ECNL Boys Texas: 17s – Standout Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ECNL Boys League hosted a national event last weekend in Round Rock reuniting 90 teams in the 16s and 17s age groups for three days of action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Soccer Texas covered the first two days of the event, following several teams from the Lone Star State as they took the field against opponents from other states and provided daily coverage with photos and a report on the individual standouts of the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/04/ecnl-boys-texas-17s-day-1-photos/">ECNL Boys Texas: 17s - Day 1 Photos</a> </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepsoccer.com/2024/04/ecnl-boys-texas-17s-day-1-standouts/">ECNL Boys Texas: 17s - Day 1 Standouts</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now with the event over, we've been taking a little bit of a deeper dive and featuring the positional standouts in the 17s division, ending our lists with the forwards:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='16518' first='Matthew' last='Rodriguez']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Alief Elsik","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Albion Hurricanes FC","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Rodriguez was on fire with his team Albion Hurricanes FC, participating in seven of their eight goals with five goals and two assists and helping them complete the weekend with two wins and one loss. A player with an impressive all-around game, he contributed in many different ways offensively, finishing chances and setting up plays for his teammates. Very technical and quick, Rodriguez was very difficult to stop and connected well with his teammates up top. He was very strong in 1v1 situations, but also displayed excellent positioning inside the penalty box to score.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66292adbe4131"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/matt_rod2025/status/1782390438478881135","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/matt_rod2025/status/1782390438478881135 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Mikael Rodriguez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Allegiance Academy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"DKSC","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"'Mika' Rodriguez was one of the offensive weapons of the DKSC team that went undefeated with three wins and five goals scored. He showed great promise playing as a right winger and played very wide, generating space in the middle for his teammates to explore. Very tall and strong, he was very difficult to stop when we started his runs down the flank and showed good resources and decision-making to beat defenders with moves and changes of direction. Rodriguez also proved to have great tactical discipline, tracking back to help the team defend at all times.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66292adbe425a"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1781342915928965281","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/grtorres/status/1781342915928965281 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["15750"],"_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":"Erol played forward for his HTX team and helped them get two wins and a loss over the weekend in Round Rock. An excellent finisher, he used his great positioning inside the penalty box to get into good spots to score. Erol also displayed great quality when playing with his back to the goal, connecting with his teammates with one-touch passes and helping create chances. He also spent some time playing the No. 10 role and was very dangerous with his runs and passes behind the backline. Erol also played with great energy on defense, putting pressure on defenders and forcing them to play long.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66292adbe4303"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170775,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_3706.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170775" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">HTX B07 vs. San Juan SC B07 </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Austin Andrews","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Eaton","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Solar SC","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Andrews and his Solar SC team had a win, a tie and a loss over the weekend in Austin. The forward was very important for them, playing multiple roles in the frontline and bringing a lot of energy to the field. Andrews was used as a striker at times and did a good job of getting on the end of long passes and battling the center backs for space and possession. When deployed on the wing, he showed good pace and an interesting ability to beat defenders off the dribble and finish with either foot.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66292adbe4476"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170805,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_3827.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170805" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Solar SC B07 vs. B-Elite DEN B07 </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ryan Donato","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"103","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Allen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Dallas Texans","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Donato was an important piece in his Dallas Texans team that got two wins and a tie in the event, with eight goals scored. Playing on the left side of the team's attack, he was very active over the weekend, using his pace and strength to create chances. Donato offered interesting options for his teammates as they could feed him with passes to his feet, so he could control them and make turns on defenders, or behind the backline, so he could use his pace to beat them. The forward displayed solid finishing skills and did a good job of coming inside and getting into the penalty box when plays developed on the right, offering another target for crosses.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66292adbe459a"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170795,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_3778.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170795" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dallas Texans B07 vs. Santa Rosa United B07 </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->