Players from four states who are coming to GA playoffs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players from Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana and Illinois are going to descend upon Southern California tomorrow as the GA Playoffs get under way in Riverside County, at the Silver Lakes Sports Complex. Here are 13 players from Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana and Illinois that could make a great impact this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='153846' first='Remy' last='Brawner'], Forward, Lou Fusz, Missouri</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brawner has the incredible ability to create opportunities and score from very tight angles. She will play out wide as a No. 7 or play as a No. 9 and the skill she shows off is that she can use both feet, using one just as well as the other. She is so athletic that she can be going full speed, and then stop on a dime and cut back on her left foot, moving the ball from right to left with ease, and then get off a shot quickly and bury that shot from what looks to be a difficult angle. She is very fast, and when she plays you can see defenders give everything they can to keep up with her. She times her runs well and is very dangerous when she is out in space, and will frustrate defenders with her speed, agility and creativity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='25394' first='Hailey' last='Crabb'], Central Defender, Kansas Rush, Kansas</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crabb will be coming to the Los Angeles area from Kansas as she plays for the Kansas Rush 2007 team. She is a fierce center back who hunts the ball. She reads the game so well, and just seems to get all of her tackles right. She plays aggressively and is physical, and you will know she has made a challenge. She steps well, and does not overcommit when a tackle is not there, and will instead face a defender and find a way to dispossess them as she is very good with her feet. She's a supportive teammate in that she will not wait to cover if a fellow defender is beat as she uses her excellent speed and instincts to cover ground, using the best angle possible, to cut off an attacker. She shows off her tremendous speed when she is the last defender and stays stride for stride with speedy forwards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Libba Daniel, Keeper, Louisiana TDP Elite, Louisiana</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel is a rising star in the GA space, having just in the last two seasons made the move and she has already made an impact, being invited to the talent ID event, being chosen over other keepers in the very tough Frontier Conference. When you see Daniel, you see a keeper that plays with fearlessness. She comes out for balls quickly, acting decisively. She has a ferocity about her because she never wants to give up a single goal. There is an air of confidence about her when she comes out for a ball, because she is not afraid to make a challenge. She closes down 1v1 opportunities quickly, as well, because she comes out so fast and closes in on an attacker. With soft hands, Daniel does not spill balls and after she makes a stop, she shows how comfortable she is distributing by getting the ball out quickly and accurately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='153655' first='Tatum' last='Douglas'], Keeper, Lou Fusz, Missouri</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Douglas is already a decorated keeper, winning accolades and earning invites to talent ID camps and the ODP player pool, and for very good reason. She reacts to shots so quickly, and gets down on the ball as fast as anyone you will see, whether it be to her right or left. Her fast-twitch response is elite. She reads and reacts well, and not just with shots as she is quick to determine whether she should come for a corner. Douglas closes on attackers like a freight train, smothering them if they are able to get in, and gets her body big to make top shelf saves in 1v1 situations. She distributes accurately and looks to start the attack after a save, and she stays switched on, constantly engaging with the match and her teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='172802' first='Alyssa' last='Edwards'], Attacking Midfielder/Forward, St. Louis Development Academy, Missouri</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edwards has a forward's goal-scoring instincts and a midfielders creativity, which makes her an excellent No. 10. She does also play forward at times, and you can tell she would thrive there as well as she is excellent at putting the ball in the back of the net. She is very good at punishing a team that plays a high line as she makes clever, well-timed runs that leaves defenses exposed. She finishes clinically when she gets into the area, as well. She really likes to drive at defenders, forcing them to step up and she shows the ability to dribble by, using nimble, agile movements to do so. She creates with her speed and vision, exploiting even the smallest sliver of space, and she changes directions very quickly. She can use either foot to put away a top drawer finish or to play a clever little ball to a teammate on a run. Once she plays a ball, she continues her run and finds space as well as anyone does. