competition in October.
- Burnaby FC
Holding firm at #9 is Burnaby FC still fresh off their BCSPL Championship in the month of June. Burnaby will return to action in the month of September for the BSCPL fall season and we will see how the group looks before they prepare for a run at Canada Soccer Toyota Nationals in October.
- Calgary Foothills 2006 Boys
A new arrival to the August Edition is Calgary Foothills 2006 Boys. The team is coming off a strong Alberta Provincial Championship showing which saw them make the finals of the competition and only losing to #4 BTB Academy in the final. The group also sits 2nd place in their regional league and will look to try and capture 1st place with 7 games left in the season and only 8 points with a game in hand of first place.
