A great Next Level Invitational - Fall Event. Weather was great for a fall event and everything seemed to run smoothly. Referees at these events will never be perfect, but all in all was okay.

It was great to watch six of the eight elite level HOCO teams play each other (no Madlax or 91). There were some great games and as much as we know it was just a "fall event"....teams / coaches were playing to win especially in the close battles. Love the field layout as it allows you to watch a lot of different teams play in a short amount of time. I got to float around and watch my son's team (Next Level) along with many other teams. My analysis from what I saw................

Next Level (2-0-1):
11-3: Over Predators.......Predators was the weakest team in attendance.
5-5: Great battle between two teams. Both teams were playing to win, and I thought Next Level was about to pull away, but Hawks responded in true Hawks fashion. Game played a quick 4 minute overtime and ended in a tie.
5-4: Another great battle and one that I thought was headed to overtime as well. FCA had several possessions with the game tied at 4-4 in the last 4 minutes of the game, but couldn't find the back of the net. An incredible goal with 30 seconds left sealed the deal for Next Level.

Overview: Loved seeing how much pressure Next Level put on the ball all over the field. They have great athletes at midfield and defense. #3 - Midfielder continues to be a man amongst boys and generated a lot of the offense in games I saw. Great team that should continue to be a top 10 team in the country and could be top 4 depending on how things continue.

Hawks (2-0-1):
6-4: Over FCA. Another dog fight. Was the first game of the day and definitely sloppy at times. Two very good teams, but Hawks seems to always find a way to be on top at the end.
5-5: with Next Level (see above)
8-7: Over True Chesapeake. A really good game. True Chesapeake has definitely improved with the merger with VLC.

Overview: Was curious to see if Hawks had many new players and didn't see many. There staple players seemed to still be the same. Lots of people were talking about their goalie situation on the sidelines, and from what it sounds like they will continue to fly in their goalie from last year as much as possible (he's a difference maker). Hawks has that compete factor and was down a few times, but showed the will to battle back each time. Very impressive team, who will only get better. I think you still have to say they are #1 until they are dethroned. I see them as a top 5 team in the country.

True Chesapeake (2-1):
9-5: Over Crabs.....not close at all. Started to display new weapons on offense.
12-1: Over Preds.....dominated them.....could have been even worse.
7-8: Loss to Hawks.....

Overview: Would like to have seen True Chesapeake play another team like Next Level or FCA, but they clearly have added several new pieces with the collapse of the VLC elite team. There offensive firepower will need time to gel, but they are going to be very good. Several great attackman and midfielders. They could definitely be a top 10 team in the country.

FCA (1-2):
4-6: Loss to Hawks. Very good game.... (see above)
10-4: Over Crabs......not close at all. FCA won almost every face off and could have been worse.
4-5: Loss to Next level. As a parent my favorite game of the day. Very physical and fun game to watch. (see above).

Overview: FCA looked to have several new pieces on the field, but will it be enough to push them to the top? They might just need some time to gel or it might be the same as last year where they are the last team out looking in on the playoffs. They definitely ride their strengths at goalie and defense. They could definitely be a top 10 team in the country once again, or could slide to top 20.

Crabs (1-2):
5-9: Loss to True Chesapeake
4-10: Loss to FCA
10-5: win over Predators

Overview: Crabs.....LTLC.......Legends......we will call them Crabs for this event.....seemed to have a lot of new players on the field. Was surprised they just seemed to be "smaller" and less physical then most. #26 - Midfielder was not on the field (not sure why) and most of the goals scored / offense was generated from #89. Curious to see if they go out an find some out of state upgrades, or if this could be a mediocre season ahead for Crabs 29's.

Predators (0-3):
3-11: Loss to Next Level
1-12: Loss to True Chesapeake
5-10: Loss to Crabs

Overview: A step up from AAA to Elite is always an eye opener for most teams. Appeared to have a lot of new players and definitely more talent, but it's going to take some time for them to build and gel as a team. Could be a long year ahead for them in rebuilding.......I'm sure they are thankful that Team 91 will be in Elite as well.

Early Rankins from just what I saw
1stA - Hawks
1stB - Next Level
2nd - True Ches / FCA (wish that True would have played Next Level to get a better sense)
3rd - Crabs
4th - Predators