Tennessee Youth Soccer Rankings: The Complete Parent's Guide (2026)

A U14 team from Collierville and a U14 team from Knoxville are more than 350 miles apart, most of it on I-40. In a typical season they might share a single tournament weekend, or never meet at all. The Collierville side will see plenty of teams from across the Mississippi line; the Knoxville side is more likely to be driving to Georgia.

That's Tennessee youth soccer. The state's competitive game runs through four metros — Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga — spread across all three of Tennessee's Grand Divisions, and each one faces a different set of neighbours. Your league record tells you how you did against the teams near you. Rankings are how you find out what it means everywhere else.

Why Tennessee Soccer Rankings Matter

In most states, "who's the best team in the state" is a question the schedule eventually answers. In Tennessee, the schedule mostly points out of state. Memphis clubs play into Mississippi and Arkansas, Chattanooga and Knoxville clubs play into Georgia, and Nashville's biggest programs travel all over the Southeast and Midwest. Two Tennessee teams can post identical records against almost entirely different opponents.

Rankings give you three things standings can't:

1. Cross-state context — How does your Tennessee SC team actually compare to a Germantown Legends side out of Memphis, or an FC Alliance team from Knoxville?
2. Informed club decisions — At tryouts, rankings let you compare Tennessee SC, Lobos Rush, Tennessee United, Nashville United and One Knox on one scale instead of on reputation.
3. Realistic expectations — Winning your local flight is a starting point. ECNL, MLS NEXT, State Cup and the US Youth Soccer National Championships are where the number gets tested.

See where your team stands now: View all Tennessee youth soccer rankings

The Tennessee Youth Soccer Landscape

We track 1,308 Tennessee teams that have played in the past year. Of those, 238 have played enough games to carry a published ranking — that's the number behind every table on this page. A team needs enough recorded results before its rating means anything, and many Tennessee teams, especially at the younger ages, haven't reached that yet.

Geographic Soccer Regions

• Nashville / Middle Tennessee — Tennessee SC (48 ranked teams) is the state's largest club, headquartered in Franklin with sites in Williamson County, Murfreesboro, Sumner County, Nashville and the Upper Cumberland. Tennessee United SC (17) is based in Hendersonville, Nashville United Soccer Academy (15) in Brentwood, and Kings Hammer runs its Tennessee program out of Murfreesboro. Armada FC trains in Bellevue and Antioch, and Nashville SC's academy competes in MLS NEXT.
• Memphis / West Tennessee — Lobos Rush (28 ranked teams) is headquartered in Collierville with fields in East Memphis and across the state line in DeSoto County, Mississippi. Germantown Legends (25) is based at the Germantown Soccerplex, and Midsouth Futbol plays out of Bartlett.
• Knoxville and the Tri-Cities / East Tennessee — FC Alliance (18 ranked teams) is based in Knoxville, with its FC Alliance North branch serving Johnson City, Bristol and Southwest Virginia. One Knox Youth Club (12) is the youth arm of Knoxville's One Knox SC.
• Chattanooga / Southeast Tennessee — Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (11 ranked teams) and Chattanooga FC Academy (10) both run competitive programs in the city, and the Red Wolves also operate sites in Athens and in North Georgia.
• Upper Cumberland — All-In FC TN covers Cookeville and Crossville, between Nashville and Knoxville.

Major Tennessee Soccer Clubs

Clubs with 10 or more ranked teams in our database:

Team counts are ranked teams only — clubs with large recreational or developmental programs run bigger than these numbers suggest.

Leagues Active in Tennessee

Tennessee has the full national-league ladder, and it's spread across the state rather than concentrated in one city. Here's where each league sits for the 2026-27 season:

• ECNL — Tennessee SC and FC Alliance field boys and girls teams. Germantown Legends, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Lobos Rush and Tennessee United SC field boys teams, with Tennessee United's boys newly promoted for 2026-27.
• ECNL Regional League — Boys and girls teams from Tennessee SC, FC Alliance, Germantown Legends and Lobos Rush; girls teams from Tennessee United SC and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
• MLS NEXT — Nashville SC, Nashville United Soccer Academy and Chattanooga FC Academy in the Homegrown Division, and Kings Hammer and One Knox in the Academy Division.
• Girls Academy (GA) — Nashville United Soccer Academy and One Knox, with Kings Hammer and Chattanooga FC Academy in GA's Aspire league.
• National 1 League — The league US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer formed for 2026-27 by bringing together the National Premier Leagues (NPL) and US Youth Soccer's National League. Nashville United Soccer Academy is among its Tennessee clubs.

Plus state-level competition through the Tennessee State Soccer Association, the US Youth Soccer state association, founded in 1976, which runs the Tennessee State Cup.

How Tennessee Soccer Rankings Actually Work

Most ranking systems — GotSoccer being the biggest — award points for where a team places in tournaments and league flights, which can reward volume over quality. A team that enters 15 events and wins weak brackets can outrank a team that plays a harder schedule at fewer events.

