Hello everyone, and welcome to week 1 of AP's new Power Rankings. Here we will attempt to rank the top amateur teams in the country from USASA. First, some ground rules.

1. Teams must have played 3 games to be eligible for the AP Power Rankings
2. Only teams from USASA Elite Amateur Leagues are eligible 
3. Offensive and/or Defensive are both equally prized
4. Goal Differential will be indicated by 'GD,' Points by 'Pts,' Games Played by 'GP'
5. For the time being, only 10 teams will be ranked each week

And, because I know someone will notice that High Desert United has played more games than several teams above them, they are currently playing in the UPSL Western Conference Championship Division, currently competing for promotion to the Pro Premier Division. A good record in a lower league means they will need to keep up their impressive displays to make up for being in a lower quality division to remain in the power rankings. 

Now that we've cleared everything up, let's get rolling with Week 1 of the AP Power Rankings!

1. LA Wolves, UPSL - GD: +14 - Pts 12 - GP: 4
2. Riverside Coras, NPSL - GD: +9 - Pts: 9 - GP: 3
3. Ozzy's Laguna, UPSL - GD: +6 - Pts: 10 - GP: 4
4. Santa Ana Winds, UPSL - GD: +7 - Pts: 9 - GP: 4
5. Strikers FC South Coast, UPSL - GD: +6 - Pts: 9 - GP: 4
6. Moreno Valley FC, UPSL - GD: +4 - Pts: 9 - GP: 4
7. Club El Azul, UPSL - GD: +4 - Pts: 9 - GP: 3
8. La Maquina FC, UPSL - GD: +9 - Pts: 7 - GP: 3
9. FC Arizona, NPSL - GD: +5 - Pts: 7 - GP: 3
10. High Desert United, UPSL - GD: +14 - Pts: 10 - GP: 4

What do you think? Did we miss someone, or do you disagree with some of the positions? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

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Brace yourselves AP readers! You are in for a quite a read today. This is going to be a long one, but you're going to learn a lot. 

Kenneth Tebo has recently launched a new soccer league in the DC area, called the Beltway Premier League. He took some time to talk about why he's doing it, what he hopes the league will be, and easily takes the prize for longest, most detailed answer on every question. Check it out.

Today is a special day. It's the debut article for The Soccer Heel. Before you get into reading this article, I want to give you some fair warning.

First, The Soccer Heel does not reflect the views of everyone affiliated with the AP.

Second, The Soccer Heel, like The Stig on Top Gear, will always be anonymous. This means anyone could be writing under The Soccer Heel pseudonym. A player, a coach, team owner, staff member, fan, or one of the three writers of this blog.

Third, this column will only cover controversial or rarely discussed issues in soccer, primarily concerning the lower, or non-league, levels of American Soccer.

​Fourth, don't be surprised if you find yourself both agreeing with the point being made while also being offended by the way it's said. All Heel writers are encouraged to write freely and honestly, without restriction. 

You've been warned. Feel free to recommend topics by Tweeting at AP with the hashtag #TheSoccerHeel. Now, see what the first Soccer Heel has to say.

Today's interview is brought to you by MeritFit. MeritFit.co is a Kansas City based fitness and nutrition blog run by one of my good friends and certified Personal Trainer, Dustin Duewel. He played soccer for 12 years, inspiring his passion for fitness and nutrition. Check out his blog for all kinds of useful information to up your game and get ahead of the competition.

Good morning everyone, welcome back to AP! Before we dig in, I want to let you know about an exciting new column that will be coming soon to AP, called The Soccer Heel. Heel is the term for a villain in professional wrestling, though heels often speak uncomfortable truth's and are booed for it. The Soccer Heel will be where you read about hot takes covering all kinds of uncomfortable truth's in the world of soccer, from the lower levels and beyond. Tweet us some topic suggestions using the tag #soccerheel.

Now, Diego actually started off by contacting to me to put his league standings on the site, which you can find by clicking Here. As part of a concentrated effort to promote the league, we decided to do an interview as well to help begin drumming up some more interest in the Gold Coast Soccer Premier League. Check it out.