Day two brings us the Best Ball awards.  I have to say that we were a bit surprised by the volume of email we received around this category.

This year, adidas, Puma and Socadelic received nominations for their professional series balls.  Each takes a different approach and each is used at the pro level.  Criteria for the "Best Of" includes quality, durability, playability, desirability and value.

The Puma 1.08 won our shoot-out earlier this year both for the feel of the cover and the innovative design.  The 1.08 uses a unique material called d3o that is also nominated for the innovative product award.  With Puma's sponsorship of the Woman's Professional League, we expect great things in the future.

The adidas Teamgeist II is the standard at the professional level.  It is used by both the MLS and Champions League.  The original Teamgeist was one of the softest slickest balls we have tested, but the cover was easy to tear.  The second version solved this problem and added bumps for laminar flow.

Both are durable, playable and desirable, but at over $100, they don't qualify as inexpensive.  The Socadelic Zuma is.  At $35 for a pro ball, the Zuma wins our award for best ball this year.  The skin is a soft material that is easy to play in the bare feet required by beach soccer.  It uses a latex bladder to a clean touch.

The AVID Soccer Equipment Review's Best  Ball winner is the Socadelic Zuma.

A special note:  The Calle Primero Street Ball did not receive enough nominations to make our list, but it does have a significant following.  We received quite a few requests to add it to the list.  We have been playing the primero both on the street and in the gym.  It is a solid ball with all of the specific characteristics (size, durablility and low bounce) that are necessary for those games.  Had we received more nominations, it would have contended with the Zuma for the top spot.