Best Soccer Clubs in North Texas

North Texas [Dallas/Fort Worth] arguably has the best youth soccer in America. Just this week a mom from L.A. whose family just moved here was saying how she thought Southern California was the most intense, but says Dallas is tied. The boys and girls both have top 10 ranked clubs in the US, not to mention the smaller clubs that develop at a young age.

Key Takeaways: Soccer Clubs in North Texas

Dallas–Fort Worth has one of the most competitive youth soccer environments in the United States.
Top clubs like Solar, FC Dallas, Dallas Texans, DKSC and Sting consistently compete at national levels.
Smaller clubs can still offer excellent coaching and development.
Exposure increases after age 13 when players attend showcases and national tournaments.
Individual training outside team practice is one of the biggest factor in player development.

Best Soccer Clubs in North Texas (Quick Comparison)

Below is a quick overview of some of the most recognized youth soccer clubs in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Scroll down for a full breakdown of each program.

Club	Main Location	Top Leagues	Notable Strength
Solar Soccer Club	Dallas / Tarrant County	ECNL	Consistently ranked among top clubs in every age group
FC Dallas Youth	Frisco	MLS NEXT	Professional development pathway
Dallas Texans	Farmers Branch	ECNL	Historic national powerhouse
DKSC	Farmers Branch	ECNL	Strong girls program nationally
Sting Soccer Club	Plano	ECNL	Long history of national success

Remember that the right club depends on coaching, development environment and the specific team within the club.

College coaches consistently say that technical ability and first touch are the biggest differences between average players and elite players.

Train Ball Control Like Elite Players

Biggest club doesn’t mean best team

It’s important to know that some of the smaller clubs have great teams and coaches.

Therefore, don’t think the most popular clubs are always best.

I personally train kids from all of the big clubs, but note that my company [GFT] is NOT a club, nor affiliated with any.

North Texas players can also train with me in person in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.

Train with Jeremie

Listed at the bottom are 25+ DFW soccer clubs.

Why North Texas produces elite soccer players

North Texas has become one of the strongest youth soccer regions in America. Several factors contribute to the level of play:

Large population and deep player pool
Professional development pathway through FC Dallas
Top national leagues like MLS NEXT, ECNL, Girls Academy
Competitive tournaments and showcases
A long time of strong club culture and coaching

Many players who eventually compete in college soccer or professional leagues develop through this environment.

You can also see how North Texas compares nationally in our guide to
the best youth soccer states in America.

Top 5 soccer clubs in North Texas + 50 more

Below are the top 5 ranked soccer clubs in North Texas.

Then if you read further, you’ll see (50+ soccer clubs) registered under North Texas Soccer.

Searching for a team/club is tough… You’ll have to spend time contacting them and asking questions.

Find a team with a coach who will develop and build your kids character.

There might be seasons where you have to take it as a learning lesson and move on the next season.

Don’t move on to a new team only because the team didn’t do well.

Some of the best teams at the U12 age group struggled to win at the U9…

If you have a good coach and group of parents and kids, stay put.

It takes multiple years to develop and winning games at a young age should not be the main focus.

How to choose the right soccer club in North Texas

Parents moving to Dallas / Fort Worth often assume the largest club is automatically the best option.

In reality, the right club depends on several factors.

Coaching quality and player development
Training environment and culture
League level (MLS NEXT, ECNL, etc.)
Travel expectations and family schedule

For younger players especially, development matters more than club name.

A strong coach at a smaller club can be better than a large club with limited attention.

How they are ranked

Remember, it’s not all about your age group… It’s important to gather details from all ages, both boys and girls.

History matters as some of these clubs won multiple national championships 5+ years ago.

Current standing of course matter. Each year teams can move up or down depending on if they are 1st or last in the standings.

Obviously to be a top club you have to have multiple top ranked teams in different age groups.

1) Solar Soccer Club

When you look at all ages, both boys and girls, Solar is easily one of the best soccer clubs in the nation.

From ages 7-8 all the way up to the U17 teams, they win lots of local and national championships.

It seems they are more about developing the players and club more than growing the numbers and teams.

If you’re looking for one of the best soccer clubs in North Texas, Solar is one to check out.

On the girls side, Solar is the #1 team in Texas. Soccer Wire ranked them #2 in America & #1 overall/boys and girls.

Note: these rankings are always changing, but the top clubs stay in the top 20 pretty consistently.

Boys side I would have to say #2 in Texas just because FCD boys ages 14-18 are the best in America…

Soccer wire ranked Solar boys #10 best club in America.

