Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The curtain drops and everything goes up a notch or two.
Such is the nature of the first week of soccer. The summer and the offseason training fuse together. Until the games start, intuition and implication dominate the thinking. Now the hard data starts to pile up and everything shakes out, or up, depending on your point of view.
The team of the week is Glenbrook North. One rival conference coach said the Spartans might have their best team ever. Hyperbole is a given at this time of year. The Glenbrook North did post an eye-opening victory over traditional power Lyons in the Northside College Showcase at New Trier.
Warren and Hersey played the first day of the season to a 1-1 draw, a prelude of their respective strengths. Warren has emerged as the top threat to defending Class 3A state champion and top-ranked Libertyville in the reconfigured North Suburban. Hersey has also been dominant against the rest of the slate.
Of course, nobody ever won a state championship in the second week of the regular season. Everything is fluid at this time of year, and teams are going to rise and fall in the rankings, with some coming out of the blue. The season began without a clear no. 1, and it may be some time until the bigger picture begins to emerge.
Until then, enjoy the wild times and the great soccer.
Editor's note: Records through Sunday, August 28.
The curtain drops and everything turns up a notch or two.
The curtain drops and everything turns up a notch or two.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The curtain drops and everything goes up a notch or two.
Such is the nature of the first week of soccer. The summer and the offseason training fuse together. Until the games start, intuition and implication dominate the thinking. Now the hard data starts to pile up and everything shakes out, or up, depending on your point of view.
The team of the week is Glenbrook North. One rival conference coach said the Spartans might have their best team ever. Hyperbole is a given at this time of year. The Glenbrook North did post an eye-opening victory over traditional power Lyons in the Northside College Showcase at New Trier.
Warren and Hersey played the first day of the season to a 1-1 draw, a prelude of their respective strengths. Warren has emerged as the top threat to defending Class 3A state champion and top-ranked Libertyville in the reconfigured North Suburban. Hersey has also been dominant against the rest of the slate.
Of course, nobody ever won a state championship in the second week of the regular season. Everything is fluid at this time of year, and teams are going to rise and fall in the rankings, with some coming out of the blue. The season began without a clear no. 1, and it may be some time until the bigger picture begins to emerge.
Until then, enjoy the wild times and the great soccer.
Editor's note: Records through Sunday, August 28.
The curtain drops and everything turns up a notch or two.
The curtain drops and everything turns up a notch or two.
Look out for: Oak Lawn, Plainfield North, Loyola, Maine South, Streamwood, Glenbrook South, Metea Valley, Bloom, Grayslake Central, Lake Forest Academy, St. Francis, Lake Forest, Round Lake, Lane, Buffalo Grove.