ECNL Boys National Finals: 07 Forwards to Watch

All roads lead to Richmond, Virginia for each of these players as the ECNL Boys National Finals kick off next week. This group of young men will be aiming to hold their own and steel their nerve in front of goal to help their team lift the trophy and become ECNL National Champions in 2024.    Crear made a menace of himself on the wing for DTA in their Round of 16 match, finding combinations with several teammates and rounding out his efforts with a goal. Watching him go at defenders is a treat, and he will make plenty of noise when the National Finals begin.     Ademayo made his presence felt in the middle and attacking thirds, getting the ball on his foot as often as possible to set up teammates and work possession forward in strong attacking scenarios. He was involved in nearly every goal Dallas Texans scored, rendering him one of their most important players on the day.     Flickinger was the saving grace for this Heat side, netting twice in the Round of 16 and helping force penalties when it mattered most. His off the ball actions were smart and direct, and he put himself in quality positions to receive dangerous passes and take advantage of his quality chances.     Stewart offered a change of pace to the direct actions of his forward counter part, often sitting deeper as a false 9 and drawing attention from defenders and center mids to open up spaces for his other attacking partners to exploit. He was able to find key passes and presented a quality option in buildup and Heat moved forward to find their goals.     Basinet was a torrid force on the left wing, regularly beating his defender and making inroads into the attacking third. He walked the end line several times like a tight rope, flicking the ball away from his defenders' feet and laying passes off to onrushing teammates that unfortunately never met the goal they seemed destined for.     Piracha was one of the goal scorers in Louisville's Round of 16 victory that saw them through to the National Finals. His awareness was on full display on a misplaced pass from a teammate across the box, and Piracha was there to slide in and guide it home past a bewildered goalkeeper.     Ryan made everything work for Louisville on the right hand side of the field, even drifting centrally at times to combine and create space and ease pressure with his center mids. A fantastic first touch, a strong awareness for what tempo is needed in what part of the pitch, and an insane assist to his streaking left winger that only he had eyes for highlighted a fantastic performance.     Benaly was the streaking winger that opened the scoring for Louisville in their Round of game. He would, in fact, have several runs down the left attacking flank that beat his defender with ease, finding chances for crosses as well as simply going around and making his way into the box. His goal highlighted a solid finishing mentality, slotting home from 10 out strongly past the keeper atFuhrmann his near post.     Fuhrmann played a significant role in Florida's 2-1 victory to make it to the National Playoffs. A sweet 1-2 with his central midfielder made all the difference in the match, showing the best of his combination play that lasted for the duration of the match. He was sturdy and adept with the ball at his foot, took on defenders without fear, and made several chances for his squad to try and capitalize on.     Greer bossed the opposing backline and had himself a match. As the teams grew into it, you could see that Greer was comfortable and regularly sought to have the ball in possession going forward, and displayed a trust from his teammates in that responsibility. Combinations were crisp and sound, and his speed caught several players with flat feet or misplaced steps.     It's hard to say Reynolds was a forward for as much as he was on the ball in the middle of the park, but it always seemed like before you knew it, he was at the front line again and making a goal scoring chance happen. He assisted within the first 5 minutes of the game and had two other moments where his teammates couldn't quick finish off deft flicks into space. Definitely having an eye for this player as this team plays is a plus.

All roads lead to Richmond, Virginia for each of these players as the ECNL Boys National Finals kick off next week. This group of young men will be aiming to hold their own and steel their nerve in front of goal to help their team lift the trophy and become ECNL National Champions in 2024.