Leagues: ECNL, ECNL-RL

Main Location: Allen, TX

2) FC Dallas Youth Club

Obviously having the MLS pro team, FC Dallas youth is one of the biggest clubs in Texas.

When it comes to the older boys teams U14 – U18 FC Dallas [MLS Next] is what most people in America would say has been one of the best over the past 5-10 years. Between 2018 – 2023 they were by far the best in America.

Soccer wire recently ranked the boys FCD Academy as #1 club in America. Although, they have fallen a few slots.

They win the MLS Youth Academy league for most ages, at minimum finish top 4.

These teams compete against the other MLS teams from New York to Los Angeles.

Girls FCD were recently ranked #15 in America.

When it comes to your younger kids U8 – U12 they have tons of choices.

One single age group probably has at least 4-5 teams in Collin County alone.

So if you tryout for “FC Dallas” you’ll probably make it, but for which team?

Leagues: MLS Next, ECNL, ECNL-RL

Main Location: Frisco, TX.

3) Dallas Texans

The Dallas Texans are one of the oldest and most established soccer clubs in North Texas. They do well with all ages, both boys and girls.

Some of the best pro players grew up playing for the Texans.

The Boys side is ranked #16 in America by Soccer Wire.

Girls ranked #92…

Any club in the top 100 is quality.

Growing up, this was the team to be for my generation…

When I was in high school FC Dallas ( Previously Dallas Burn) and the MLS were just being launched.

So for clubs like the Texans, it was easier to be the top dog.

Leagues: ECNL, ECNL-RL

Main Location: Farmers Branch, TX.

4) DKSC

DKSC (D’Feeters/Kicks Soccer Club)has done well competing nationwide.

They used to be an all girls club and the model back in 2012 was that the coaches would only have 2 teams.

Back then the fees would be higher, but you were promised a coach for almost every game, which players liked.

This changed and now some of the coaches have 3-4+ teams.

In 2021 they ranked #31 and 2020, #35 in America of the top 100 girls clubs. DKSC will give some good choices if you want to be noticed.

Currently the boys have a few top teams in the nation.

Leagues: ECNL, ECNL-RL

Main location: Farmers Branch, TX

5) Sting Soccer Club

Sting is one of the best soccer clubs in North Texas also because of history. They have been around for decades.

For the longest time their brand was a all girls club.

Currently the girls highest level is ECNL, while the boys are in ECNL-RL.

Then around 2017 or so they had the opportunity to take over a boys club. At first the boys “Sting” was called the Titans, but now the full brand is Sting. You can do more research to learn more on this.

Girls side was recently ranked #52 best club in the U.S. They have some of the best ECNL teams in America.

One of the older clubs, the history is very strong and many national championships have been won.

Leagues: ECNL, ECNL-RL

Main Location: Plano, TX

Soccer clubs in North Texas by county

Note: Some of these clubs have locations in multiple counties.

For instance, a certain club can be in multiple counties, but most of the teams are in Dallas.

Other soccer clubs I recognize over the years are listed below.

If your club wants to be added, feel free to email me.

The point of this article is to help soccer families find the best soccer clubs in North Texas for YOUR unique situation.

Collin County

FC Dallas
Hornets
AYSES
Frisco Fusion
Dallas Roma FC
American Academy of Soccer
Warriors

Dallas County

Solar
DKSC formerly D’Feeters & Kicks
Texans
Sting
Atletico
BVB International Academy
Spiderz Soccer Club (Irving)
Coppell FC
North Dallas Panthers
Triumph
Cosmos
Dallas Tigres
Highland Park Scots
Avanti
Kernow Storm FC

Tarrant County

Texas Lightning Soccer Club
Fever
Texas Xtreme
Evolution
Saints
Mansfield Revolution
Fort Worth FC
Ulete FC
Victory SC

Denton County

North Texas Celtic
Dallas Surf
FC Legends Utd
North Texas Utd
LC United

Small and mid size soccer clubs in North Texas

There are about 60 soccer clubs in North Texas. Some come and go, joining with bigger clubs to give players more “opportunity”.

The reason they join a top club is for exposure and easier growth.

Some soccer parents want the big brand, so a with this comes easier recruitment.

Once kids are 13+ years old exposure does makes a difference.

The soccer clubs in North Texas that get invited to the big tournaments and showcases are the places players and parents want to be.

50+ soccer clubs registered in North Texas.

Some teams and players are located hours away driving 2-5 hours for practice and games.

See locations of clubs at the bottom.

You can find some of the best coaches are employed at the smaller clubs.

