We wrap up our May rankings release with the 14s Top 50 National Club Rankings. If you missed any of the prior age groups you can find them by clicking these links:
At the conclusion of the national championships we will release our final rankings in July. There are lots of factors to take into consideration when formulating a list like this. It leaves plenty of room for debate as these rankings are ultimately subjective. The Top 25 teams have comments to hopefully give some insight as to why they are ranked where they are. A select few from 26-50 have comments as well but not all.
1. MADFROG 14 GREEN
Comment: Madfrog went undefeated in winning the Salt Lake City Showdown, PNQ and Lone Star qualifiers. It also finished first at Triple Crown, where it lost its only match of the season – to Elevation 14 Molly – on a national stage. Madfrog has 23 wins against the Open field in those four events.
2. MKE STING 14 GOLD
Comment: MKE Sting has some strong victories that includes Boiler Jrs 14 Gold (twice), Wave 14 Brennan and TAV 14 Black. It finished seventh at Triple Crown, first at MEQ and second at Windy City. It helped MKE Sting compile a 17-6 record against the Open field. One of those losses is to Madfrog. It is also 2-2 against Boiler Jrs and 2-2 against Mintonette m.41, with its final loss to Flyers 14 Bill.
3. TAV 14 BLACK
Comment: TAV – which qualified by winning NEQ – is 15-7 against the Open field. Among its results are going 2-2 against Alamo 15 Premier, 1-1 against Boiler Jrs, 1-1 against Skyline 14 Royal, while collecting victories over Drive Nation 14 Red (three), Dynasty 14 Black and GP 14 Rox. Among its losses are to Madfrog, MKE Sting and Flyers.
4. WAVE 14 BRENNAN
Comment: Wave has been busy playing Open opponents, going 25-9 in such matches. It has benefitted from its So Cal schedule, going 4-1 against Tstreet 14 Carson, 5-0 against both SCVC 14 Roxy and SG Elite 14 Rosh and 3-4 against Forza1 North 14 UA. Other victories include downing AZ Storm 14 Thunder and Elevation twice each, as well as Flyers and Pohaku 14-1. Wave has also lost to Flyers, as well as MKE Sting.
5. FLYERS 14 BILL
Comment: Flyers has put up a solid 15-9 record facing the Open field. Among its victories are beating MKE Sting and Wave, which it is 1-1 against. Flyers has also topped GP and NKYVC 14-1 Tsunami. Other results feature going 1-1 against Hou Skyline 14 Royal, 2-1 against AZ Storm, as well as 0-3 against Madfrog. Flyers has also fallen to AZ Rev 14 Premier, SCVC and Drive Nation.
6. MINTONETTE M.41
Comment: The Ohio Valley Region club has posted an identical 15-9 mark against the Open field as Flyers. The two sides have not played head-to-head. Among the better wins for Mintonette is Boiler Jrs, Pohaku, Elevation (three times) and going 2-2 against MKE Sting. It has lost twice to Madfrog as well. Others setbacks have come against AZ Storm, GP and AZ Sky 14 Gold. It has also lost twice to non-Open teams in HJV 14 Elite and Lions 14-1.
7. POHAKU 14-1
Comment: Helping Pohaku grab No. 7 in the rankings is beating Boiler Jrs in their lone meeting. Pohaku, which is 11-6 when facing Open competition, has two victories each over Elevation, A5 Mizuno 14 Helen and Dynasty. Its losses are to Wave, SCVC, Dynasty, Mintonette, MKE Sting and Premier Nebraska 14 Gold.
8. BOILER JRS 14 GOLD
Comment: The Hoosier Region club has fared well when playing Open teams, as Boiler Jrs is 18-8 in those contests. Five of those eight losses are to teams ranked ahead of Boiler Jrs, including TAV, MKE Sting (twice), Mintonette and Pokahu. It also owns two victories over MKE Sting, three over Elevation and one each over TAV and NKYVC.
9. ELEVATION 14 MOLLY
Comment: Elevation is an interesting team. It doesn’t have the best mark against the field at 13-12. But of those defeats, 11 have come to fellow Top 10 opponents in Mintonette (three times), Boiler Jrs (three times), Pohaku (twice), Wave (twice) and MKE Sting. The only team outside the Top 10 to get past Elevation is AZ Storm. Plus, Elevation owns a victory over Madfrog and NKYVC.
10. NKYVC 14-1 TSUNAMI
Comment: NKYVC showed what it is capable of when it went undefeated in winning the Sunshine Classic. It is part of a 14-8 mark against the Open field. Part of that is going 2-1 against GP. It has also lost to Flyers and Elevation and is 1-1 against Alamo. NKYVC has lost twice to AVC Cle Rox 14 Red and once to HPSTL 14 Royal.
11. GP 14 ROX
Comment: GP – like many of the teams at this age division – is a tough one to rank. It has fared very well against the Open field with an 18-8 record. It has victories over Boiler Jrs and Mintonette, but is 1-2 against NKYVC. It has quality losses to Flyers and TAV, and is 2-1 against Alamo. It does carry one loss against a non-Open opponent in Team Pineapple 14 Black.