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Callie Hefner, Central Midfielder, Galaxy SC, Illinois</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hefner is a No. 8 who is comfortable sitting deep or pushing forward, showing that she is a true box-to-box center mid. With a smoothness and a subtlety, she dispossess players in the midfield before they even realize it and the next thing you know she's going the other way. She does not dribble too much, making quick, decisive passes and processing the game quickly. She finds a teammate and then does great to occupy space that is going to pull a defender away, opening up room for her teammates to operate as you can see she understands the game at a deep level. She is also very good once she gets into the box as well, showing the ability to be a scoring threat and finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='173639' first='Alyssa' last='Hotze'], Forward, Kansas Rush, Kansas</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hotze is not just a goal-scorer, and do not misunderstand what is meant by that. She is incredibly unselfish and will set her teammates up and look to make the extra pass when the situation calls for it. She plays a very precise ball, and she has excellent vision, and attracts so much attention that it opens things up for her teammates. However, when it comes to scoring goals, she is quite excellent at that, too. She pressures defenses relentlessly, forcing errors and capitalizing on them. She makes incredibly well-timed runs and finds the space she should be in, and once she has the ball in that space, she's lethal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payton Kaiser, Midfielder, Central Illinois United, Illinois</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaiser has a strong core and maintains a low center of gravity when on the ball, and is not easily knocked off. She plays strong and helps her team maintain possession, and she creates a lot of goals with quick decisions and precise one-touch passing. She shows great vision and an advanced understanding of the game, displaying the vision of a player with great experience. She is also fierce in ball recovery as she will track back deeply and help her team win the ball back as she is hard to beat once she steps up. She also turns really well and plays a ball out wide quickly and accurately, then will not just sit back and wait as she will find the best space to occupy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peyton O'Shaughnessy, Forward, St. Louis Development Academy, Missouri</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Shaughnessy should be considered a do-it-all forward. She gets back and plays defense, she disrupts the attack and will play physically, and then when it's time to get going, she does so, showing an advanced understanding of making a run. She can read the center backs well and knows when to try to time a run in the center of the pitch or overlap and get out wide. She shows unselfishness when she's in wide areas as she will send a perfect cross in, and she shows patience when receiving the ball away from goal, finding teammates who are making runs or making runs off of her. She is dangerous as a goal-scorer when in the area, showing the ability to finish cooly and accurately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Avery Papania, Keeper, Louisiana TDP Elite, Louisiana</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A commanding presence, Papania is a force in her box and is quite brave. She will come out for a ball and risk her body, and because she is so physical and competitive, she seems no worse for the wear. She is also an excellent shot stopper, as she gets her body low very quickly, showing agility and explosiveness. She also seems to have an understanding of angles, knowing how to give the attacker the least amount of target possible. With quick reactions and the ability to secure the ball, Papania can also help the attack get started quickly by transitioning and distributing accurately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aria Patel, Central Defender/Defensive Midfielder, Sockers FC, Illinois</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Patel does not simply ball chase as a defender. She sees the angles and plays them, and then when the attacking angle is cut off, she will then engage and try to dispossess. She's quite good at taking the ball off a defender, showing quick feet and aggressiveness. She's also aggressive in the air and making a tackle when the ball is played on the floor. She closes out like a freight train, as attackers think they have time then she shows off her speed and closes the gap and tightens the space. She's very capable with the ball at her feet, and will help start an attack, playing a good through ball or one over the top to break lines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nicole Sacek, Forward, Galaxy SC, Illinois</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sacek looks to get out in space and do damage. She has quite a range as she can sit back and be a target in her own half, and if she does she plays the ball out wide, quickly and then starts to find space in the middle of the pitch, forcing the center backs to make a decision. She is a great outlet for the players who make runs around her and she shows patience when letting play develop. She is also lethal in front of goal, often times dragging across the box, finding space just inside the area and then she can hit the ball one-time. She can use either foot, and does not panic or rush, maintaining a composed demeanor before finishing cooly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gabe Smith, Attacking Midfielder, Galaxy SC, Illinois</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith has the ability to thread the needle on the balls that she plays. She is incredibly accurate, showing the ability to drop a ball precisely, showing the bravery and vision to play those balls. When you watch her in the open field, she's very fluid and in control of her body. She does not seem to waste energy, and it does not look like she's moving very quickly, but then you notice she is outpacing everyone on the pitch. She's a No. 10 that will track back and defend, and she will receive the ball deep and either take defenders on, showing her agility and nimble feet, or play a quick ball and make a run down the pitch. She's a very talented attacker who can also finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->