ECNL Phoenix Day 1 Standouts

It was a lovely day at Reach 11 Sports Complex. Early kick-offs temperatures were in the high 60's to mid 70's, afternoon kick-offs were a bit on the toasty side with temperatures reaching the mid 80's and as the sun went down everyone was treated to not only a lovely sunset but perfect conditions to play ball. The ECNL National Selection Game did not disappoint either as spectators were treated to a 5 goal thriller with some excellent goals being scored. Here are some players who caught my eye today.    Mansour is an excellent midfielder. She was playing mostly the #10 role today and really thrives there. Excellent on the half turn and playing through balls in behind. High work rate and takes space on the dribble very well. Excellent athlete and really advantageous physical profile that could play in multiple positions. The cherry on top is she is a lefty.     Hutchison was Mansour's muscle in midfield for this Albion Hurricanes side. She is a fantastic ball winner and seemed to be playing more of a 6/8 role where she dropped deep to facilitate. Very astute at advancing the ball with good timing and weight of the pass. She is a big presence on both sides of the ball.     Parenti had an excellent game against Legends today. She was terrorizing the oppositions left back getting to the byline time after time. She could have had 4 assists but only ended up with 1. On a team full of stars I must admit I was not familiar with Parenti. I certainly am now her change of pace is outstanding and she delivers a really good cross.     The young lady wins more headers than anyone else in the entire country in her age group. An absolute nightmare to play against if you're an opposing midfielder. She doesn't let them breath she will poke the ball if they're trying to pass or shield the ball away if they try to dribble. Huge fan.     Scoring a goal against a team that in my opinion has the best defense in the 2010 age group is no easy feat. Gaviola did just that today in glorious fashion. Right in the bottom corner with her left foot from just inside the 18. She always looked like Legends most dangerous player today against MVLA. Very good touch and excellent at creating space for herself.     Not only scored a goal today against the defending ECNL National Champs. She put up a big time all around performance. I don't have any exact statistics to back it up but I bet her total successful actions today was off the charts. Headed to the Oklahoma Sooners in 2027 and that doesn't surprise me at all she belongs in the Power 4.     This girl is a problem. Excellent burst of speed with and without the ball. Very strong technically and seems to weave through traffic with ease at times. Had two excellent assists against the defending national champions MVLA today in a big 3-0 win.     It was my first time watching this highly ranked player out of Texas. I can see what the hype is about. She scored a good goal against a powerhouse MVLA side and just wreaked havoc out there. The drive and dish is her specialty waiting to draw defenders in before she plays a teammate. Very promising young talent.     Absolutely shocked not to see this player with a profile with us. Great player plain and simple. She towers over people and uses her length to her advantage. Winning aerial duels and moving players away from the ball when she has it. She played right back today and really held down her side matching up against the ECNL Player of the Year from last season at time and doing a great job.     You definitely know who Zillman is after 2 minutes of watching her or I should more accurately say hear her. She communicates incredibly quite possibly the best I have seen from a young goalkeeper. She isn't that tall but she certainly plays big. Super bouncy and absolutely fearless. Her distribution is amazing as she can wack the ball well into the opposition half on her drop kicks.     Playing against a stacked San Juan side Coyne showed very well. Making a handful of last ditch tackles to save her side. Great left foot and very calm in possession. I wasn't surprised to hear she is headed to a top program in the Washington Huskies.     Really impressed with this midfielder today. She was the fulcrum of San Juan's offense orchestrating a 4-1 win against a very good Rockford Raptors side. Very clean on the ball and everything good seemed to flow through her in one way or another. Big time player with a big time athletic profile. Also seems to be uncommitted and could definitely play in the Power 4 one day.     Incredible post up forward that Slammers seem to produce for fun. You can't get the ball off of her if she has settled the ball at her feet. She's too strong and too good on the ball to do so. Linking up with her midfield is second nature to her and she can play her wingers in behind well too.     It was my first time watching Whipple live. Man oh man what a player she is. Whipple might be the closest thing you can get to a center back built in a laboratory. She has everything, the size, the speed, the athleticism, the IQ, and the ball skills. The hype is legitimate. Big fan.     Scored the goal of the day today against Crossfire right at the end of the game. An absolute banger from about 30 to 35 yards out on the dribble from the right side right in the top right corner. On her way to Michigan in 2027 and a USYNT participant Fife is the real deal.     Northwestern have a future cornerstone center back headed their way next season in Weaver. She had an excellent game against some of the best players and one of the best teams in the country in XF Academy. Such a beast on the defensive end doesn't let anything past her big time player.     The newest addition to this amazing Slammers HBK squad Fennessey had an excellent outing today against the defending National Champions Michigan Hawks. Matching up against last years ECNL Player of the Year Fennessey performed amazingly. Discovered while playing at Los Alamitos High School by the Slammers coaching staff. She played a huge role in getting some mini revenge for her side as they lost to this Hawks side in playoffs last season.     Nacelli got on the scoresheet against the reigning national champs and probably should of had one more as she had a controversial goal disallowed. Both were excellent finishes showing a true poachers instinct. Her hold up play is always fantastic and did such a good job at laying the ball off today to her on running midfielders.     She's getting better and better. The left back playing up an age group and will dominating left flanks for a very long time. Her energy is endless, her competitive nature is fiery and her future is very bright indeed. The youth Mexican International might just be working her way back into the USA conversation.     In the National Selection game with everyone watching Jeakle scored an absolute banger in the first couple minutes of the game. She cut inside onto her left foot and spanked a ball in the top corner. Jeakle showed off her shifty dribbling and amazing agility throughout the game. Fantastic athlete who has big upside.     The Arizona Arsenal product has an incredibly high ceiling. A rare athletic profile speed, power and presence of mind. She scored a goal in the National Selection game to a thunderous roar from the crowd being a local player. She was her sides biggest threat all game.     Karson plays like she is in complete and utter control. Her ability to turn defense into offense is a sight to behold. One second she will looked like she is pinned back and the next she is starting her teams next attack. She was voted by The ECNL committee as the player of the game for the National Selection Game and she thoroughly deserved it. The kid is special.

It was a lovely day at Reach 11 Sports Complex. Early kick-offs temperatures were in the high 60's to mid 70's, afternoon kick-offs were a bit on the toasty side with temperatures reaching the mid 80's and as the sun went down everyone was treated to not only a lovely sunset but perfect conditions to play ball. The ECNL National Selection Game did not disappoint either as spectators were treated to a 5 goal thriller with some excellent goals being scored. Here are some players who caught my eye today.