12. AZ SKY 14 GOLD
Comment: At 13-9, AZ Sky has a good mark playing fellow Open teams. Its best victory is one over Mintonette. AZ Sky has done well against So Cal teams, beating SG Elite, Tstreet, Forza North and SCVC (twice) while losing to Wave. Other quality losses along with Wave include falling to Flyers (twice), Madfrog, Elevation and MKE Sting.
13. FORZA1 NORTH 14 UA
Comment: Forza North has piled up 13 of its 18 wins against the Open field against playing fellow So Cal squads. Forza North is 2-2 against SCVC, 4-3 against Wave, 3-1 versus SG Elite and 4-0 facing Tstreet. Other victories against Open opponents featuring wins over AZ Storm, AZ Rev, Drive Nation (twice) and SF Tremors 14 Wolverines. Forza North has also lost to AZ Sky and Austin Skyline 14 Royal (twice), as well as East Side Blaze 14N, which isn’t an Open team.
14. SCVC 14 ROXY
Comment: The Far Western champ is 15-14 competing against Open opponents. It has a couple of impressive victories over Flyers and Pohaku. Also included in its Open results is going 2-2 against Forza North, 3-1 against Tstreet and 2-0 against AZ Rev. SCVC is also 1-2 facing Coast 14-1, which is not qualified for Open. SCVC is also 1-1 against Co Jrs 14 Sarah and 1-1 against East Side Blaze, neither of which are qualified for Open either. Some quality losses have been to NKYVC and GP.
15. PREMIER NEBRASKA 14 GOLD
Comment: At 7-6, Premier Neb is the last team in the rankings with a winning record when facing the Open field. Premier Neb is 1-1 against both Mintonette and Pohaku, plus is 1-2 when facing Dynasty. Among its quality losses are ones to Boiler Jrs and Elevation. It has lost twice to teams not in the Open field. Once to MAVS 816 14-1 and once to Northern Lights 14-1.
16. ALAMO 14 PREMIER
Comment: Among Alamo’s results is going 2-2 against TAV, 1-1 against NKYVC and 1-1 versus AP 14 Adidas. Alamo is also 1-1 against McAellen Fierce, a non-Open squad. There are also losses to non-Open opponents in HJV (twice), Circle City 14 Purple and W Revolution 14 Premier. Alamo is 8-10 against Open opponents.
17. ARIZONA STORM 14 THUNDER
Comment: Storm has gone 8-9 against the Open field, with three victories over Top 10 teams in Elevation, Flyers and Mintonette. It is also 1-0 against AZ Sky and 1-2 against both AZ Rev and East Side Blaze, which is not an Open team. Other quality losses have come to Wave (twice), Flyers (twice), Madfrog and Forza North.
18. HPSTL 14 ROYAL
Comment: HPSTL – which is 7-8 against the Open field – has quality defeats to Elevation (twice), Pohaku, GP, Boiler Jrs and Mintonette. It has beaten one team ranked higher in NKYVC.
19. DYNASTY 14 BLACK
Comment: Dynasty is 6-12 against the Open field but two of those wins are over Top 10 teams in Pohaku and Boiler Jrs. It is also 1-2 against Premier Neb, with some quality losses to NKYVC, Boiler Jrs, TAV, Pohaku (twice) and Mintonette (twice). It has lost three times to teams outside the field in Legacy 14-1 Adidas, Iowa Rockets 14R and Adidas KiVA 14 Red, which plays a JVA/AAU schedule.
20. SG ELITE 14 ROSH
Comment: Some of the better wins for SG Elite – which is 8-15 playing Open teams – are ones over Forza North and SCVC. It has some quality losses to Pohaku, Wave (five times), Forza North (three times), AZ Sky, AZ Storm, Premier Nebraska and Madfrog. Some losses to teams outside the Open field have come against Madfrog 15 Black and Munciana 14 Chipmunks, which plays a JVA/AAU schedule.
21. TSTREET 14 CARSON
Comment: Tstreet has posted a 9-17 record facing Open squads. All but two losses – to Madfrog and AZ Sky – have come to So Cal teams. It includes four losses each to Forza North, Wave and SG Elite and three to SCVC. It does own one victory over SG Elite, SCVC and Wave, plus one over AZ Storm and two against AZ Rev.
22. HOU SKYLINE 14 ROYAL
Comment: Considering where we are in the rankings, Hou Skyline has done alright against Open teams with a 9-14 standing. It has beaten Flyers for its only Top 10 victory. Other results feature going 1-2 against TAV Houston, 1-1 versus WPVC Armour Black and victories over AP, Skyline and Austin Skyline. It has some quality losses to Mintonette, NKYVC, TAV and GP (twice). It has gone 2-1 against Legacy, which didn’t make the Open field.
23. AUSTIN SKYLINE 14 ROYAL
Comment: Among Austin Skyline’s best victories are Forza North (twice) and GP. Overall, it is 7-14 against the Open field. Losses to non-Open teams include HJV and Team Indiana Elite 14. It has quality losses to MKE Sting, Madfrog, Flyers and Boiler Jrs (twice).
