Get To Know Me (Player Spotlight) – Ian Becerra

At Nebraska Soccer Talk, we love covering everything soccer related. For the most part, that means covering games and providing analysis/opinions. However, our overall mission and purpose is far reaching and ambitious. Our goal is to bring the soccer community closer together through collaboration and communication.  There are countless people that deserve recognition for their efforts as a player, official, or coach. Throughout the season, we will be highlighting these individuals through our Get To Know Me articles.

This will be a series made up of three different components. All of which are meant to bring attention to the soccer community.

  1. Get To Know Me (Coach Edition) – These individuals are responsible for building their programs, growing the game of soccer, and mentoring the next generation. We look forward to learning about their lives and philosophies.
  2. Get To Know Me (Player Edition) – This article series will focus on high school juniors and seniors that have demonstrated themselves to be quality players and people. With these features, our community will learn about some of the most impressive players in the state.
  3. Future of the Game – This article series will focus on the freshmen and sophomore classes. These are players that we will be covering for years to come.

Thank you to every individual that provided information for this idea. We appreciate your thoughtful and timely responses.

Ian Becerra

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Gil Becerra & Janet Scott

High School Soccer Team: Lincoln High School, Boys Varsity Team, 4-year starter

Position: Attacking Midfield

Club Team: Hawks FC, 2002 Boys / NFC, 02 Stevenson – 2020 State Champions

Grade: 12th

What is your favorite subject in school? Why? History & Spanish. I have had awesome teachers – shout out to Chris Turley, Andrew Bargen, and Señora Stetson.

What are your future plans? Undecided. I plan to attend college and would like to continue playing soccer, but I’m still considering my options.

Who’s your favorite soccer player and why?

Andres Iniesta or Ronaldinho. I love Iniesta’s style of play and how he can see a play before anyone else and execute it through a perfect pass. I love Ronaldinho’s flair and how much he loves playing; he always has a smile on his face.

Throughout your high school career, you have undoubtedly learned many lessons and matured as a  player. Based on those lessons and experiences, give three pieces of advice to your freshman self.

Stay focused on your goals. There are a lot of distractions, but if you really want something, be willing to work hard for what you want. You never know what you can or can’t do until you try. There is no off-season in soccer. Always play to the whistle.

Who has helped you become the player that you are today? How did they help you? Is there anything you would like to tell them?  

I have a lot of people to thank for helping me be the player that I am today. First, my parents have always pushed me to do better and work hard. My mom has sacrificed not just for me,  but for many other soccer kids. The Gil Becerra program has made all the difference. Chad Carter’s program helped too – he’s definitely taught me about style. Rashad Moxy pushed me to the limit – he made me cry, vomit, and cramp – but he made me better. He taught me to never be satisfied and to focus, not on my strengths, but on improving my weaknesses.

I want to thank all my club coaches since I was 4-yrs-old who have helped to shape my game and my personality. A special thank you to Coach Mike Dean of SOFC and Coach Malcolm Crummy of Hawks. Coach Alex Cerny believed in me and gave me a chance as a freshman. My 7th and 8th-grade cross country coach, Ms. Eastman, inspired my running. She taught me that every race and every game present a lesson to learn. Thank you to the 2006 Hawks team for teaching me about character and leadership. And finally, soccer is a team sport, so I have to thank my teammates on my club and high-school teams – I wouldn’t be the player or the person I am without them. 

Could you see yourself coaching soccer someday? Is that a path that you are interested in following? If so,  why?

Yes, because I’m good at seeing the little things that make a difference. I have mentored and helped coach younger Hawks players and I enjoy seeing their success in high-school. Soccer can be more than a sport, it can have major impact on what opportunities one has and what kind of character one develops. I want to be a part of this sport throughout my life.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast.

 

Omaha Northwest – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Omaha Northwest

Head Coach – No information found

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 4-12
2018 6-12

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell 

NEST Analysis – Despite the appearance of a low winning percentage in recent history, there should be optimism surrounding Omaha Northwest. With the emergence of a few quality players, those winning totals should begin to increase on an annual basis.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast.

 

 

Omaha North – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Omaha North

Head Coach – No information found

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 1-14
2018 0-18

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – A few wins and a season of purpose would do wonders for the Viking soccer program. First step in that process is finding a way to be competitive within the state of Nebraska. Omaha North has seen success throughout its athletic department, so a vibrant soccer team would be a welcomed addition to the school.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast.

 

Lincoln High – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln High

Head Coach – Shelly Fargo

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 6-9
2018 6-10

Players to Watch – Mackenzie Smith (Midland University soccer signee)

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – Lincoln High will look to improve upon their most recent run of results. Two six-win seasons have the Links in a similar position to many other programs. Lincoln High can be a competitive team on a nightly basis, but they are looking to truly turn the corner. Mackenzie Smith adds a talented piece to the overall puzzle. Her level of effectiveness will play a large part in shaping the outcome of the 2021 season.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast.

