Players to know from ECNL Conference Cup
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ECNL announced a new initiative last week with the Conference Cup, which is bringing together 90 of the top players in the U14 through U16 age groups for a weeklong training event in Chula Vista, California. The roster for this…
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Continue ReadingECNL announced a new initiative last week with the Conference Cup, which is bringing together 90 of the top players in the U14 through U16 age groups for a weeklong training event in Chula Vista, California. The roster for this event is loaded with talent. There are a number of players with US Youth National Team call-ups, ID2 National Selection, and countless other honors. This is going to be a spectacular training environment with some of the best 2026, 2027, 2028, and even younger talent in the country.
Below is a scouting report on a few of the players who have been called into this event. Check out the full roster at the bottom.
Perkins impressed scouts with her play during the ECNL season. She is a dangerous, skillful attacking prospect who should shine in this type of environment because teams won’t be allowed to double her with so much talent all over the field. Perkins is elusive in 1v1 situations with supreme confidence on the ball and a great change of pace. The Northwest squad will be counting on her as a difference-maker.
Highlights
Mac Niven is listed as a forward, midfielder, and defender on the roster – and I could imagine a scenario where she plays every position during this event. She is an electric player on the field. Her cleats seem to have a jet pack on them as she breezes past players with the ball at her feet with such ease. She is likely to feature on the wing given her speed, defensive tenacity, and quality in the final third. She is one of those young talents that every scout is excited to see against the best players in the country.
Ruffien is one of the attacking talents on the Central Roster. The Central team seems to lean slightly younger than some of the other squads at this event so Ruffien and the other 2008s (Reese Canada, Paige Miller, Victoria Adams, Isabelle Dalke, and Lilia Work) will be counted on to lead this team. Ruffien should have that experience after a successful high school season as a freshman, which included scoring the game-winning goal in the state semifinal game. The Minnesota Thunder Academy prospect could feature as an attacking midfielder or a forward with this group. I’ve seen her play as an attacking midfielder and think she has a bright future there. She has a great work ethic and covers a ton of ground. She is dangerous on the ball – both on the dribble and on the pass. Her and Canada should be a terrific duo in the attack.
Sisi Groo previously played for Colorado Rush and she was a dominant player at the Girls Academy level. She made the switch to the ECNL with Real Colorado in the past season and there is no reason to doubt she will continue to be a top player at the youth level. Groo is a winger with pace. If she is past you, she is gone. There is no chance to catch her. She is left footed and an expert finisher. She is a good on the cross as well. She is listed as a forward and defender on the roster so I expect she will get some run at outside back as well.
Pappas is a center forward for Beach FC who earned a spot on the Southwest squad. Just looking at the roster for the Southwest side, there is going to be a fierce competition for playing time among the forward spots. Pappas is a player that quickly earns the trust of her coaches so expect to see her feature for this group at some point. She is a willing presser and a tireless worker. She can play with her back to the goal and has a good first touch. Her link-up play will be instrumental for the Southwest team to find success at this event.
The ECNL Girls is excited to announce the rosters for the inaugural ECNL Girls Conference Cup. The ECNL Girls Conference Cup will be held August 7-11, 2023, at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California.
The ECNL Conference Cup is an exciting new opportunity for top players within the ECNL Selection Program. 90 of the top rising U14-U16 girls players from across the country will be placed into six different teams for a mini-game competition played over the course of three days. Each team will combine players from different ECNL Girls Conferences, geographically linked to represent different areas of the country. The top teams from bracket play will meet in the championship game to determine the Conference Cup Champion.
Players were selected for the Conference Cup by ECNL player identification staff through a combination of scouting and recommendations based on performances over the past several months, including performances in National Selection Games throughout the 2022-23 ECNL National Events.
To view the full schedule for the week, click here.
