When all you need is a ball and a goal, the ball is pretty important.  This year, ASER selected three professional level balls for consideration.  We included the WC ball, EPL ball and a variant of the WPS ball.

Football / soccer comes down to two things: a ball and the goal.  Without those, it isn't our game.  Since almost anything can be used to mark a goal, that makes the ball the most single piece of gear.  We have played with everything from $10 Walmart balls to the World Cup balls.  The quality of the ball makes a difference.

This year, we started with the Nike Ascente ball.  This is ball used in the English Premier League, La Liga (Spanish Premier League) and Serie A (Italian Premier League).  There is no question that it takes a world class ball to meet the requirements of the top three leagues in the world.  The Ascente is a high tech version of the 32 panel ball.  It is constructed with multiple layers to provide a bigger sweet spot.  The cover is textured to provide improved laminar flow over the ball for better flight.  Unfortunately, at $140 it is priced out of reach for most families.

The Jabulani is the latest premier match ball from adidas.  Entirely new, the Celebration ball was used for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE and the 2010 African Cup of Nations.  It will also be the official ball for the World Cup in South Africa.  The design uses thermal bonding to ensure precise seams.  The cover itself uses 3d molded panels to ensure spherical shaping.  The ball is textured with bumps and groves to improve laminar flow as in earlier TeamGeist II balls and the Nike Ascente.

The colors are traditional African as fits the WC Hosts.  Unfortunately, it is somewhat boring compared to the German World Cup.  The surface structure is more complex than prior generations and constructed of more advanced material.  Still, at $150, it is the most expensive ball in this group.  Worth it, but out of reach form most families.

 Our winner is the value choice.  It is a traditional Puma 32 panel hand stitched ball with a smooth skin.  The bladder is a six wing natural latex with good feel and consistent touch.  The King XL is definitely a half step behind either the Nike or adidas offering, but it is still a professional level match ball.  At a third of the price of our other nominees, that half step wasn't enough to keep it out of first place.  This is well within the range of most club teams and many high school or college players.

In the end, our readers and we have to buy most of the gear we play with.  Both the Ascente and Jabulani are more playable balls, but most people would rather have three King XL's. Many teams would much rather have a King XL and and a few Liga training balls.