Best 2028 Defenders From ECNL Southwest’s First Month

The ECNL 2025-2026 club season is only just over a month old, but there have already been some shocking results in the ECNL Southwest 2010 age group. There are new leaders emerging and surprising teams falling. Based on game film from the first month of the season, Prep Soccer gives a run down of some of the best individual performances from the defenders in the 2028 class in the conference.    Perry is another star from the LV Heat Surf 2010 ECNL team. She is the right center back on the squad. She is athletic and also plays flag football. Perry's athleticism shines on set pieces. She is a weapon in the attack and an asset defensively. From the run of play, she's an excellent defender who reads the game well and gets to the right spots. She has been one of the best at her position at the start of the season.      Santiago is a defender on the Slammers 2010 ECNL team. She plays left center back for her club team. She's athletic, competitive, and smart. Santiago has been exceptional in 1v1 situations against the top center forwards in the country. Her ability to move her feet and keep good balance for the tackle shows excellent defensive technique and suggest a bright future at center back.    Santiago has top potential among the defenders in the Southwest.      Madera is a defender on the Slammers Koge 2010 ECNL team. She plays right back for her club team. She is good on the ball. She's composed and can play out of pressure. She has the endurance and pace to get up and down the touch-line. Her game doesn't always jump off the game film, but she's an outside back who rarely makes a mistake. She has a strong technical foundation and can be an asset in her consistent play.      Oden is a defender on the [program_tooltip program_id='283443' first='Rebels' last='SC'] 2010 ECNL Team. She plays left center back for her club team. She is listed as a midfielder on her player profile. She can play in either role. She is left footed, but very good with either foot. She excels as a 1v1 defender - especially when she is on the back of a forward. She has quick feet and anticipates well. She also uses her body well to control which way the forward can turn. Oden could improve in her positioning off the ball, especially on crosses where she can get to the spots to cut out the pass as a more active participant. She has the quality and game feel to reach an even higher level as a center back. There is plenty of reason to believe she will be one of the top players in the ECNL Southwest this season.      Edwards is a defender on the Eagles 2010 ECNL team. She's been a great center back at the start of the season for her club team. She plays right center back. She's also a target on set pieces for her team. She wins aerial duels with authority. This part of her game shines on corner kicks, but she also has the ability to hit in a great ball from set pieces too. She is a well-rounded prospect among the center backs in this class. Her athleticism certainly shines and her leadership qualities are exceptional as well.      Sugerman is an outside back on the [program_tooltip program_id='283476' first='Slammers' last='FC'] 2010 ECNL team. She plays left back for her club team. She has been a bright spot at the start of the season. Sugerman's physical play has stood out. She is winning tackles and dominating her side of the field. She reads the game well and cuts out passes. She makes good decisions on the ball especially in the transition. She's quick to find the feet of her target attacking players and can improvise when the option is cut off. Sugerman has been one of the top new players in the ECNL Southwest.     Loo is a midfielder/defender on the So Cal Blues 2010 ECNL team. She can play defensive midfielder or center back. She has been part of the Prep Soccer rankings in the past and only seems to get better. The advancement in her tackling has been a strong point of her game. She is getting into challenges and coming away cleanly with the ball consistently. She's a weapon for her team as a center back because they can push more numbers forward and rely on Loo's defending and pace as the last resort. She's been a star in her squad during the opening months of the season.      The Slammers Koge center back continues to prove she is among the best of the best at her position. She was fantastic in the opening game against Eagles. She was always in the right spots to shut down the opposition. She also made the right reads in distribution and helped her team keep the ball moving against a challenging opponent.

The ECNL 2025-2026 club season is only just over a month old, but there have already been some shocking results in the ECNL Southwest 2010 age group. There are new leaders emerging and surprising teams falling. Based on game film from the first month of the season, Prep Soccer gives a run down of some of the best individual performances from the defenders in the 2028 class in the conference.