Rosters
Team North: New England/North Atlantic/Ohio Valley – North
Sierra Dupre (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)
Ella Dusenberry (Ohio Premier)
Alyna Eggleston (FC Stars Blue)
Hailey Fashinpaur (Internationals SC)
Jordan Ford (World Class FC)
Mia Forney (FC Bucks)
Brenna Gregorski (FC Stars Blue)
Gianna Hanf (Match Fit Academy)
Nina Mathelus (Scorpions Soccer)
Sandra O’Neill (PDA Blue)
Eloise Rubinstein (SUSA FC)
Abigail Salgado (Internationals SC)
Deus Stanislaus (PDA Blue)
Nyanya Touray (Bethesda SC)
Julia Zaldarriaga (PDA Blue)
Team East: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast
Morgan Birdsell (VA Union FC)
London Crawford (GSA)
Kayla Dodd (Richmond United)
Kenlee Dominguez (FC Prime)
Isabella Franco (Charlotte Independence)
Caitlin Gano (Tampa Bay United)
Nya Jean-Baptiste (United Futbol Academy)
Isabella Johnson (Arlington Soccer)
Riley Kennedy (NC Courage)
Mikaela Nowinski (VA Union FC)
Marlee Raymond (United Futbol Academy)
Makayla Rodriguez (Charlotte SA)
Olivia Rae Roth (VDA)
Emma Workman (CESA)
Sophie Wyshner (NC Fusion)
Team Central: Midwest/Ohio Valley – South
Victoria Adams (Eclipse Select SC)
Meila Brewer (Kansas City Athletics)
Reese Canada (Michigan Hawks)
Isabelle Dalke (SLSG Navy)
Madeline DiMaria (SLSG Navy)
Ella Doty (Tennessee SC)
Katelyn Jernigan (Michigan Hawks)
Joslin Kershaw (FC Pride)
Evie Kincaid (Kansas City Athletics)
Paige Klaas (FC Wisconsin)
Ella McNeal (SLSG Navy)
Paige Miller (Gretna Elite Academy)
Lou Ruffien (Minnesota Thunder Academy)
Siena Sanchez (Minnesota Thunder Academy)
Lilia Work (Racing Louisville Academy)
Team Northwest: NorCal/Northwest
Madison Deal Madison Deal M State #102 Nation WA (Crossfire Premier)
Abby Forsgren Abby Forsgren F CA (Mustang SC)
Kennedy Jackson Kennedy Jackson GK WA (Washington Premier)
Alyssa Lopez (Santa Rosa United)
Samantha Mac Niven Samantha Mac Niven F CA (Davis Legacy)
Miliani Makasini Miliani Makasini F State #138 Nation CA (Bay Area Surf)
Louisa Myerson Louisa Myerson D State #132 Nation WA (Seattle United)
Myka Page (Utah Avalanche)
Hailey Perkins Hailey Perkins F State #21 Nation WA (Crossfire Premier)
Dorothea Perry (MVLA Soccer Club)
Kylee Rocha Kylee Rocha 5'9" | D Pleasant Grove | 2026 CA (San Juan SC)
Chloe Sadler (La Roca)
Lewa White Lewa White M Sacred Heart Prep | 2026 State CA (MVLA Soccer Club)
McKenna Whitham McKenna Whitham F CA (MVLA Soccer Club)
Alexa Zierenberg (Boise Thorns FC)
Team Texas: Colorado/Texas
Lauren Alvarez (FC Dallas)
Emerson Carranza (Colorado Rapids)
Madeline Cervantes (Dallas Texans)
Molly Gaffney (Real Colorado National)
Landry Gannon (Solar SC)
Siena Groo (Real Colorado National)
Jordyn Heathcock (Oklahoma Energy)
Brielle Hernandez (Challenge SC)
Carolina Krosnyak (Albion Hurricanes FC)
Mya Muniz (FC Dallas)
Gray Rideaux (FC Dallas)
Ava Stack (Concorde Fire Platinum)
Liesel Tetmeyer (Sting Austin)
Maria (“Mia”) Wiele (Sting Austin)
London Young (Solar SC)
Team Southwest: Southwest
Izabella Acosta (Sporting CA Arsenal)
Grace Ae Grace Ae 5'7" | GK Royal | 2026 State CA (LAFC So Cal)
Karis Buehler Karis Buehler M CA (So Cal Blues SC)
Ireland Churchill Ireland Churchill F Eleanor Roosevelt | 2026 State CA (Slammers FC HB Koge)
Hailey Cobb (Phoenix Rising FC)
Giselle Fuentes Gonzalez Giselle Fuentes Gonzalez 5'9" | M State CA (So Cal Blues SC)
Saydie Herbert (Utah Royals FC AZ)
Audrey Howard Audrey Howard M CA (LA Breakers FC)
Peyton Marinos Peyton Marinos F JSerra | 2026 State #38 Nation CA (So Cal Blues SC)
Gemma Pappas Gemma Pappas F CA (Beach FC (CA))
Gianna Sabato (Utah Royals FC AZ)
MacKenzie Stearns MacKenzie Stearns 5'10" | D Poway | 2026 State CA (So Cal Blues SC)
Gabriella “GG” Szczuka Gabriella “GG” Szczuka M Santa Margarita Catholic | 2027 State CA (Pateadores)
Macey Tuiolosega Macey Tuiolosega F Orange Lutheran | 2027 State CA (Slammers FC HB Koge)
Kate Voyer (Phoenix Rising FC)
To view a full list of the rosters for the ECNL Girls Conference Cup, click here.