Standing just a shade over five feet tall, these 12-year-olds don't appear too physically menacing. With a hug goodbye from mom or dad, the young boys grab their brightly colored duffle bags and suit up for an afternoon of practice.

No hulking quadriceps. No intimidating attitudes. Not even a strand of facial hair.

But if you have the misfortune of challenging them on the soccer field, the sight of these young athletes will make you shiver in your cleats.

The U-13 Green Storm 93-a name that sounds more like a submarine than a soccer team-put the ball in the net more times than any other team in the city.

"This is the top team in Federal Way," said Storm Coach Dennis Pichette as he guided his players through a series of agility and dribbling exercises on a field at Federal Way High School.

But despite the Green Storm's place on top, these young athletes share the same common denominator with even the league's last place team: An unwavering passion for soccer.

The sport has captured the hearts and interests of today's youth, and its popularity continues to soar in Federal Way, throughout the state and across the country.

And while some parents still struggle to understand the intricacies of offsides and corner kicks, their children continue to sign up in record numbers.

More than 19 million of them nation-wide, in fact. That number reflects an increase of more than 10 million six-to-19-year-olds putting on shin guards in the last decade.

Depending on how you read the statistics, soccer proponents make a compelling argument that the sport has surpassed all other national youth sports in popularity and enrollment, edging PeeWee football, Little League baseball and basketball.

Compared to the global data, youth soccer surpasses the latter three sports by a wide margin.

So what factors have contributed to the sports' popularity with today's young athletes?

Pichette said the game offers constant action for the participants, relatively no performance stress for young players, and little-to-no up-front equipment purchases to get started.

"It's an easy sport to get out and play," he said. "All you really need is a ball and you can meet your friends at the park and play soccer."

"The younger-aged kids just eat the sport alive," Pichette said. "Unlike baseball where you can just sit around for a long time, soccer lets these kids burn off a lot of energy."

The Washington State Youth Soccer Association (WSYSA), headquartered near City Hall in Federal Way, reports that five-to-11-year-olds comprise more than 85 percent of the total youth soccer enrollment for the state. The organization said that Washington has the sixth-highest number of organized youth soccer players in the nation, a figure that exceeds 118,000 participants.

Soccer also helps involve young athletes who lack superstar talent or want to learn the fundamentals of dribbling and passing by offering them plenty of opportunities to come in contact with the ball.

"In a lot of sports, kids stand around and that can be boring," Pichette said. "In soccer, you can't hide from the ball."

"Eventually, the ball is going to be kicked to you," he added.

Leslie Ann Groce, a representative from WSYSA, said the game accommodates a wide variety of skill levels.

"Youth soccer is so inclusive," she said. "There are so many levels of play."

"You can be tall, you can be short, you can be skinny, fat or uncoordinated and play the game," Pichette said. "We all know how to use our feet."

"If you can learn to walk, you can learn to play soccer," the coach said.

"In fact, you don't even need to walk," Pichette added. "There are children who use crutches or wheelchairs that love to play the game."

The sport offers consistency with both players and parents, and many attribute the rising popularity of youth soccer to the availability of year-round play.

"I think we ended our season on a Sunday and held our first practice for the following season that Tuesday," Pichette said.

Groce said the organization treats the year-round seasons like more of a benefit than a requirement.

"Some kids want to play other sports during certain seasons," Groce said, "and with soccer you're allowed to do that."

Before Title IX-when some youth sports organizations considered equality on the playing field taboo-youth soccer began recruiting girls to play the game.

As more girls pick up athletics at a younger age, an increasing number turn to soccer.

"It's about 50-50 girls and boys across the state," Groce said. Their figures indicated more than 60,100 boys enrolled in organized youth programs, along with roughly 58,000 girls statewide.

These numbers represent a slightly more equal playing field than the national average. Of its 3.2 million members nationally, US Youth Soccer indicates that 45 percent of its young athletes are girls.

"The girls really embrace it," Pichette said. "It's great exercise and it's a social outlet for them."

An explosion of giggles and high-pitched banter from a huddle of 15-year-old girls practicing their dribbling served to affirm his statement. Pichette turned to his team and watched; the girls' mouths and feet moving almost in unison.

"And most young girls love being social," the coach said.