We tested a number of balls this year and the difference between the top and bottom was night and day.  Match quality balls are far closer together.  This year, we tested the best and one stood on top of the world.

In defining the category this year, our nominees are all match level balls.  The Brine and Lanzera competed in the AVID Soccer Match Ball Shoot-out.  We tested the Teamgeist earlier in the year.  Each impressed us in its own right and each is an extremely playable ball.
 
They stack up like this:

• Lanzera Quattro Stella - In all fairness, this ball is an older model.  We took that into account along with the difference in price.  Still, as good as the Lanzera is, it can't hang with our other two nominees.
• adidas Teamgeist Match Ball - Used in the MLS and various other professional leagues world wide, the Teamgeist Match Ball is unquestionably the most playable ball we have ever tested.  The cover is soft and consistent.  It is the easiest to head and place.  Unfortunately, that soft cover has very little abrasion resistance.  We found the ball scuffed and cut easily in the course of normal play.  While this is not a problem for a professional team with a sponsor, it is a problem for a parents having to purchase them.

"... and the winner is..."

• Brine finished first in last year's "Best Ball" award.  The Brine Triumph 20-600 also won the 2007 AVID Soccer match ball shoot-out for good reason.  It is not as soft or as playable as the Teamgeist, but it is not far behind.  On the other hand, it has proven to be truly resilient.  Our examples have been used for multiple games, practice and just kicking the ball around.  Our testers selected this as "the ball I would most want if stranded on a desert island."