ECNL Dallas: Five Texas Midfielders to Watch
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The ECNL Girls League is coming to Texas this weekend as the city of Dallas is set to host the second event of the 2024 calendar year and the sixth of the 2023-2024 season from Saturday to Monday. Matches will…
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Continue ReadingThe ECNL Girls League is coming to Texas this weekend as the city of Dallas is set to host the second event of the 2024 calendar year and the sixth of the 2023-2024 season from Saturday to Monday.
Matches will take place at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, and the MoneyGram Soccer Park, in Dallas, and as many as 224 teams will be in action, competing in the U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18/19 divisions.
Texas will obviously have massive representation in the event, with 50 teams from the top clubs in the state entering to compete and showcase their skills over the three days of the event.
Prep Soccer will be on-site following all three days of action, but before we get there, we’d like to highlight some of the most exciting prospects of the host state that will be on the field. As we continue to move upfield, here is our group of featured midfielders:
Ludeke and Classics Elite G09 have matches scheduled against Concorde Fire Premier, FC Wisconsin and Michigan Hawks Magic this weekend in Dallas. A very technical and fast player, she likes to play inverted as a left winger/midfielder, so she can use her dribbling ability to beat defenders and bring the ball inside to create and finish chances. Ludeke also does a very good job of tracking plays as they develop on the right so she can get inside the penalty box to finish them and she scores quite some goals this way. She has a very high work rate on defense, dropping back and fighting for the ball.
Highlights
Ruff will be with Sting Austin G08 in their matches against Kansas City Athletics, Atlanta Fire United and Eclipse Select SC. She’s a high-energy player, who perfectly fits the description of a box-to-box midfielder because of the amount she does on and off the ball and the miles she covers every match. Ruff works hard on defense and uses her energy to win duels in the center of the field. She’s also extremely skilled on the ball and helps the team create chances with her accurate passing and her ability to overlap on both wings.
Hess and her Sting Dallas Black G07 teammates will have Bay Area Surf, Seattle United and Utah Avalanche as their opponents in the event. The left-footed midfielder should enter the ECNL Dallas extremely motivated after recently committing to Baylor. Although she can play pretty much anywhere on offense, Hess is at her best when given the keys to quarterback the team’s attack as a typical No. 10. With her ability to dribble, pass and finish at a very high level, she’s a constant threat to opponents and can also hurt them in dead-ball situations.
Highlights
Weber’s Albion Hurricanes FC G07 team is scheduled to match up against NC Fusion, SLSG Green MO and Michigan Hawks Magic over the weekend in Dallas. Her intensity in midfield will be one of the strengths of the team and will play a huge factor in its performance. Weber works very hard with and without the ball, serving as the team’s engine with her ability to cover ground and get involved in the game in her center midfield position. She plays more advanced roles for her high school team Stratford, having featured as a striker and an attacking midfielder, and she has the skills and the soccer IQ to impact the game offensively as well.
Highlights
Dallas Texans G06/05’s No. 10 Razo and her teammates have a challenging schedule this weekend, with matches against Northwest Elite FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Seattle United. She plays as more of a deep-lying playmaker, from where she can dictate the pace of the game with her passing and vision. Razo operates as more of a facilitator, but occasionally makes runs into the final third to play final passes and finish chances. She’s also very productive on the defensive side of the game with her ability to read plays and cut passing lanes.