Mt. Lebanon's Zach Batteer was struck most by two things when he traveled with the U.S. under-18 men's soccer team to South America in late July: The passion for soccer in Argentina and Chile, and the poor economic conditions of many of the people.

Both served to add perspective for Batteer, a Stanford University recruit and one of the top talents in the country for his age.

"The most eye-opening part of the experience to me was that Buenos Aires had slums like you'd never see here," Batteer said. "You'd see paper tents or tarps made of plastic ... really, really bad conditions for a lot of people.

"Then you see the love they have for soccer, which is just unbelievable. You see soccer fields everywhere. For a lot of these kids, soccer is the way to get off the street."

The high school soccer season in Pennsylvania begins today, and no player in the WPIAL is more decorated than Batteer, a senior midfielder for defending WPIAL Class AAA champion Mt. Lebanon. Batteer has trained with the U.S. national team in California and also played with a select team of top players from across the country this summer. He was recruited by powerful soccer programs nationwide.

Ron Wilcher is Batteer's coach both at Mt. Lebanon and for the Beadling club team he has played for since moving to the area from the west coast five years ago.

"I can't say enough good things about him," Wilcher said. "He's a great student and a young man with really outstanding character. He's got a ton of talent on the soccer field and has a wealth of experience."

Wilcher said Batteer has a knack for understanding and developing the nuances of the game, skills that are enhanced exponentially by his experiences playing with and against some of the country's -- and world's -- top teenage players and against professional teams.

Practicing with the national team only has led to Batteer, the Post-Gazette's reigning player of the year, getting better. But while the majority of elite players (including many not as accomplished as Batteer) often will forgo playing high school soccer because of the disparity in the level of competition, Batteer embraces the opportunity to play for his school.

Batteer is the primary reason Mt. Lebanon is the Post-Gazette's No. 2-ranked team in the WPIAL Class AAA preseason rankings behind Upper St. Clair. Here are some of the teams to watch in each WPIAL classification and the City League:

Mt. Lebanon beat Upper St. Clair, 1-0, in last season's WPIAL title match, and Upper St. Clair has plenty of quality and quantity on their roster this year. Senior forward Jimmy Belack, senior midfielder Sean Polosky, senior goalkeeper Mike Hast, junior midfielder Steve Machi and junior defender Mike Worthy are returning starters.

The Panthers are a team that had 14 shutouts and allowed a total of only 13 goals in 24 games -- but that doesn't mean they aren't aggressive and able to score.

"We attack any chance we get," Panthers coach Uwe Stender said. "We got a lot of valuable experience from last year's run in the playoffs."

Upper St. Clair won't have things easy in Section 5, which features two other ranked teams. Chartiers Valley is No. 8, and Peters Township No. 3.

Peters Township won the 2008 WPIAL title and were a quarterfinalist last season and return seven starters.

"This is a hard-working bunch," Peters Township coach Bob Dyer said. "We have enough talent to be successful. We need to work at playing at our own tempo and have to out-work the other team."

South Park is always a team to watch in Class AA, and the Eagles of coach John Cantwell have experience, depth and balanced scoring, led by senior midfielder Matt Walbert.

South Park will attempt to unseat two-time defending champion Mars, which must replace 34-goal scorer Ryan McKenzie but still has senior forward Yulian Lutsiv (20 goals) and senior goalkeeper Rob Sigurdsson (14 shutouts).

West Allegheny is coming off its best season, going 20-3-1 with appearances in the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals. The Indians have a strong junior class, including forward Tyler Graziani (29 goals last season) and goalkeeper Dave Kline. Zach Graziani is a freshman to keep an eye on.

Montour, which won its section title last season, and Shady Side Academy, are also teams to watch.

No. 1-ranked Seton-LaSalle lost its top goal scorers from last season, but junior midfielder Ty Balzer is one of nine returning starters for the Rebels. WPIAL runner-up Springdale has a new coach, Cesareo Sanchez, and has some defensive positions to replace. But with senior midfielders Bryan Weimerskirch (29 goals) and Ryan Francis (25), the Dynamos should have no trouble scoring.

Greensburg Central Catholic is a perennial power -- the Centurions won the WPIAL title and reached the PIAA semifinals last season and haven't lost a section match in four years -- and this season won't be any different, what with plenty of experience and depth. Ryland Smith is one of eight returning starters.

Allderdice features plenty of experience on the back line, with four senior returning starters at fullback -- captain Alex McCarten, Alec Assad, Hill Coulson and Luke Shiller.

Defending champion Schenley figures to be in contention again during its last year as a school.

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