ECNL Dallas: 16s – Outside Backs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top teams in the ECNL Girls League in the country were in Dallas from February 17-19, where the league held its sixth National event of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over 220 teams were in action over the three days of the event and Prep Soccer was in attendance, following several matches a day and taking a lot at some of the top-level prospects in the country. On Monday, we were at the Toyota Soccer Center, in Frisco, where we got to watch 16 of the 50 teams of the 16s age group compete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/02/ecnl-dallas-16s-day-3-photos/">ECNL Dallas: 16s – Day 3 Photos</a></strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've already highlighted <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/02/ecnl-dallas-16s-day-3-standouts/">the players that stood out in the encounters we got to watch</a> and now we'll expand that a little bit and list more prospects that left a strong impression, looking at one position at a time. This time we'll highlight some of the most impressive outside backs in the age group:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["110487"],"_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":"Martin did a good job at right back for NCFC Youth. The team had one tie and two losses, but conceded just three goals and much of their defensive solidness was due to her strong play on the right side of their backline. Martin benefited from her strong positioning to make defensive plays and was very solid against the Utah Avalanche, keeping things under control in her area of the field. The right back wasn't a constant offensive weapon for her team, but displayed good quality in the attacking half when she pushed forward, making strong runs down the right and sending accurate crosses into the penalty box.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e62c2abaf8a"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["94806"],"_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":"Liverpool FC IA Michigan had a strong weekend in Dallas, winning all their three matches, and Roble was an important piece in their playing system. Used mostly as a right back, she covered her area of the field well, playing with good energy and displaying a good understanding of the game to win plays with her positioning. Also capable of playing in midfield, she also supported the team's buildup with good passes out of the back. Roble also contributed offensively, infiltrating through the center of the field and engaging in some combination plays.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e62c2abafe9"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":163853,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/IMG_2360.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-163853" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Challenge SC 08 vs. Liverpool FC IA Michigan 08</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["19056"],"_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":"Playing for a San Diego Surf team that had two wins and one loss, Brayton was one of the most impressive players I got to watch over the weekend. She was dominant in her right back position and had a major impact on her team's success during the event. I got to watch her in action against a strong Sting Dallas Black team and I had never seen their dangerous left winger [player_tooltip player_id='26972' first='Leah' last='Simpson'] have such a quiet performance as she did when defended by Brayton. The outside back also displayed an interesting ability to contribute offensively, at times dropping back to help initiate the team's buildup and on other occasions operating as an option in the attacking half. Brayton used her pace to make runs down the flank, but also came inside quite a few times, making a bigger impact in the game with her passing.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e62c2abb044"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lOL_MPdFK/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lOL_MPdFK/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["27098"],"_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":"Valentine and her Sting Dallas Black team had mixed results over the weekend, getting one win and two losses, but there was a lot to like in her game. A very technical player, she did good things every time she had the ball, be it connecting an intelligent pass out of the back or beating an opponent off the dribble. She didn't push forward when I watched her, in the match against San Diego Surf, but was very quick to get to the attacking half when she did it. Despite not being very physical, Valentine is also solid defensively, playing hard and winning duels.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e62c2abb09e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["23777"],"_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":"Heat FC had one win and two losses in Dallas and Baumgart was one of the team's most reliable players over the weekend. Playing as a left back, she did a very good job on defense, winning duels on her side of the field and stopping opponents that attempted to make turns on her. Baumgart also displayed good quality in possession, breaking pressure with her dribbling and making good runs down the left flank when she spotted an opportunity to go forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e62c2abb0ec"} /-->