With first weekend of National Cup in the books, I figured I start the conversation with my picks for the best National Cup teams. This is only teams in National Cup and it takes into account first week results.
1. San Diego Navy -- Strong favorite. By far the best team in the tournament. They have qualified for Nationals twice already in the last 3 weeks -- CRL and National League. Likely to do it again here. This team can beat anyone.
2. GPS Red (Crescenta Valley White) -- Discovery League champs knocked off IE Surf and Legends Corona in CRL, went undefeated in top bracket of Vegas, and tied Navy and Hawks at SCDSL Showcase. CRL Playoff loss to Navy brings this team down a notch and shows they are not at yet at Navy's level, but they can play with anyone else.
3. Slammers HB Elite -- Already qualified for Far West Regionals with second place CRL finish. Beat Hawks to get there. 2nd in Discovery League and pretty much near the top in anything they play in. This is a well balanced and very dangerous team. Question is whether they can beat the Slammers ECNL team. The answer is probably yes. One game playoff against the Slammers ECNL team for who is the ECNL team next year is a game I would travel to see.
4. IE Legends (IE Surf) -- Strong team on a little bit of a down swing. Book-ended great Vegas Invitational with losses to GPS Red and Slammers HB Elite in CRL. On the plus side, they already qualified for Nationals with Vegas showing so National Cup does not mean much for them. This team used to be Navy's equal. I don't think they are anymore.
5. Hawks -- Defending champs have fallen a notch. Still one of the top teams in the State, but a repeat would be a tough task, especially with their 6'5" goalie on the shelf. Disappointing 4th place finish in Discovery combined with failure to qualify for Nationals in either Vegas or CRL playoffs was a surprise for this powerhouse team.
6. Legends Corona (Corinthians) -- Dangerous team that is definitely on the upswing after picking up some players. In CRL Cup finals with impressive wins over Rebels and Beach Lohn. This is not a team anyone wants to play.
7. Slammers Whittier Alvarez -- 3rd in Discovery behind GPS and Slammers HB. This team can beat anyone. Highest ranked team that didn't get first round bye. Could definitely be higher. Already won two games by 9-2 margin.
8. Beach Sudyka -- Team is on the upswing after getting some players back from injury. Made CRL Cup finals with wins over IE Surf and AC Brea.
9. Orange Voetball -- Always a dangerous team. Tough shootout loss to Beach Sudyka in CRL Cup.
10. Rebels -- Well coached team with a lot of talent. Ran into a buzz saw versus the new improved Legends Corona team.
11. Beach Lohn -- Strong team, but like Rebels, they ran into hot Legends Corona team in CRL Cup. Did I mention Legends Corona is now really good.
12. AC Brea -- This team has been near the top for several years. They've never been able to take the next step, but they are always good.
13. Slammers FC SM -- Strong Discovery League Team could surprise people. 2nd Slammers team in the top 15.
14. Murrieta Surf -- Champions division winner always plays tough. Had a tough SCDSL showcase against Navy, GPS, and Hawks, but that was expected. Hopefully, the high level opponents were a great warm up for this tough team.
15. LAGSB Elite -- 2 wins with 8-1 differential already. Runners up in Champions Division. Another team no one wants to play.
16. Legends DPL -- Best of the DPL teams is still no where near the top. This team could surprise though.
17. San Diego Strikers -- Tough team with decent CRL showing and first round bye.
18. San Diego Academy Orange -- Navy B team is still better than most. Managed to tie Hawks 1-1 in Discovery League Play. Definitely not your average B team.
19. Real So Cal Santa Clarita -- Another team that has been good for a while. They just have never been really good. They always seem to lose their top players, which will keep them from ever being elite.
20. South Slammers Elite -- One more Slammers team that could win some games.
21. Olimpus FC -- Strong team that often surprises its opponents. Would not be shocked to see them in the final 16.
22. San Diego Force -- tough 2 tie start, but this team should still advance and can definitely win some games. This is a Discovery team that had some good SCDSL games and finished in the top half of the bracket. Win over Slammers HB Elite highlighted this team's season. Would be ranked much higher if not for the rough start.
23. CZ Elite -- This team was a top 10 team for years. That run is definitely over. With their fantastic coach seemingly spending more time out of the country than in it, plus several top players moving on, this team is definitely a sinking ship.
24. South Slammers JC -- Another dangerous Slammers team. How many are there?
25. Blues Helm -- The fact that this is the highest ranked Blues team is a big surprise. Blues just has too many other good teams between ECNL and Academy. Can the Helm team represent the Blue name.
