ECNL Girls Texas Conference U17: Three Midfielders to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highly competitive ECNL club league kicked off its 2024-2025 season on the weekend of August 24-25, with the first Conference matches taking place around the country and setting the floor for what's going to be ten intense months of soccer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Texas Conference has been one of the strongest in the league in the last few years and will continue to be this season as some of the most talented players in the nation represent clubs from the region. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Soccer Texas will be following the action weekly and providing coverage in text, photo and social media posts, giving the talented prospects from the Lone Star State some well-deserved recognition and exposure. We start our coverage featuring some players to watch in the upcoming season. This week, we'll dive deep into the talented U17 age group, and today it's time we put the midfielders on the spotlights:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["27228"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cf79ae80065"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Johnson is one of the many talented midfielders to play for Solar SC ECNL 08. Watching her play is very fun because of how simple she makes the game look. Because of her vision and impeccable technique, Johnson doesn't need more than two touches on the ball to find a teammate in a good spot and get the ball to her. She typically plays a deep-lying playmaker role to get more time and space when on the ball, but she's also great at moving off the ball to find the space higher up in the field. Johnson also has great defensive capabilities, reading the game well and making smart interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xRdIYWouk","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xRdIYWouk </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["202660"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cf79ae800d5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Fratangelo moved clubs this season, going from Solar SC to the Dallas Texans ECNL 08, and also making the jump from the Regional League. She is at her best as a wide midfielder, preferably on the right, from where she can create chances. Fratangelo is very strong in 1v1 situations and is very dangerous around the penalty box because of her ability to cross with precision and finish from distance. She also moves very well without the ball and often appears in great spots to finish chances inside the penalty box, especially in freer kicks or corners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/LilyFratangelo/status/1732927747071033604","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LilyFratangelo/status/1732927747071033604 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["147200"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cf79ae80120"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A forward at the high school level, Lazaro plays in midfield for Sting Dallas Black ECNL 08. She brings some much-needed energy to the central area of the field for the team and helps dictate the team's offensive rhythm with her excellent decision-making. Lazaro can hit excellent passes from the center of the field, but is also capable of dribbling the ball forward to help them break lines and of finishing well from outside the penalty box. Even though playing defense is not her main strength, she does it with great determination and commitment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->