California players from 2026, 2027 reenter discussion

Because of the updated 2028 rankings, a lot of attention has been paid to the class, and classes beyond that, which includes players trying to leave their mark. It's time to circle back to that discussion with some top players from California's 2026, 2027 classes.    Watch Gutierrez on film and you will see that she does something that you do not see enough keepers do. When the ball is going towards either post, she doesn't just get horizontal, but she comes forward and then dives to either side. She closes down the angle to make it a shorter distance for her to get to the ball. She is a fearless, very brave player who demonstrates this every time out on the pitch. She comes for the ball, she will be physical with attackers and claim her space and her teammates respect her for her leadership, not only vocally, but by example.     Kuntz's left foot is pretty special. Oh, and so is her right one. She is so good with her feet, that it is sometimes hard to tell which is her dominant foot. It seems to be her left but you wouldn't know it because she can play all over the pitch as a center mid, a wide forward on either side or as a No. 9. She can really hit the ball and scores tremendous goals from range, but she's even better when it comes to pinging the ball all over the pitch, making precise passes into the proper spaces. What elevates her game further is her willingness to defend, her physicality and how she shows the athleticism that keeps her from getting beat 1v1.     Phillips continues to be a force of nature when she's on the pitch, scoring goals at a tremendous clip, showing the ability to finish from anywhere on the pitch and showing she can finish in a multitude of ways. She is very strong and very fast and is a matchup nightmare for defenders. Over the summer she seems to have worked on her speed of play and her physicality as a striker, and is combining that with her already advanced composure on the ball. She is growing into a tremendous player.     Pillado is an incredibly dynamic No. 8 as you will see her travel, not only box-to-box but from one touch line to another. One minute she will be facilitating play in the midfield with a clever ball, then she will be tracking back to help receive in space or pushing up and being a threat on goal. She will also get down the sides as well, making overlapping runs with her outside defenders as she has built a strong understanding with her teammates. She doesn't drift, though, as she knows her role and as soon as she can she helps regain the team's shape and gets back to controlling the midfield.     Since the last time I wrote about Savage, her skills have continued to develop. She is showing tremendous anticipation as a defender as she is reading the game well and making it hard for attackers to find a way through her. Her versatility continues to be a strength as she can play on the outside on either side, showing great ball skills and the ability to get up the pitch with speed, she can play a ball to any part of the park and she can also play physically on defense, showing enough to even play center back. She has speed, physical ability and is very athletic.

Because of the updated 2028 rankings, a lot of attention has been paid to the class, and classes beyond that, which includes players trying to leave their mark. It's time to circle back to that discussion with some top players from California's 2026, 2027 classes.