24. A5 MIZUNO 14 HELEN
Comment: A5 has gone 7-13 against the Open field. It hasn’t lost to a team ranked lower, with its share of quality losses to NKYVC (twice), GP (three times), Pohaku (twice), Elevation (twice). It also has losses to SG Elite and Austin Skyline and is 1-1 against both HPSTL and AZ Sky. It has victories over Dynasty and Alamo, which are both ranked higher.
25. AP 14 ADIDAS
Comment: AP cracks the Top 25 based on holding a 2-0 advantage over TAV Houston. AP is a modest 6-9 against the Open field, but does have a victory over Alamo. It has quality losses to Alamo, Hou Skyline, Madfrog (twice), TAV, GP and Austin Skyline (twice). And it has also lost to AVA TX 14 Adidas, NPJ Salem 14 National, 915 14 Hill, Top Select 14 Elite and Absolute Black 14-1, none of which made Open.
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26. TAV HOUSTON 14 ADIDAS
Comment: TAV Houston has the best mark remaining among Open teams at 8-8. It owns victories over HPSTL, Mintonette, Alamo, Austin Skyline and Hou Skyline (twice). But it has some tough losses, falling to Hou Skyline 15 Black, Madfrog 15 Black, OT 14 Cristobal, Kairos 14 ADIDAS, Surfside 14 Legends and Lions. Plus, TAV Houstin is 0-2 against AP.
27. EAST SIDE BLAZE 14N
Comment: This is the first team not in the Open field to appear in the rankings. East Side put up a solid 7-6 mark against the Open field. Its victories feature ones over AZ Storm (twice), AZ Rev (three times), Forza North and SCVC. It has a few losses to teams not in the Open field in Madfrog 14 Black, Arete 14 Navy and Aspire 14 Premier, which East Side Blaze is 1-1 against. Others losses are to AZ Sky (twice), TAV Houston, AZ Storm, SCVC and Wave.
28. AZ REV 14 PREMIER
29. SKYLINE 14 ROYAL
30. LEGACY 14 ADIDAS
Comment: Another team that isn’t in the Open field, it was surprising not to see Legacy land one of the eight at-large bids. The Lakeshore Region club is 7-16 against the Open field. It has beat AVC Cle – an at-large recipient – twice as well as Boiler Jrs, Dynasty and Hou Skyline. It also has quality losses to Boiler Jrs, NKYVC (twice), Madfrog, Hou Skyline (twice), GP, MKE Sting (three times) and Mintonette (twice). But working against Legacy are losses to non-Open teams in Metro 14 Travel, WFL Waves 14 Elite Rox and L2 14-1.
31. REV 14-1 FUEGO
32. DRIVE NATION 14 RED
33. AVC CLE ROX 14 RED
Comment: AVC Cle certainly played a challenging schedule against Open teams, going 4-20 in such outings. It has beaten NKYVC twice and Austin Skyline once. It does have a bunch of quality losses in Mintonette (twice), GP, MKE Sting (three times), Elevation, Boiler Jrs and TAV.
34. TOP SELECT 14 ELITE
35. HJV 14 ELITE
Comment: At 5-13 against the Open field, HJV owns the most victories of any remaining teams against qualified opponents.
36. OP2 14-1
Comment: OP2 has limited matches against Open teams, going 1-5. Its victory is over Skyline with quality losses to Flyers (twice), Madfrog and TAV.
37. HIGH TIDE 14 ELITE
Comment: High Tide – which is 2-9 against the Open field – has only lost once to a team not qualified. That was to Top Select.
38. KAIROS 14 ADIDAS
39. WPVC ARMOUR BLACK
40. OT 14 CRISTOBAL
Comment: OT certainly has had chances to pick up some big victories, as it is 3-15 versus Open-qualified opponents. The three victories are over TAV Houston, WPVC – which has also lost to – and Academy Diamond.
41. SF TREMORS 14 WOLVERINES
42. ACADEMY 14 DIAMOND
Comment: Academy Diamond is 3-10 playing Open teams. The three wins are against teams ranked higher in Dynasty, AVC and Skyline, which it is 1-1 against.
43. IOWA ROCKETS 14R
44. TEAM PINEAPPLE 14 BLACK
45. TEXAS PISTOLS 14 BLACK
46. UNION 14-1 UA
47. LIONS 14-1
48. CO JRS 14 SARAH
Comment: Co Jrs has just two losses to teams not qualified for Open in Tribe 14 Sebastian and Club V 14 Ren Silver, which it has also beat. It has two victories over Open opponents in SCVC and Drive Nation. Quality losses have come against A5, Boiler Jrs, GP, Hou Skyline (twice), Austin Skyline, Wave, SCVC and Forza North.
49. ADIDAS KIVA 14 RED
50. MUNCIANA 14 CHIPMUNKS
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ON THE CUSP
NorCal 14-1 Black
Tri-State Elite 14 Blue
Circle City 14 Purple
TVC 14 Black
JJVA 14 Teal
Tribe 14 Elite Sebastian
McAllen Fierce National
Excel 14 National Red
Club V 14 Ren Silver
Madfrog 14 Black
