ECNL Girls Phoenix: Five Outside Backs to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ECNL Girls League is hosting its third National Event of the season this coming weekend, in Phoenix, Arizona, where teams from the U16, U17 and U18-19 age groups will compete and have the opportunity to showcase their skills for three days, from Friday to Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As many as 166 teams from several different states will make the trip to Arizona and in their squads will be some of the most talented prospects in the country. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we preview the event, we're highlighting five players of each position that deserve your attention and now we'll list the outside backs:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["112011"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Clark was u003ca href=u0022https://prepsoccer.com/2023/10/who-are-georgias-top-defenders-from-2026/u0022u003erecently listed as one of the top defenders in Georgiau003c/au003e and she'll be able to show why this weekend, when her GSA G08 team faces Michigan Hawks Magic, Beach FC and FC Wisconsin in Phoenix. She's a stud defensively, knowing how to use each of her tools to win the ball back, be it by knocking opponents off of plays with her strong upper body or making perfect slide tackles. She's also very resilient and, if she's beaten, she'll always come back to try and win the ball again. Capable of playing on either outside back spots, Clark is also productive offensively, hitting good passes and using her great acceleration to beat defenders and push the ball forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a27614f4"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/AvrilClark08/status/1711215572321546293?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/AvrilClark08/status/1711215572321546293?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["22217"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A solid player on both sides of the ball, Mailander plays left back for Eclipse Select SC G08, which will face Solar SC, Legends FC and Colorado Rapids. She's a tall player and uses her frame well both defensively, to dispossess opponents, and offensively, to shield the ball as she progresses upfield. Mailander is also strong in the air and can be frequently seen tucking inside the penalty box to help the center backs. She's very smooth in possession, driving the ball forward with quality and sending dangerous crosses inside the penalty box.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a27615a0"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/Tatum_Mailander/status/1721548530194759863?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Tatum_Mailander/status/1721548530194759863?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["88981"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the several talented players at FC Dallas G07, Baity and her teammates will be challenged by Bay Area Surf, Beach FC and LAFC SoCal. She plays mostly outside back for them, predominantly on the right, but can also be used in the center of the backline. She's very effective defensively on the flanks because of her athleticism and quickness, which make of her a very difficult defender to beat off the dribble and also allow her to quickly close down on attackers and make interceptions. Baity also has good quality on the ball and can also be a productive offensive player, especially when she explores her pace in give-and-go plays down the right.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a27615fd"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRlxDD0mGWU","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRlxDD0mGWU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["20540"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Also capable of playing on either outside back spot, Sobel will be one of the main players in her Colorado Rapids G07 team that will play against Marin FC, Sporting Iowa and De Anza Force. She's very solid defensively and does an excellent job of shutting down her side of the field, taking control of the space and pushing attackers away from the penalty box. Sobel also has good quality on the ball and can help the offense by either taking part in the team's buildup or widening the field with forward runs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a276168b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16829355/64c560e69a928505d0979ea8' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a27616e2"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["26583"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Byrd and her Solar SC G06/05 team will duel San Juan SC, Slammers FC and SLSG Navy in Arizona. An offensive-minded player, she normally lines up as left back for them and provides a lot of offensive support to the team. Very quick and technical, she can create problems in a variety of ways, be it by beating defenders off the dribble and taking the ball to the end line or bringing it inside to finish or assist with her right foot. Byrd is also a valuable player defensively because she's tough to beat with her quickness to react and is excellent at recovering when that happens.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a276173b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11145892/63fcf19eda5b8f08a05c4e48' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65427a276175e"} /-->