The Area's Top Club?

It seems like now days it's not one specific club that dominates every age group like they used to. It depends on the age group because there are many independent teams that are just as good as most big club teams but don't get recognized because nobody knows about them. But if you had to pick a top club I would go with Eclipse even though I am not a fan of them.

I would say....Eclipse on the womans side and SockersFC on the mens side

FC United

Sockers FC Chicago, no question, on the boys side -- and, increasingly, on the girls side, too. And it's not just about winning. It's how they teach the boys to play the right way, developing skill, then tactics and worrying last about winning but still winning a lot. Ahmed Gad deserves special mention for coaching at the U13 level, boys and girls, even though, with an 'A' license, his playing background in Egypt and his caring attitude, he obviously could coach at a higher / older level.

I agree about Sockers, but don't forget about their other top coaches, too -- Batata and Nino and David Richardson. And the kids -- they see the standards are high, and they work hard to live up to them.

Hey, don't forget about the girls: The Sockers have THREE girls who just got called up to the U15 Girls National Team -- Kelli Hubly, Katie Naughton and Courtney Raetzman. Which says a lot about what coach Oleg Vatchev is doing and generally about how the Sockers aren't just about boys any more -- no matter what Eclipse might want kids and parents to believe.

I tend to look at where college teams are recruting. At the moment there are eight teams left in the NCAA Division 1 championship playoffs. You can easily access on the internet all the rosters of these teams through their college affiliation. There are at least TEN players of this Chicago area club in the NCAA playoffs in the final eight teams. YOU figure it out ( at least on the girls side.)

OK, with 16 schools left in the NCAA 2009 men's Division 1 soccer tournament, here's the breakdown (based on each school's 2009 roster, plus, in a couple of cases where schools didn't list clubs -- like Tim Linden of Harvard -- a bit of further digging):

Chicago Magic - 7
Sockers FC Chicago - 6
Chicago Fire - 2
Chicago Wind - 1 (Northwestern's own Matt "Eli" Eliason)
FC United - 3
Eclipse Select - 1

Plus, there was one from the Rockford Raptors, for those whose geographical limitations are loose enough to include Rockford as part of 'Chicago.'

Probably not a definitive statement on the current status / quality of local clubs, but some food for thought.

Numbers Man:

Yes there are 16 division 1 mens teams left. And 8 Division 1 womens teams. Oh, but I guess the womens teams don't count.