California 2010's, 2028 graduates ready to take next step

As a player approaches a certain age level in the world of club soccer, the competition starts to take on a new shape and the importance and intensity grows. These players are transcending from the younger level into this new realm and showing they are willing and able to move to this level without missing a beat.   [player_tooltip player_id='185762' first='Shaniya' last='Brooks'], Forward, Ventura Surf   Brooks is a 2029 graduate who plays up on the 2010 team. This means she is just an eighth grader, but she has the advanced skills of a much older player. Particularly with the ball at her feet. She operates incredibly well in tight spaces, showing an ability to stay composed on the ball well beyond her years. She can play in traffic, which just opens up the pitch for other players and she is very unselfish and plays a good ball when her teammates make runs off of her. She is very good with the ball at her feet as she shows good touch and finishing ability. She has good speed and agility, which allows her to take on defenders 1v1 and be a threat on goal.   [player_tooltip player_id='176460' first='Brooke' last='Derby'], Keeper, Slammers FC   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/IMG_4283-crop-2374x1559-1725248151.jpeg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-221677"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: @ambg.edits</figcaption></figure>   At the keeper position, you want someone who wants to compete. Derby is a competitor. She is also an extremely gifted and athletic keeper, one who can make top drawer saves. She reacts incredibly quickly and shows great reflexes, getting long horizontally to get to balls that seem destined for goal. She makes quick decisions as well, and they are good decisions, when it is time to come off her line and win against an attacker in the box. She plays strongly and without fear, coming for crosses and corners and she is especially good at getting to the ball played low from the corner as she is not afraid of navigating that traffic. With wonderful instincts for the position, she is a player to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='266732' first='Izrie' last='Chacon'], Defender, Slammers FC   Chacon has a great understanding of how to take the most direct path to cutting off an attack, seeing the angles and playing them. She does not waste movements and this allows her to cut off attackers or deflect a ball that she otherwise wouldn't with a lesser understanding. She takes advantage of having good speed and a good understanding of the angle to get to the ball first and uses her body well to keep the ball. She is very cool once she's on it as she takes time to make a decision, not simply rushing to get rid of the ball. She shows great vision moving forward as well, displaying the ability to break lines and help the team transition quickly.   [player_tooltip player_id='222216' first='Halle' last='Fischer'], Central Defender, Rebels SC   Fischer is an exception center back, one with all the skills of a modern day defender. She is very good with the ball at her feet as she shows the ability to carry and the speed to beat people down the pitch. She is composed and can move the ball. She is also a very tough-minded defender, one who takes her job seriously. She has a great work rate in the back, and plays with a ferocity that you want out of your defensive leader. She shows great timing on her tackles, showing confidence in her ability to get the ball even inside the box. She is very physical as she is a strong defender who already has very good size.   [player_tooltip player_id='184782' first='Jillian' last='Jepson'], Forward, LA Breakers   Jepson is a 2028 grad who plays up on the 2009 LA Breakers team. She is a very prodigious forward, who can play as a striker or out wide. She is particularly dangerous as a No. 7, for many reasons. Perhaps the thing she does best is showing an understanding of how to make a run from the outside. She is fantastic at timing her runs and staying onside, and she understands angles and how to make these runs in order to get her head and shoulders past the defenders. She receives the ball well and does not lose her stride. She's very good when operating in space, knowing when to play the ball or try to beat a defender. She has plenty of speed and agility that she pairs with great finishing ability, when either slotting a ball home or burying a shot from distance.   [player_tooltip player_id='221692' first='Ava' last='Penn'], Forward, LA Breakers   Penn is a wide forward, who is comfortable playing on either side. She tends to play as a No. 7 more often, but is skilled with both feet. She plays with great tenacity and energy, and though these things are not easily measured, they give her a leg up on opponents who might switch off for even a split second. Penn is an incredibly skilled player with great ability with the ball at her feet. She moves in quickly and with great agility, and the ball does not seem to ever leave her feet. She can cut in after stopping on a dime or push the ball past a defender on the outside. She shows the ability to score from distance and from tight angles, but if it's not there she sends in a whipping cross with pace that is always a danger to the keeper.   [player_tooltip player_id='221696' first='Abby' last='Samec'], Keeper, City SC   Samec could end up being one of the best keepers from this class. She has very good size for her age group, and moves really well. She gets down quickly, and uses her longer frame to cover her posts. She is daring and brave when coming for the ball and is not afraid to use her legs to sweep the ball if that is going to get her there first. She shows great reaction time on shots on goal, making excellent point blank saves. She reads attackers well and is usually able to shrink the angle and give them very little to work with.    Scipio is an exceptional athletic talent, a forward who plays wide, who can impact the game with her ability to make defenders miss. She is very fluid in her movements, as she makes something difficult look very easy. She is clever as she can dribble past defenders, push the ball around them and beat them with her speed and she can change direction on a dime. She can use either foot and can finish with either foot as well. She is an electric forward, a dynamic player who is fun to watch.

As a player approaches a certain age level in the world of club soccer, the competition starts to take on a new shape and the importance and intensity grows. These players are transcending from the younger level into this new realm and showing they are willing and able to move to this level without missing a beat.