 

Lincoln North Star – Class A Team Preview (Boys)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln North Star

Head Coach – Jonathon Callaghan

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 2-14
2018 12-6

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – There is no sugar coating that 2019 was a very down year for Lincoln North Star. They are normally a very competitive program, but things went awry during the most recent season. This is a difficult team to evaluate because their most recent history provides very little intel to go off of. That uncertainty results in a “too early to tell” status. A rebound in results is expected from this proud program and we will be keen to watch them throughout the 2021 push.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Lincoln North Star – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln North Star

Head Coach – Ed Meitzen

Year Record
2019 7-9
2018 8-10

Players to Watch – 

  • Taylor Cumblidge (University of Missouri-Kansas City soccer signee)
  • Kate Jones
  • Kyler Hahn
  • Maram Hadi
  • Jaycee McFadden
  • Madison Burback
  • Smar Khudidah
  • Alexis Simmons

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – A very exciting season could be on the horizon for Lincoln North Star. During the 2019 season, a losing record was the final result. Look for that to change as North Star should be favored in many of their match-ups, especially at home. A plethora of talent will occupy the field wearing the blue and burgundy. Taylor Cumblidge will provide a dominating presence in the midfield for the Navigators. Cumblidge occupies a spot on our preseason players to watch list as she is a top 20 talent in the state. Coach Meitzen will have plenty of options as he develops his starting eleven, as you can see from our above list. This is an up-and-coming program that could make unexpected noise at the state tournament in 2021. While they fell just outside of the Top 10 for Class A, Lincoln North Star is a Team on the Verge in our pre-season list.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Lincoln Southwest – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln Southwest

Head Coach Info – Thomas Nettleton

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 11-4
2018 12-4

Players to Watch – Riley Wells (Washburn University soccer signee), Kayla Hassler (University of Nebraska-Omaha soccer commit)

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – Another participant for Lincoln soccer supremacy, the Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks appear ready to contend for the 2021 state title. This is a program filled with flair and style that is an enjoyable watch for any soccer fanatic. That playing style has resulted in tremendous success on a yearly basis. Southwest will be anchored by two returning talents in Riley Wells and Kayla Hassler. Hassler will be the catalyst and provides an exceptional player to build around. Coach Nettleton is a respected presence on the sideline for the LSW program. Few teams will win the coaching battle when facing this squad. In our pre-season Class A poll, the Silver Hawks claim the #9 ranking.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Class A Girls – Pre-Season Top 10 List

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. In the following article series, we will reveal our Pre-Season Top 10 rankings for the 2021 season.

This poll was developed while considering many different factors including program track records, recommendations from coaches, and roster strength. With that being said, much of this is subjective and opinions can vary. The rankings will be updated on bi-weekly basis. To the best of our ability, these rankings will reflect the reality of the soccer environment. Adjustments will be made as the season progresses and many conversations will take place. We look forward to those discussions. At season’s end, we will look back to review these pre-season rankings. What did we get right? Where did we go wrong? Which team surprised us all?

Also, included in each article is a section titled Teams on the Verge. These teams ranked just outside our Top 10 but are considered to be in contention. The rankings are fluid and flexible; any team could quickly enter our Top 10 list.

Class A Girl’s Pre-Season List

  1. Lincoln East
  2. Gretna
  3. Papillion-La Vista
  4. Omaha Marian
  5. Lincoln Southeast
  6. Millard West
  7. Elkhorn South
  8. Papillion-La Vista South
  9. Lincoln Southwest
  10. Millard North

Teams on the Verge: Kearney, Bellevue West, Lincoln North Star, Millard South, Norfolk, Omaha South, Omaha Westside, Columbus, North Platte

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Lincoln Southeast – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln Southeast

Head Coach Info Liz Sundberg

Previous Records

Year Record
2019 11-2
2018 15-1

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

Previous Season Accomplishments – 2019 Class A State Qualifier

NEST Analysis – A true battle for Lincoln city supremacy will take place yet again during the 2021 season. Lincoln Southeast is one of two LPS team’s that have a chance to contend for a state title which will add more fuel to their rivalry. The Knights are a highly organized and motivated squad that demonstrates a winner’s edge. Just by watching their warm up, you will understand the previous statement. Coach Sundberg has demonstrated herself to be a true tactician and team builder. A fantastic culture that demands buy-in from every individual has taken root at LSE.  Discovering known game changers and consistent performers will be a vital task for Southeast and a major storyline to watch for Nebraska Soccer Talk. There is faith that those critical pieces can be found in their large player pool. Lincoln Southeast begins the season ranked #5 in our Class A poll.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Class A Boys – Pre-Season Top 10 List

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible. 

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. In the following article series, we will reveal our Pre-season Top 10 rankings for the 2021 season. 

This poll was developed while considering many different factors including program track records, recommendations from coaches, and roster strength. With that being said, much of this is subjective and opinions can vary. The rankings will be updated on bi-weekly basis. To the best of our ability, these rankings will reflect the reality of the soccer environment. Adjustments will be made as the season progresses and many conversations will take place. We look forward to those discussions. At season’s end, we will look back to review these preseason rankings. What did we get right? Where did we go wrong? Which team surprised us all? 

Also including in each article is a section title Teams on the Verge. These teams ranked just outside our Top 10 but are considered to be in contention. The rankings are fluid and flexible, any team could quickly enter our Top 10 list.

Class A Boy’s Pre-Season List

  1. Creighton Prep
  2. Omaha South
  3. Gretna
  4. Lincoln Southwest 
  5. Papillion-La Vista South
  6. Papillion-La Vista
  7. Kearney
  8. Grand Island
  9. Lincoln East
  10. Omaha Bryan

Teams on the Verge: Omaha Burke, Lincoln High, Millard West, Elkhorn South, Omaha Central, Millard North, Omaha Westside, Columbus High, North Platte

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.