Boys ECNL Champions League Playoffs Best XI

The Boys ECNL National Playoffs in San Diego wrapped up last week with the quarterfinal rounds. The event continues for a handful of teams in each age group to the ECNL National Finals in Missouri next weekend. From the games in California, Crossfire Premier won the National Championship in the U19 age group. The Champions League national championship is still to be decided in the other five age groups. Pipeline SC leads the way among clubs with four teams in the National Finals (U13, U15, U16, and U17). San Diego Surf has three teams in the National Finals (U13, U15, and U17). PrepSoccer was on hand for the event in Southern California. Below is the Best XI from the teams in the U14 through U17 age groups from the Boys ECNL Champions League Playoffs. GK [player_tooltip player_id="14622" first="Jayden" last="Burdine"], Ohio Premier 07 - Ohio Premier went through the event with only one goal conceded through three games. Unfortunately for Ohio Premier, the offense did not carry the load with zero goals scored in San Diego. Burdine was in goal when I watched Ohio Premier play. He made a good save late in the contest to seal the shutout. Caden Davis and Ryan Sullivan were also standouts for Ohio. D Kevin Campos, Dallas Texas 08 - Campos really impressed with his play against Crossfire Premier in the big showdown from group play for the Texans. The right center back was a key part of the defense that only let in one goal in four games. He covered a lot of ground and did so quickly. He was eager in his attempt to shadow the outside back to help with support and did well in timing his tackles when needed - Marcus Hanish and Eric Godoy did not need the cover much as they both did well defensively, but Campos was there when needed. Pietro Moreira was also a standout for Texans for his play in the midfield. Cooper McGough was also a workhorse in the midfield for Texans. [caption id="attachment_48768" align="alignright" width="225"]<img class="wp-image-48768 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/06/TJHastings-225x300.jpg" alt="TJ Hastings, Sporting Delaware" width="225" height="300" /> TJ Hastings (Captain)[/caption] D [player_tooltip player_id="9554" first="Thomas" last="Hastings"], Sporting Delaware 05 - TJ Hastings was one of the most impressive prospects at the event. The Sporting Delaware center back lived up to his lofty reputation. The Virginia verbal commit for the class of 2023 hardly put a foot wrong. He was intelligent in his approach and always looked like he was in control of the game. D [player_tooltip player_id="11668" first="Edward" last="Smith"], Pipeline SC 06 - Smith was a standout at the ECNL National Playoffs. The center back took on every challenge and rose to the occasion. He was strong in the tackle, and physical at the point of confrontation. He did well in organizing his team, and made sound decisions on the ball. M Isaac Tortola, Nationals 08 - Tortola really stood out from the games in Del Mar. He was exceptional in his soccer intelligence. He has a lot of the qualities that top academies look for in a midfielder - quality with both feet, instincts on timing his runs, and great field awareness. He is headed to an MLS academy next season. M [player_tooltip player_id="6341" first="Jack" last="Heaps"], Alabama FC 05 - Heaps hit a terrific free kick goal into the upper 90 of the net. The midfielder's game is not flashy though, he excels in making the simple pass, the correct pass. He is quick in his action and does well in one or two touch situations. He has the technical base to play at a quicker speed of play. The Georgetown verbal commit was one of the top midfielders at the event. M [player_tooltip player_id="8527" first="Ricardo" last="Moreno"], San Diego Surf 07 - Moreno had an outstanding showing on his home fields. The box-to-box midfielder controlled the tempo of the game. He was on the ball a lot and connected passes all over the field. He also took his defensive responsibilities seriously and put in the tackles when needed. M [player_tooltip player_id="8204" first="Marco" last="Bottene"], Beach FC 05 - Bottene impressed with his play in the attacking third. He is a 2024 prospect who looks like one of the top prospects from California in that class. He is comfortable on the ball in 1v1 situations. With close control and a quick first step, Bottene did well at creating space on the ball and providing service to his teammates. He had a number of key passes in the two Beach FC games that I observed during the week. [caption id="attachment_49554" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-49554 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/07/LukasRamans-2-IG-300x272.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=" width="300" height="272" /> [player_tooltip player_id="8172" first="Lukas" last="Ramans"][/caption] M Lukas Raman, MVLA 08 - Raman was a bright spot on the MVLA team. He is a dominant presence on the field in the U14 age group. He is a tall, physical midfielder who is good on the ball and has finisher's instincts. Raman's standout moments came on late runs into the box to finish off crosses. He showed plenty of quality to suggest a bright future in the game. F [player_tooltip player_id="8384" first="Nico" last="Ruiz"], Pateadores 06 - Ruiz was the Southwest Conference Player of the Year last season in the Boys ECNL, and he lived up to the title during the playoff run for the Pateadores. He is a right-footed forward who is a good finisher with either foot. He could play on the wing or as a center forward. Ruiz had some excellent moments for Pateadores including a highlight-reel worthy showing against Florida Kraze in the last day of group play. Ruiz is a top player to watch in California from the class of 2024. F [player_tooltip player_id="8211" first="Marcus" last="Garcia II"], Beach FC 08 - Garcia looks to be the next standout from the Beach FC pipeline. He carries himself with a similar swagger to Dempsey Resich, who is currently starring for LAFC's academy. Garcia is a handful for defenders. He is strong on the ball and quick in his movements. He can take over the game in a blink of an eye. His determination and competitiveness really set him apart from his peers. Honorable mentions: [player_tooltip player_id="18037" first="Kai" last="Merrill"] (PacNW), [player_tooltip player_id="17192" first="Edwin" last="Castillo"] (Arlington SA 06), [player_tooltip player_id="9558" first="Tyler" last="Flowers"] (Sporting Delaware 05), [player_tooltip player_id="10289" first="Pedro" last="Cruz"] (FL Premier 07), [player_tooltip player_id="17636" first="Benjamin" last="Milstein"] (Crossfire Premier 07), [player_tooltip player_id='11596' first='Blake' last='Lloyd'] (Pipeline SC 06), [player_tooltip player_id="10925" first="Noah" last="Bright"] (Concorde Fire 08), [player_tooltip player_id="11770" first="Luke" last="Dunne"] (Maryland United 05), Zachariah Hume (Crossfire Premier 08), [player_tooltip player_id="9102" first="Jaxton" last="Knutsen"] (Real Colorado 06)