That's not how PitchRank works.

What PitchRank Tracks for Tennessee Teams

We track every game we can find — league play, tournaments, friendlies, showcases — across all 1,308 Tennessee teams we follow.

Here's the short version of how your team's ranking is calculated:

1. Base rating — Every team starts neutral and moves with each game played
2. Strength of schedule — Beating a top ECNL side means more than beating a developmental team. Losing to a strong opponent hurts less than losing to a weak one.
3. Recency — Last month's games count more than games from 10 months ago
4. Consistency — Steady performance ranks higher than wild swings between blowout wins and bad losses

The result is a PowerScore between 0.0 and 1.0 that lets you compare teams within the same age group at a glance.

Tennessee's Age Group Breakdown

Ranked Tennessee teams by age group:

U14 and U15 are the deepest ranked pools in the state. We actually track slightly more teams at U11 through U13; older teams simply play more of the league and showcase games we record, so more of them qualify for a ranking. If your child is in U13 or younger, expect a smaller ranked board and a ranking that firms up as the season goes on.

Note that PitchRank files U18 teams into U19, so the U19 board covers both.

What Your Tennessee Team's Ranking Actually Tells You

You check PitchRank and see your U15 team is ranked #12 in Tennessee. What does that mean?

State vs National Rankings

• State rank — Where your team stands among Tennessee teams in the same age group and gender
• National rank — Where your team stands among all teams in that age group and gender nationwide

Reality check: Tennessee's ranked boards are small, so a state rank is drawn from a short list — at U10 there are six ranked teams across boys and girls combined. Because Tennessee teams play so much of their schedule out of state, their results are well connected to the national picture, and the national rank is often the more informative number.

Age Group Matters More Than You Think

Rankings aren't comparable across age groups. A U11 team ranked #5 in Tennessee isn't in the same position as a U14 team ranked #5. Why?

• Competition density — U14 has 47 ranked teams; U11 has 17
• Development stages — Rankings are more volatile in younger age groups
• Playing up — Some teams compete a year up for tougher games, which changes what their record means

Pro tip: Always check your specific age group when looking at Tennessee soccer rankings.

What Rankings Don't Tell You

Rankings measure competitive results. They can't measure:

• Individual player development — A top-ranked team might not be the right fit for your child's growth
• Coaching quality — Some lower-ranked teams have better developmental coaches than win-now programs
• Team culture — Your kid's enjoyment matters more than a number
• College fit — D3 coaches care about GPA and character more than PowerScore

If a club director sells you on rankings alone but can't explain their development philosophy, that's a red flag.

How to Use Tennessee Rankings When Choosing a Club

Rankings are one tool at tryout time — here's how to use them well.

Questions to Ask Club Directors

When you're comparing Tennessee SC vs Tennessee United vs Nashville United, or Lobos Rush vs Germantown Legends:

1. "How do your teams' rankings trend over time?" — Upward trends suggest good coaching. Flat or declining suggests stagnation.
2. "What's the strength of schedule for this age group?" — Are they playing real competition or filling the calendar with easy brackets?
3. "Where does this age group travel, and how often?" — In Tennessee the answer shapes both your family's weekends and how reliable the team's ranking is.
4. "How many players from this group have moved into ECNL or MLS NEXT rosters?" — Player progression matters more than team rank.

Finding the Right Competition Level

The best team for your child isn't always the highest-ranked one. Look for a team that:

• Plays opponents 10–20 ranking positions above AND below them
• Gives your child 30+ minutes per game
• Challenges without crushing confidence
• Fits your family's travel budget and schedule

Red Flags

• Cherry-picking opponents — Teams that pad records against the same weak flight. Their ranking will plateau.
• Wild ranking swings — Could signal roster instability or inconsistent coaching
• Ranking guarantees — No legitimate club can promise a specific ranking

Tennessee Plays Across State Lines

Here's the number that makes Tennessee different. Of the 3,893 games we've recorded for ranked Tennessee teams over the past year, only about a third were against other Tennessee teams. Georgia opponents account for 13%, Mississippi for 10%, and Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky together for roughly 15%.

Each metro leans a different way:

• Memphis clubs play into the Mid-South. Lobos Rush, Midsouth Futbol and Germantown Legends each play roughly a fifth to a quarter of their recorded games against Mississippi teams, and Midsouth Futbol another 18% against Arkansas. The Memphis metro itself crosses the state line, so many of those games are a short drive.
• Chattanooga and Knoxville clubs play into Georgia. Chattanooga FC Academy plays 43% of its recorded games against Georgia teams, and One Knox 31%.
• Nashville's national-league programs range furthest. Nashville United Soccer Academy plays only about a fifth of its recorded games in state, and more than a fifth against Georgia teams alone.

