ECNL Boys Texas: 16s – Standout Midfielders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ECNL Boys League hosted a national event from April 19-21 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-16s-day-2-photos/">ECNL Boys Texas: 16s - Day 2 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-16s-day-2-standouts/">ECNL Boys Texas: 16s - Day 2 Standouts</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now with the event over, we'll take a little bit of a deeper dive and feature the positional standouts in the 16s division, and in today's article we'll list some of the midfielders who did a great job:</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":"Alexander Valdez Mendez","_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":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"102","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Classics Elite","_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":"Valdez Mendez played a big role in midfield for his Classics Elite team that ended the event with a tie and two losses. Fellow midfielder Brennan Riley and him covered a lot of ground in the center of the field and, even outnumbered at times, made things difficult for those wanting to penetrate their backline. Valdez Mendez was also very intelligent and effective with his passing, not spending a lot of time on the ball and igniting transition plays with passes to the wingers. He was also very good at shielding the ball while he dribbled it, making some good runs through the middle.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6630410547adf"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170876,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_3838.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170876" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Classics Elite B08 vs. Del Mar Sharks B08 </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":"Leonardo Jauregui","_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":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"102","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Johnson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"San Antonio 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":"Jauregui was the main playmaker in his SAFC team that left Round Rock undefeated with two wins and a tie. He was very smooth on the ball, finding good solutions to every play, even when under pressure. Jauregui was very good at creating space with turns and body moves and distributed the ball very well too, always connecting with teammates in good spots. He also explored the pace of strength of the team's winger extremely well, sending through balls and passes behind the backline for them to run for it.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6630410547bc8"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170895,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_3920.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170895" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SAFC B08 vs. El Camino Futbol Club Salinas B08 </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":"[player_tooltip player_id='226585' first='Brian' last='Guevara']","_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":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"102","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Warren","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"San Antonio 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":"Guevara played next to Jauregui in SAFC's midfield, having more of a box-to-box role with the team. A tall and physical player, he used his body well to control the central area of the field and protect the team's penalty box with great efficiency. Guevara also played a big role in the team's buildup, helping them move the ball from the backline to the attack. He also showed quality in operating in the final third, circulating the ball well and making some smart runs off the ball into the penalty box.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6630410547c87"} /--> <!-- 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":"Andrew Moreno","_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":"102","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Dallas Texans 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":"With Moreno in midfield, Dallas Texans Academy had an eventful weekend, with a win, a tie and a loss. He operated as a deep-lying midfielder for them, giving quality to their buildup while also working hard defensively. Moreno was very involved when his team had the ball and his distribution was always very intelligent as he dictated the team's rhythm by playing short or long, depending on how the match was playing out. His quality on the ball also showed in his efficiency in dead-ball situations and his ability to finish from distance.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6630410547d52"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170925,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_4054.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170925" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dallas Texans Academy B08 vs. Mustang SC B08 </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16276"],"_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":"Mastrangelo helped his team BVBIA NTX have a perfect weekend in the event, getting three wins and scoring 11 goals. His playmaking ability was of great value for them as he managed to get on the ball in good spots in the final third and distributed it very well, helping create goalscoring opportunities. Mastrangelo also displayed great quality in operating under pressure, dribbling in tight spaces and making good decisions. He spent time playing a little further up at forward too, and showed excellent finishing skills and a good presence inside the penalty box.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6630410547dc3"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":170920,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_4035.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-170920" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">BVBIA B08 vs. LA Breakers FC B08 </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->