1. San Diego Navy -- Strong favorite. By far the best team in the tournament. They have qualified for Nationals twice already in the last 3 weeks -- CRL and National League. Likely to do it again here. This team can beat anyone.
2. GPS Red (Crescenta Valley White) -- Discovery League champs knocked off IE Surf and Legends Corona in CRL, went undefeated in top bracket of Vegas, and tied Navy and Hawks at SCDSL Showcase. CRL Playoff loss to Navy brings this team down a notch and shows they are not at yet at Navy's level, but they can play with anyone else.
3. Slammers HB Elite -- Already qualified for Far West Regionals with second place CRL finish. Beat Hawks to get there. 2nd in Discovery League and pretty much near the top in anything they play in. This is a well balanced and very dangerous team. Question is whether they can beat the Slammers ECNL team. The answer is probably yes. One game playoff against the Slammers ECNL team for who is the ECNL team next year is a game I would travel to see.
4. IE Legends (IE Surf) -- Strong team on a little bit of a down swing. Book-ended great Vegas Invitational with losses to GPS Red and Slammers HB Elite in CRL. On the plus side, they already qualified for Nationals with Vegas showing so National Cup does not mean much for them. This team used to be Navy's equal. I don't think they are anymore.
5. Hawks -- Defending champs have fallen a notch. Still one of the top teams in the State, but a repeat would be a tough task, especially with their 6'5" goalie on the shelf. Disappointing 4th place finish in Discovery combined with failure to qualify for Nationals in either Vegas or CRL playoffs was a surprise for this powerhouse team.
6. Legends Corona (Corinthians) -- Dangerous team that is definitely on the upswing after picking up some players. In CRL Cup finals with impressive wins over Rebels and Beach Lohn. This is not a team anyone wants to play.
7. Slammers Whittier Alvarez -- 3rd in Discovery behind GPS and Slammers HB. This team can beat anyone. Highest ranked team that didn't get first round bye. Could definitely be higher. Already won two games by 9-2 margin.
8. Beach Sudyka -- Team is on the upswing after getting some players back from injury. Made CRL Cup finals with wins over IE Surf and AC Brea.
9. Orange Voetball -- Always a dangerous team. Tough shootout loss to Beach Sudyka in CRL Cup.
10. Rebels -- Well coached team with a lot of talent. Ran into a buzz saw versus the new improved Legends Corona team.
11. Beach Lohn -- Strong team, but like Rebels, they ran into hot Legends Corona team in CRL Cup. Did I mention Legends Corona is now really good.
12. AC Brea -- This team has been near the top for several years. They've never been able to take the next step, but they are always good.
13. Slammers FC SM -- Strong Discovery League Team could surprise people. 2nd Slammers team in the top 15.
14. Murrieta Surf -- Champions division winner always plays tough. Had a tough SCDSL showcase against Navy, GPS, and Hawks, but that was expected. Hopefully, the high level opponents were a great warm up for this tough team.
15. LAGSB Elite -- 2 wins with 8-1 differential already. Runners up in Champions Division. Another team no one wants to play.
16. Legends DPL -- Best of the DPL teams is still no where near the top. This team could surprise though.
17. San Diego Strikers -- Tough team with decent CRL showing and first round bye.
18. San Diego Academy Orange -- Navy B team is still better than most. Managed to tie Hawks 1-1 in Discovery League Play. Definitely not your average B team.
19. Real So Cal Santa Clarita -- Another team that has been good for a while. They just have never been really good. They always seem to lose their top players, which will keep them from ever being elite.
20. South Slammers Elite -- One more Slammers team that could win some games.
21. Olimpus FC -- Strong team that often surprises its opponents. Would not be shocked to see them in the final 16.
22. San Diego Force -- tough 2 tie start, but this team should still advance and can definitely win some games. This is a Discovery team that had some good SCDSL games and finished in the top half of the bracket. Win over Slammers HB Elite highlighted this team's season. Would be ranked much higher if not for the rough start.
23. CZ Elite -- This team was a top 10 team for years. That run is definitely over. With their fantastic coach seemingly spending more time out of the country than in it, plus several top players moving on, this team is definitely a sinking ship.
24. South Slammers JC -- Another dangerous Slammers team. How many are there?
25. Blues Helm -- The fact that this is the highest ranked Blues team is a big surprise. Blues just has too many other good teams between ECNL and Academy. Can the Helm team represent the Blue name.
