Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Busan IPark FC (South Korea)
CAI de la Chorrera (Panama)
Club América (Mexico)
CF Monterrey (Mexico)
F.C. Copenhagen (Denmark)
Nagoya Grampus (Japan)
Red Bull Bragantino (Brazil)
SK Slavia Prague (Czechia)
VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

FC Barcelona (Spain)
FC Bayern (Germany)
Mile Gully FC (Jamaica)
PSV (Netherlands)
RSC Anderlecht (Belgium)
Seongnam FC (South Korea)
Toulouse FC (France)
Valencia CF (Spain)

FC Cincinnati
FCC have delivered good results consistently this season and have a well-rounded team. They've only lost to one MLS Academy team this year, Philadelphia Union, who we'll get to in a minute. They have a solid center-back pairing in Mateo Anderson and Pierce Bikoko. Their midfield is led by one of the best sixes in the 2011 class, Hudson Cicala, and will be supported by talented 2012 Hassan Sakr. The attack is fueled by USYNT regular Ryan Schlotterbeck and the versatile Gabriel Jones. And FCC always bring some intriguing guest players.

Colorado Rapids
The Rapids are a little bit of a sleeper pick, but I like the makeup of their team. They don't have as impressive of a record as some of the other teams, but they have good players in the right positions for a tournament. They have one of the top keepers in the 2011 age group in Parker Henry, and a keeper can always carry a team far in a tournament. Aiden Appiah is a versatile USYNT player that can play at right-back and midfield. The attack lacks stars but has a lot of effective players, like Iker Ojeda Meza.

Orlando City
Orlando is without a doubt one of the most talented teams in the 2011 age group and will be a tough out for any team that faces them. The only MLS Academy team they didn't take all three points from was FC Dallas, otherwise they've put up a lot of lopsided score lines. They also have a pretty weak group, so they should get through pretty unscathed. The squad itself is very well-rounded and deep. They really don't have any major weak spots up and down the eleven. They have one of the top keepers in the class in Luan Silva, one of the top midfielders in Maxi Alvarez and one of the top strikers in RJ Atali. And these three are surrounded by good players.

Philadelphia Union
I came away from the Snow Bowl being super impressed with the toughness, resilience and competitiveness of this group. They went toe to toe with some very good academies, eventually losing in the final to CF Monterrey. They have one of the best backlines in the 2011 class in newly acquired Jacob Mays, Kai Simmonds, Caleb Chabala and Jayden Staines. And if Chabala plays in the midfield, he's replaced with USYNT center-back Jaxson Fulmer. The attack is fueled by attacking midfielder Troy Raneses and striker Jude Larbi. And there might be a younger player attending that could add a lot to this team.

San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose has some impressive results under their belt this season. They've beat two of the teams on this list and tied Philadelphia Union at MLS Next Fest. They also have a very deep and talented team led by midfielder Dino Shang, winger Nathan Sandi, center-back Kaeden Korgav and left-back Fran Rowda. And if Reggie Bailey and Wilson Marzariegos play in their own age group, which they haven't done much of this year, look out.

GK: Zach Lapierre, New England Revolution: Consistently rated the top keeper in a deep keeper class.

LB: Andre Campbell, Inter Miami: One of the most underappreciated players in this class.

RB: Jacob Mays, Philadelphia Union: Recently signed with Philly and I'm excited to see how he responds to this level.

CB: Malachi Joseph, New York Red Bulls (may play with U-16s): Another very underappreciated prospect that has been fully playing up for the last several months.

CB: Mason Washington, LAFC (may play with U-16s): Probably the top 1v1 defender in this class.

DM: Nick Harris, St. Louis City (may play with U-16s): My top-rated defensive mid — interested to see which team he plays with.

CM: Leo Woehl, Columbus Crew: Has been consistently one of the top performers all year.

CM: Ian Miller, Portland Timbers: One of the most interesting and exciting players to watch. I'm excited to see him in person for the first time.

W: Chris Fitanidis, Cedar Stars Bergen: Mainly interested to see how Fitanidis fares against top competition, something he hasn't had an opportunity to do a lot this year.

W: Nosa Osagie, Minnesota United (likely with U-16s): One of the most exciting and emerging prospects in this class.

CF: Santi Suarez, Atlanta United (definitely with U-16s): Will lead the line for one of the favorites in the 2010 age group.

Atlanta United
To me, the MLS favorites to win this age group. They were dominant at Fest and they have top-tier talent up and down the lineup. They're led by USYNT regulars: Seyi Fakiseyi, Fred Bond, David Ilevbare (who will be rejoining this team even though he's primarily been with the U-18s) and the aforementioned top 2011 striker, Santi Suarez. This team can score goals in bunches.

Chicago Fire
The Fire have underperformed a bit this year, but I'll take a bet on the talent, especially if two of their top players, Robert Turdean and Brody Williams, come down to play. If those two are there, combined with JJ Nemo, one of the top keepers in the class, Deandre Beckford, one of the rising stars in this class, and USYNT midfielder Chris Morales, the straw that stirs the drink for this team — they have the talent to beat anyone.

St. Louis City
St. Louis City was another one of the most impressive teams at MLS Next Fest and played Atlanta to a thrilling 6-5 loss. They have stars in attack in Eddie Niles and Kane Kraus and could be boosted by a trio of quality 2011s in Nick Harris, Tommy DiMaria and Miroslav Levkovsky.

Philadelphia Union
Philly Union won MLS Cup last year in this age group and they have the pedigree that will make them very tough to beat in this tournament. They were also highly tested at their recent Snow Bowl tournament. They have USYNT players all over the lineup including Abram Judy, Christopher Thompson, Landon Mulvenna, Abdoulaye Diop, Samuel Gallegos and Timoni Gbalajobi. And this doesn't include USYNT hopefuls Logan Huffman and Jayden Kouadio. This might be the deepest team in the age group.

Seattle Sounders
The Sounders' 2010 group has quietly put together a very solid campaign so far. They're led by two stars at the back and front of the lineup: GK Jackson Dale and CF Landon Lucero. If both have big tournaments they could make a run. And these two are surrounded by a very good supporting cast.

GK, Connor Dale, FC Cincinnati: I think you could make the case that he's the most talented goalkeeping prospect in the United States right now.

LB, Seyi Fakiseyi, Atlanta United: Far and away the top left-back prospect in the 2010 class.

RB, Dominick Lester, FC Cincinnati: Continues to be overlooked by U.S. Soccer — perhaps a strong GA Cup can change their mind?

CB, Mikel Akinmboni, D.C. United: Fresh off his first USYNT camp, he'll need a great tournament for D.C. to make a run.

CB: Antoni James, Orlando City: As talented as any center-back in this class, he's adapted to the MLS Academy level quickly and could have a breakout tournament.

DM, David Ilevbare, Atlanta United: He's been a U-18 regular, but he'll come down to try and lead Atlanta to a trophy.

CM, Abdoulaye Diop, Philadelphia Union: Which Diop will show up? The passive one or the dominant one? If it's the dominant one, Philly will be very hard to beat.

AM, Eddie Niles, St. Louis City: If Vegas had odds on it, Niles might be the favorite to win player of the tournament in this age group.

W, Deandre Beckford, Chicago Fire: This could be Beckford's coming out party.

W, Joshua Boney, FC Cincinnati: Boney has recovered from a hand injury and is cleared to play for his new club on a big stage.

CF, Landon Lucero, Seattle Sounders: He isn't my top-rated CF in this class, but he's been the most productive and is another candidate for player of the tournament.