The past, present, and future of number one ranked teams
Ahead of this week’s United Soccer Coaches Rankings, 5wins thought it would be worthwhile to examine the recent history of the National Top 25. There have already been multiple shakeups in the top five this season, with several teams vying for that top spot. As the rankings begin to settle in for the season, let’s take a closer look at the movement in the polls: Who was No. 1 first, and who could be No. 1 next?
The Past
Florida State dropped from first to third last week, following a 1-1 draw at home to then-No. 24 Georgia. The drop wasn’t entirely a surprise – the Seminoles have six unavailable players currently participating in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. With multiple starters and stars missing, the next players up may not have had the same familiarity as a unit.
Florida State’s offense struggled to navigate tight spaces after pushing Georgia back into their defensive third. That led to less production on offense and fewer threats on the counter attack.
Here’s how Georgia opened the scoring against Florida State and knocked the Seminoles off their top spot:
The sequence starts with Florida State building out from the back, when defender Sophia Nguyen overcooks a pass out of bounds. When the ball sails out, the rest of the team is over-extended down the left side of the pitch.
Georgia responds quickly to try to capitalize in transition. Georgia right back Cate Hardin plays a beautiful pass to forward Margie Detrizio, breaking Florida State’s pressing lines and cutting six players out of the action in the process.
From there, Detrizio easily lays the ball off to midfielder Summer Denigan, who drives it forward against the Florida State backline. This generates an even 3-on-3 with multiple defenders pressuring from behind.
The problem for Florida State is that Nguyen is caught in no-man’s-land. She isn’t close enough to aggressively cover the advancing Denigan, but isn’t far enough to retreat and take away a runner. The moment she jumps forward, Denigan lays off a beautiful pass to Tori Penn crashing from the right, leading to the first goal scored on the Seminoles in 2024.
Veteran players like Taylor Huff will continue to guide Florida State until reinforcements come in later this month. She beared down on Denigan, tracking back to try and deny the opportunity, and scored the equalizer later in the game. Though Florida State is out of first for now, they bounced back well with dominant wins against Villanova and Florida, showing they can bide their time until the full team returns. Once at full strength, expect them to challenge for the top of the rankings.
The Present
Undefeated Stanford currently sits atop the rankings. As only one of six teams remaining in the Top 25 with a perfect record, Stanford has been off to a phenomenal start. The Cardinal control games with a stalwart and mercurial defense anchored by Jasmine Aikey, who switched from playing defensive midfield last season to center back. Aikey’s ability shines as she controls the tempo from the back of the offense, spraying passes out to open teammates.
While other teams often press up and try to box their opponents in while they have the ball, Stanford occasionally does the opposite, dropping two center backs to be parallel with the goalkeeper while building out from the back. This creates two underused spaces: First, a risky open space in front of the goal where the center backs had been positioned; and second, the space behind the defense that has to open up if they want to sustain pressure. Opponents find themselves having to choose between letting Stanford pin them back or coming onto them and opening spaces in between and behind their defense.
Stanford’s record is even more impressive with captain and elite central defender Elise Evans away at the U-20 World Cup. Her return will only further bolster an already elite Stanford squad that are cup contenders once again.
The Future
At the time of last week’s poll, there were six teams that hadn't dropped any points in the Top 25. Stanford was joined by Virginia, Auburn, Memphis, Utah State, and Kentucky as the only ranked teams with a clean slate as of September 10. Memphis will most surely slide in the rankings, having lost to unranked Tennessee while boasting just four wins.
Virginia is the strongest team in the field, currently sitting at No. 2 and primed to claim that top spot should Stanford falter. The Cavaliers’ season started with strong wins against Georgetown and Northwestern, which moved them into the rankings. They upset No. 3 Penn State on the road before easily dispatching a very talented Utah Valley squad that had given other powerhouse teams trouble. After one great week, Virginia jumped from No. 21 to No. 7. They’ve managed to maintain their top form all the way up to No. 2. Their next major test will be on September 21, when they’ll face No. 13 Notre Dame at home.
Auburn earned their spot in the top 10 by knocking off No. 5 Clemson in their season opener. They most recently beat No. 17 Ohio State and could keep climbing if they stay hot.
Despite being ranked second after preseason, BYU continues to freefall out of the rankings, suffering losses to Utah State and Arkansas. Utah State, meanwhile, is on the rise: Though Utah Valley and Texas Tech proved strong challengers, the Aggies won both those matchups. The schedule looks manageable for Utah State, and they could finish the regular season undefeated.
Kentucky has both played well so far this season, though they’re not without vulnerabilities. The Wildcats also have a brutal schedule over the next month, facing multiple teams that have strongly challenged ranked programs. Kentucky will go to No. 25 South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma in the span of ten days. Big matchups will likely decide if these undefeated teams finish in the top 10 or drop out of the rankings entirely.
The next United Soccer Coaches Rankings will be released Tuesday, September 17 at 3pm Eastern.