Minnesota 2027 Class Shines, Rises in Rankings After Playoffs

The ECNL and Girls Academy playoffs recently wrapped up in Richmond. The end of the road for this club season also offers a point of reflection. During the postseason, there were a number of players who stood out from the games. Below is a scouting report on some of the players from Minnesota's 2027 class who impressed scouts in June.    Grate is a forward/winger on the Minnesota Thunder Academy 09 ECNL team. She stood out in the championship game against Challenge SC at the ECNL playoffs. She has track speed and it translates to game film. She is an excellent dribbler and clever in her body feints. Grate has game-breaking qualities and came close on a few occasions to scoring the go-ahead goal in the second half. Her left foot provided the assist on the game-winner.     Beardsley is the defensive midfielder for Minnesota Thunder Academy 09. She is an impactful player at the club level. She covers ground, gets into tackles, and dictates the game. Beardsley's activity is a strong point of her game. She is never a passive participant. When she is on the field (which is all the time), she is active in the play. I thought she was a bit too eager tracking runs in the Championship game and drifted some, but she recovered well and made a number of key plays in the game.     The more I watched Minnesota Thunder play, the more I appreciated what Triplett brought to her team. She is a midfielder who doesn't jump off the field with any big moments, but rather thrives in the consistency of doing the right move next. Triplett can make the key pass to open up the opposition and she provided that in the biggest moments against Challenge SC. The sequence that eventually led to the game-winning goal started with her pass out wide. It's the other parts of the game that are outstanding. She is smooth on the ball and calm under pressure. Those characteristics allow her brilliance to flourish even against the best competition.     Graves is an outstanding center back. She had a brilliant performance against Challenge SC especially in the second half. She also hits a good ball from the run of play and from dead ball situations. Both Graves and center back partner Haedyn Aamodt made key plays to stop Challenge late when Thunder had the lead. They are both defenders who should be on the radar as top prospects from the 2027 class.     Abboud-Young needs no introduction. The US Youth National Team player lined up in a couple of positions during the win over Challenge. It's easy to see her potential at outside back. The burst she has with the ball at her feet makes her tough to stop. She breezes past players with that dynamic quality. I thought she forced a couple of passes in trying to drill the ball into her teammates feet, but that was part with Thunder trying to chase the winning goal. This is a nitpick though. She was the best player on the field and made an impact all over the place.     Craig is a forward/winger for Tonka Fusion Elite 09. She earned an invite to the Girls Academy Talent ID National Event for this summer. She lines up on the left wing or as a striker for her side. She is right footed. She has pace and likes to get downhill in a hurry. She is a very direct player in the sense that once her sights on the goal, she is going to get there. She showed an ability to get behind the defense this season with her movement off the ball. She could improve on her finishing with her left foot to be a more efficient finisher.     Burrell is a center back on the Tonka Fusion Elite 09 GA team. She also earned an invite to the Girls Academy National Talent ID event. Burrell is one of the best defenders from the Girls Academy. She is athletic, competitive, and smart. She made so many impactful plays for Tonka in the Girls Academy playoffs. Burrell is going to be one of the top talents from the Minnesota 2027 class.

The ECNL and Girls Academy playoffs recently wrapped up in Richmond. The end of the road for this club season also offers a point of reflection. During the postseason, there were a number of players who stood out from the games. Below is a scouting report on some of the players from Minnesota's 2027 class who impressed scouts in June.