Rankings Analysis: Midfield maestros from FL’s 2026
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The PrepSoccer player rankings for Florida’s 2026 class were released this week. The freshman class in Florida is full of bright prospects across each position group. The midfielders include some bright stars who have youth national team pedigree. Below is…
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Continue ReadingThe PrepSoccer player rankings for Florida’s 2026 class were released this week. The freshman class in Florida is full of bright prospects across each position group. The midfielders include some bright stars who have youth national team pedigree.
Below is a scouting report on some of the midfielders from this group. Check out the full rankings here. Learn more about the PrepSoccer ranking process.
Schmidt was a big miss on the national ranking list. She is a stud. She hasn’t played in a few of the recent games for Jacksonville 07 ECNL with the youth national team call-up last month. Schmidt is an 08 who is playing up an age group. She is a center midfielder with a good first touch. She operates as a lynchpin of the team as the play seems to gravitate to her. With a quick first step, Schmidt easily creates space from her mark and makes the difference with her passing and skill on the ball. She is a top national prospect.
Ascanio is one of the top prospects in the country. She is an incredibly smart player who stands out from the game film while playing up a couple of age groups. The Florida United star has earned a starting role with the youth national team. Brilliant on the field, Ascanio will have her choice of school at the next but given the new pathway to immediately jump to the professional game she is one of those few players in the country who could fit in against the pros in the very near future.
Box-to-box midfielder. Playmaker. Good passer, sees the angles to open up the game. Endless amount of energy. Her offensive contributions are the strength of her game. Defensively, she covers ground and gets to the right spots. I’d like her to be more aggressive and forceful in the tackle.
Raskin played as a box-to-box midfielder for Florida United. She was the target for the center backs looking for an outlet. She has a clean first touch and is comfortable receiving the ball in traffic. She did well with her passing as she had a couple of key passes to spring teammates in on goal. Raskin stood out from the game for her quality on the ball. She could improve defensively – add more bite to her tackles – but she already offers a high-level understanding of the game from the attacking side of it to attract the interest of scouts.
Highlights
Steinbach is a tactician in the midfield for the IMG Academy 08 GA team. She is one of the key pieces for the team in possession the ball and breaking down the opposition. Crafty in tight spaces, dynamic in the open field, Steinbach has the tools to shine on the field for a long time. Improving on her shot from outside of the box will take her game to the next level, as she gets to the right spots but does not consistently strike the ball as well as some of the elite players in her position.
Tolbert is a fun player to watch. She uses both feet and hits a great cross. She is elusive in space and always moving. She is clever in her passing. Not sure it actually counts as a no-look pass, but her cut-back passes usually have defenders looking the wrong way. The defense has to be on their toes when Tolbert is on the ball because she can spring the attack from anywhere.
Jones is a standout in her role and it is easy to recognize what makes her great. She plays simply and smartly. She does the most with one or two touches on the ball. With her tactical intelligence, she is always in the right spot to protect the back four. After winning possession of the ball, she looks to spring her teammates into the attack quickly. She is a good passer over range and can ping the ball with ease.
Highlights
Davenport’s game has a lot of appeal. Strong ball-winner (in 50/50 duels, she runs through the ball) with quality to make quick decisions on the ball. She plays with her head up and finds teammates feet. She plays as a defensive midfielder for her side. She is right footed. She is a smart player and uses her body well in tackles. She could improve on the technique of her passing to hit long distance passes with more consistency.
Smaller midfielder, technically gifted. Uses body fakes really well. Could improve on the pace of her passes, she hangs some balls out there for teammates.
Orlando City played in a 3-4-3 formation when I saw them play. Maurer was asked to cover a lot of ground while wearing a sleeve on her leg. She did well in the physical task of eating up the turf, but it was a tall task against a team that had a talented attacking midfielder and a lethal center forward. Maurer offers that unrelenting work ethic to her team. On the ball, she showed that she can ping a cross-field pass with accuracy. She did look strong in duels too. She is on the list for more scouting in the future.