The first week of the new season was impacted by unprecedented and frightening heat levels. It canceled scores of games over a three-day period.

But as always, the first week of play is far from an exact predicator of how the season is going to unfold. Reflection is the preferred mode here. No team ever won a state championship, or conversely lost one, in mid-to-late August.

Chicagoland Soccer's First 50 preseason state poll created some contentious talk in several social media circles. In other words, mission accomplished. Soccer requires data for true analysis and conceptual rigor.

So far we have very little to go off, except the teams we thought would be good generally were. "We're a work in progress," Lane coach Andrew Ricks said after team's 3-1 loss to Glenbrook North.

The Spartans converted two penalty kick goals. "We put the official in a position where he had to make a call," Ricks said.

In the notorious refrain of the great American writer Kurt Vonnegut: "And so it goes."

Early soccer, by nature, is wild, unpredictable, hard to grasp and difficult to fully gauge. A word to the wise would be not to overreact to one result, or even two.

Enjoy the Top 25-impacting play at Chicagoland tournaments this week: the semifinals and Thursday championship match of the Windy City Ram Classic at Reavis; and pool play and Saturday title matches at the Alonso Sanchez Memorial at Wauconda; Barrington Classic; Best of the West at Naperville Central and North; the Wolter Titan Invitational at Glenbrook South; the Novy Classic at Addison Trail; the Northside College Showcase at New Trier; and the St. Charles Invitational at St. Charles East and North. Check out our schedule for details.

The First 50 was a projection analysis, based on available knowledge, recent history and historical models. It can also present the programs that typically converge at the top of the conference standings.

The process is more art than science, and parts of the projections are naturally going to hit and some are going to fall flat.

This week begins Chicagoland Soccer's weekly polls consisting of the Top 25 teams in the Chicago-coverage area with an honorable mention list, the Illinois 10 spotlighting the strongest teams outside the coverage area; and the Class A and Clas AA Super 7 polls, which are designed to spotlight the achievements of the mid-size and small schools that tend to be obscured by larger programs. Regardless of class size, a team is only eligible for one poll.

Look for the polls to appear every Sunday/Monday of the new week through the end of the regular-season.

Stay cool, engaged and into the game.

Editor's note: The "Previous Rank" is each team's First 50 position minus the number of out-of-area teams ahead of it.
 

Look out for: Young, Lane, Mount Carmel, Lincoln-Way West,  Plainfield East, Taft, Lockport, Lake Zurich, Neuqua Valley, Loyola, Dundee-Crown, Oswego, Round Lake, Waubonsie Valley, Benet