For ages 8-13 having a good coach for a smaller club is better than being on a big club with a coach who won’t develop you.

If you have no desire to play college soccer or compete at the highest levels in high school than it doesn’t matter what club or league you play in.

Way too many people care about what league or team they play for.

Why smaller towns struggle to compete with soccer clubs in north Texas

The level of play from West or East Texas is night and day compared to North Texas.

In addition, South and Central Texas can’t compare to the north [Dallas/Fort Worth] area.

The Austin [Central] and Houston [South] level is good enough where they can stay and compete locally.

Whereas in Midland, Amarillo, Lubbock, Wichita Falls [West] Tyler [East] Corpus Christi [South] have a harder time finding good competition. Note: Some of the best players come from small towns… It’s just hard to find a complete team.

When the best clubs teams in these smaller towns play teams from North Texas they realize the level is WAY different. And they don’t even play against the best teams.

They might play a “big club” but that specific team might be in a 4th or 5th tier league.

So it’s important to know there’s a higher level.

At the same time, be patient and know that the training is how you improve.

What to look for in a coach

Things you want to look for in a coach is someone who will build you child up not down.

Kids want to know the truth & how to improve, but in a respectful way.

When a coach is cursing a kid or never speaking positive there’s a problem.

I think improving skill and character should be number one.

Fun should be at the top of the list, but not #1.

First we need to learn and do our best to improve. These are life lessons.

Well run practices should be one of the most important things to look for.

At practice there shouldn’t be long lines of kids standing around.

Kids should be taught the importance of getting the fundamentals down.

Trying to be perfect at the simple things, yet knowing we can’t be perfect players or people.

Then by age 11+ making sure they are being introduced to the more advanced skills.

I would bet that 90% of the top club players don’t know how to bend the ball, chip different ways or how to strike the ball with the laces [top of foot].

A players responsibility outside of team practice

The players responsibility is to take what they learn from their coaches and work on it away from the club.

Whether this be practicing at home &/or finding a good skills trainer.

Just know that good coaches and skills trainers are hard to find.

When paying for a skills trainer, you won’t get the same quality from every trainer.

For instance, some are really good and others don’t know what they are doing.

I’ve hired over 50 trainers in the last 12 years and you’d be surprised how many former college players have NO Clue how to teach youth players.

Being a good trainer takes patience, experience, understanding and passion.

In other words it’s not easy to find a trainer who has all these attributes.

Above all you want a coach/trainer who will improve confidence and skill.

What separates top North Texas players

Dallas has always been competitive and produced good athletes.

There has always been a strong soccer culture with good coaches and clubs.

The best players in North Texas usually do more than just attend team practices. They spend extra time improving their technique, ball control and decision making.

It hasn’t always been like this though… Back 15 years ago there were only a few skill based companies. Now there are dozens, which can be a problem for players because not all skills trainers are good. Therefore, find someone who teaches practical fundamentals vs tricks for the camera or dribbling through cones.

Top clubs in other states

Top youth soccer states in America
Ohio
Southern California [L.A. and San Diego area]
Michigan
New Jersey
Florida
Massachusetts

FAQ: Soccer Clubs in North Texas

Which soccer club is the best in North Texas?

Several clubs consistently rank among the best including Solar Soccer Club, FC Dallas Youth, Dallas Texans, DKSC and Sting Soccer Club.

Is North Texas the best youth soccer region in America?

Many coaches and players consider Dallas–Fort Worth one of the strongest youth soccer regions due to the depth of talent and level of competition.

Do you need to play for a big club to succeed?

No. Some of the best coaches work at smaller clubs, and development at younger ages is often more important than club name.

How can players improve outside team practice?

Players improve fastest by practicing technical skills regularly at home and working with qualified trainers when possible.

Best Youth Soccer Clubs by State

Looking for the best soccer clubs in other parts of the United States?
Explore these rankings and guides for top youth soccer programs.

About the Author

This article was written by Jeremie Piette, the founder of Global Futbol Training.

Jeremie is a former professional soccer player who played across four continents and more than 20 countries after being drafted from a Division II program during one of the toughest professional draft periods in U.S. soccer.

For more than 15 years he has trained youth, college and professional players while building Global Futbol Training into one of the most respected independent soccer skills training programs.

His coaching focuses on technical development, ball mastery and the training habits required to reach elite levels of soccer.

Our Most Popular Posts:

Follow @GFTskills on Social Media

<a href="https://www.gftskills.com/best-soccer-clubs-in-north-texas/">Best Soccer Clubs in North Texas</a>