10 of the Best Girls Soccer Clubs Right Now

There are more elite youth girls’ soccer programs in the country than we can count. They all have the same goal: to raise girls’ soccer players and bring them to their full potential. With all these programs fighting to be top dog, it’s time to consider who is doing it best. These are ten of the top youth programs in the nation at the moment!

Solar SC – Allen, TX

Solar SC has held a top spot in these rankings for quite some time and doesn’t show any sign of changing. The club has had over a dozen call-ups to the Youth National teams from this season alone. One of their most prominent alumna, Jaedyn Shaw, has been making headlines lately for the San Diego Wave. 

Tophat – Atlanta, GA

This Georgia-based team has been climbing the ranks over the last few years. Tophat racks up titles in their conference every season and had five call-ups to add to their already long list of Youth National team players. Their club focuses on hard work and having fun, which clearly pays off. 

Nationals – Detroit, MI

Nationals are a new team to crack the top five of these rankings. The club is about guiding their teams to the next level, whether college or the pro level. They have several pathway programs and a list of wins, advanced players, and success stories to back these programs up. 

Real Colorado – Centennial, CO 

With three elite teams under their club, Real Colorado has a lot of power. They boast a completely comprehensive training strategy, starting young and nurturing players all the way up to pro status, like alumna Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. They are always fighting for a higher ranking; this year, they should be on everyone’s radar. 

San Diego Surf – San Diego, CA

San Diego Surf has had tons of call-ups this year after a lot of hard work. Programs start as young as U-5 and go all the way up to the brink of college. Just this past spring, 15-year-old Melanie Barcenas was drafted to the San Diego Wave. 

Players Development Academy (PDA) – Somerset, NJ

Players Development Academy, or PDA for short, is one of the best programs on the East Coast. PDA has over 50 girls’ teams under its banner, and their focus is to challenge and support their players while making soccer a year-round sport.

Since the Pandemic, PDA has been making an effort to make soccer more accessible to all kids with their Urban Initiative. In the 2023 World Cup they had three players called up to play for their senior national teams, including the youngest player of the tournament, Casey Phair, representing South Korea. 

SLSG – Fenton, MO

St. Louis Scott Gallagher has been around since the early 2000s when three teams from the area became one to create and provide a better program. Since then, SLSG has been a team on the rise and is determined to become the best program in the nation.

The team currently has 30 National Championships to its name and has nurtured 90 players who have gone on to either pro or national team status. Just this last October, their own Alex Pfeiffer signed on to play midfield for the Kansas City Current. 

Slammers HB Køge – California

This next team is interesting because it is a bit of a hybrid program. Slammers FC out of California joined forces with the Danish HB Køge to create a pathway program. Slammers HB Køge is all about equipping their players with the tools they need to go pro, and specifically to make it in Europe. The Slammers HB Køge squad is the fifth step in the program’s pyramid to success; next up is the Youth National Team, then college, pro league after that, and the ultimate goal is international play. In just this last month, seven of their teams won or were finalists for major tournaments, and Shae Harvey became their latest collegiate commit by signing with Stanford.  

NEFC – New England 

New England Futbol Club has broken through the ranks to make it to this position. Not only are they a top-ten team this season, but they are the host club for four major tournaments in the spring and fall. Their program is built on the principles of competition and education. They have sent over 100 players off to play at the collegiate level; the latest from this season are Kendall Bodak for Clemson and Nicollette Kiorpes for Penn State. 

Legends FC – Norco, CA

Rounding out this top ten list is Legends FC, who have cut their ranking in half since last time. Legends FC boasts a premier program for Southern California, and that tracks as they are one of the only West Coast programs on this list. All but one of their teams come out of California with a satellite colony in Arizona. They had eight national team call-ups this season, in ages ranging from U14-U16. Legends FC has actually sent 70 players on to national teams. One of their most notable alumnaes is Ashley Hatch of the USWNT. 

Featured image via @ecnlgirls and @girlsacademyleague on Instagram

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