What that means for parents:

• A Tennessee team's schedule is rarely Tennessee-only, so its ranking is tied to opponents from half a dozen states. That tends to make the number more reliable, not less — more distinct opponents means a better-supported rating.
• Two Tennessee teams that never play each other can still be compared, because they share opponents in Georgia, Mississippi and the Midwest.
• If your team plays only inside its own metro, treat the ranking as provisional. State Cup and out-of-state events are where it gets confirmed.

Tennessee State Cup and Rankings

The Tennessee State Soccer Association runs a fall State Cup for boys U15–U19 and a spring State Cup for girls U12–U19 and boys U12–U14. Only the top eight teams in the final Tennessee State League standings qualify. In the U13–U19 age groups, champions of the top National Championship Series division advance directly to the US Youth Soccer National Championships, while Presidents Cup division champions go first to a national qualifier.

Where rankings fit in:

• Qualification — Your final Tennessee State League standing, not your ranking, decides whether your team plays State Cup. Rankings show how that league finish compares with teams outside your division
• Competition quality — State Cup pulls Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga programs into one bracket, which doesn't happen often during the season
• Exposure — It's one of the few weekends where the state's metros are measured against each other under real stakes

If your team is ranked in the top 10–15% in Tennessee and qualifies through the State League, State Cup is where that number gets tested against the rest of the state.

The College Recruiting Reality Check

Let's be honest about what Tennessee rankings mean for recruiting.

What Coaches Actually Look At

1. Individual highlight video — YOUR child, not team stats
2. Academic eligibility — NCAA core-course GPA requirements and each college's own admission standards filter players before rankings matter
3. Showcase attendance — ECNL, MLS NEXT and Girls Academy events, where coaches can see many teams in one weekend
4. Direct contact — Emails to coaches with video links beat high rankings

Rankings by Division

• Division I — Coaches notice teams in the top 5% nationally
• Division II — Top 15–20% nationally gets attention, but individual performance matters more
• Division III — Rankings barely factor in. Academics, character, and fit drive decisions.

Tennessee's reality: because Tennessee teams already play most of their recorded games out of state, the state's top programs are measured against Southeast and Midwest competition every season. Once your child hits U15, the national rank is the more useful number for recruiting conversations.

Using PitchRank to Track Tennessee Rankings

Step 1: Find Your Team

Visit PitchRank.io and search for your club by name and age group. You'll see your current state and national rank, recent results, and PowerScore trend over time.

Step 2: Compare Your Competition

Look at the teams you play regularly. Are they ranked higher or lower? That tells you whether your flight is appropriately competitive.

Step 3: Track Changes Through the Season

Rankings shift as new games are played. Check weekly to see how results move your team.

Ready to check? See all Tennessee youth soccer rankings

Browse Tennessee Rankings by Age Group

Frequently Asked Questions

How are Tennessee youth soccer teams ranked?

PitchRank ranks Tennessee teams using a rating algorithm that evaluates game-by-game results, strength of schedule, goal differential, recency, and consistency. Rankings update every Monday and currently cover 238 ranked Tennessee teams drawn from 1,308 we track statewide.

What are the biggest youth soccer clubs in Tennessee?

By ranked team count: Tennessee SC (48), Lobos Rush (28), Germantown Legends (25), FC Alliance (18), Tennessee United SC (17), Nashville United Soccer Academy (15), One Knox Youth Club (12), Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (11) and Chattanooga FC Academy (10).

Does Tennessee have ECNL and MLS NEXT teams?

Yes, and they're spread across the state. Tennessee SC and FC Alliance field ECNL boys and girls teams, and Germantown Legends, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Lobos Rush and Tennessee United SC field ECNL boys teams. All six also field ECNL Regional League teams. MLS NEXT runs through Nashville SC, Nashville United Soccer Academy and Chattanooga FC Academy in the Homegrown Division and through Kings Hammer and One Knox in the Academy Division. Girls Academy teams play through Nashville United Soccer Academy and One Knox.

Why do Tennessee teams play so many out-of-state games?

Of the 3,893 games we've recorded for ranked Tennessee teams over the past year, only about a third were against other Tennessee teams. Memphis clubs play heavily into Mississippi and Arkansas, Chattanooga and Knoxville clubs into Georgia, and Nashville's national-league programs across the Southeast and Midwest. That spread ties Tennessee rankings closely to the national picture.

How does the Tennessee State Cup work?

The Tennessee State Soccer Association runs a fall State Cup for boys U15–U19 and a spring State Cup for girls U12–U19 and boys U12–U14. Only the top eight teams in the final Tennessee State League standings qualify. In the U13–U19 age groups, champions of the top National Championship Series division advance directly to the US Youth Soccer National Championships, while Presidents Cup division champions go first to a national qualifier.

About PitchRank: We track youth soccer rankings across all 50 states using transparent, game-by-game data. No politics, no favoritism — just math. Check your Tennessee team's ranking at PitchRank.io.