ECNL PHX Spring: Best XI 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phoenix, Arizona - The ECNL National Event in Phoenix wrapped up on Sunday. The Spring event featured hundreds of the top club teams in the country. The showcase was a chance for a number of teams to face top level competition prior to the final run of games in league play leading up to the postseason. It was also a chance for the players to play in front of dozens of college coaches.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much of the scouting efforts for PrepSoccer at the event were at the 07 and 08 age level (U16 and U15), so the Best XI below primarily reflects that. As a reminder, we try our best to limit Best XI spots to only one player per team. While there are plenty of standouts from the most successful teams at the event, we are highlighting the best performances we saw from the games.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PrepSoccer ECNL PHX Spring: Best XI&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GK [player_tooltip player_id='121248' first='Blayklyn' last='Warner'], Pacific Northwest 07 - The goalkeeper position is often the most difficult to scout at these events. Some of the top goalkeepers never see a shot while others will spend a decent chunk of time picking the ball out of the net. Warner impressed with her play at the National Selection Game on Friday night enough to have parents from all over the country singing her praises on Saturday morning. She backed it up with some stellar saves when I saw her on Sunday. The Northwest has a rich history of top players from this position and Warner looks like the next name to watch as a possible addition to that list.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='58460' first='Brady' last='Campbell'], Slammers Koge 07 - The level of play in the game between Slammers Koge against MVLA was frankly incredible. It was hard to believe that was a youth game. MVLA is an excellent squad in that age group, and they had trouble against the unrelenting nature of Slammers Koge. Campbell earns her spot on the Best XI because she was excellent at right back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":125685,"width":400,"height":263,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/ReeseLiner-DallasStingBlack08-2-crop-1797x1180-1680734390.jpg?w=800" alt="[player_tooltip player_id='87932' first='Reese' last='L']iner" class="wp-image-125685" width="400" height="263" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='87932' first='Reese' last='L']iner</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CB Aubry Tagmir, OK Energy 08 - Tagmir was a surprise of the event. The OK Energy 08 team is really fun to watch. They have some top level skilled combined with elite athleticism. Tagmir is one of the leaders of the group. She is a center back who is always ready to play. It looks like she loves the game. As one of the youngest players on this list, she is a name to know for the future.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CB [player_tooltip player_id='87932' first='Reese' last='L']iner, Sting Dallas Black 08 - Liner was exception for Sting Dallas Black and earned a bump in her internal scouting report at PrepSoccer. She has all of the quality to be international level center back in the future. The game looked easy for her and it seemed like no forward could get past her.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB Claire Mikola, Ohio Premier 06 - Mikola was the best left back I saw at the event. She was the obviously choice for this spot because of the way she defended in 1v1 duels. She used her body well and had great understanding of how to shield the ball off of the attacker. She did well getting forward too.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M Cameron Goddard, Ohio Premier 07 - Goddard was a player I'd seen a few times on game tape before the event so expectations were pretty high for her. She vastly exceeded the level that I thought she was at. She is a highly intelligent player in her movement and in her passing. She just sees the game on a different level than most club players. OP left the event with a 2-1 record for a difficult slate of games - and a number of players on that team were considered for spots, but Goddard got the slight edge for the ingenuity and skill she brought to such an important position.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":125686,"width":512,"height":372,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/HaileyPerkins-Crossfire08-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="Crossfire Premier 08 [player_tooltip player_id='28191' first='Hailey' last='Perkins']" class="wp-image-125686" width="512" height="372" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='28191' first='Hailey' last='Perkins'] (Crossfire Premier)</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M Scottie Antonucci, Legends 07 - The Legends 07 team looked a little different at this event as they were shorthanded with players out on international duty. The spotlight was on star center midfielder Antonucci even more and she delivered. A talent passer, Antonucci showed she has some bite to go along with the artistry as she didn't shy away from the physical play. It was a stellar showing from the already highly regarded Legends playmaker.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M [player_tooltip player_id='19172' first='Avery' last='Oder'], LAFC So Cal 07 - Oder was the best player at the event. Part of it is the record as her team went 3-0 against some tough competition, but the other part is that she showed up in big moments too. She was creative and competitive. She was difficult to contain and decisive in the final third. There were a number of players from the LAFC So Cal 07 team that should've been on this Best XI list.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>M [player_tooltip player_id='60283' first='Hope' last='McMillin'], FC Stars 07 - I loved the battled between McMillin and Scottie Antonucci from Saturday's game between their two clubs. They both wanted to win and fought hard in every duel. It was a clear indicator that McMillin belongs among the top, top players in the 2026 class. She's a stellar defensive midfielder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id='28191' first='Hailey' last='Perkins'], Crossfire Premier 08 - Perkins is a relative new talent for us, as she is a 2026 from the Northwest. She immediately impressed with her flair on the ball. The stepover to dynamic change of pace to cut back along the end line was a thrill to see. She is a winger who is never satisfied and that thirst for more success is a major reason why scouts will be lined up to see Crossfire for their deep playoff run in June.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>F [player_tooltip player_id='63559' first='Eres' last='Freifeld'], San Diego Surf 07 - If Freifeld wasn't a high priority target for the big programs prior to this showcase, she should be now. It's very easy to see how she will fit in at the next level. She is a 2026 so there is some time to still hop on the hype train, but if she keeps putting in performances like she did in Arizona, the talented winger should be getting more looks at youth international level soon.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->