ECNL Florida: Texas Goalkeepers to Watch

<p>The 2026 year will come fast and furious for teams competing in the ECNL League, as the first National Event of the year for the Boys is set to take place in the very first weekend of the year, from January 3-5, in Florida.</p>   <p>Designed for teams in the U16, U17 and U18-19 age groups, the showcase will be held in Lakewood Ranch, in the Sarasota area, having the Premier Sports Campus facility as the venue.</p>   <p>The event will reunite 230 teams, and Texas will be largely represented, accounting for 19 of them, from five clubs in the Lone Star State - [program_tooltip program_id='283274' first='BVB' last='IA Texas'], [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'], [program_tooltip program_id='283317' first='[program_tooltip program_id='280767' first='DKSC' last='']' last=''], [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] and [program_tooltip program_id='283397' first='[program_tooltip program_id='278668' first='Lonestar' last='']' last='SC'].</p>   <p>With the ECNL Florida showcase starting in just a few days, it's time we know some of the Texas players who will be in action in Lakewood Ranch. Let's start with the goalkeepers:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Butley will be in goal for the [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'] in their matches against Sporting Nebraska FC, Tennessee SC and Chicago Magic in the U16 age group. One of the team's captains, he's very solid between the posts and typically performs at a very high level for them. His intelligent positioning and his ability to read the game consistently put him in good spots to make saves. Butley is also very explosive and makes impressive dives when diving for the ball in the corners, making it very difficult to score on him.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DMOWCO_h9P6/?img_index=5 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Titko plays for BVB U17 and will be with them when they face NTH NASA, Pipeline SC and NCFC Youth Academy. Standing at 6'1", he has nice length and uses it very well to cover the area between the posts, limiting the options for opponents when they shoot in goal, especially in 1v1 situations. Titko also has excellent reflexes and is very quick to get to the ground. The goalkeeper also does very well when putting the ball back in play, often finding teammates in good spots in the attacking half with accurate throws and long passes.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GavinTitko/status/1991730207984873594 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Cruz plays for [program_tooltip program_id='283317' first='[program_tooltip program_id='280767' first='DKSC' last='']' last=''] in the U17 age group, and his team is scheduled to meet LVU Rush, FC Wisconsin and Concorde Fire Platinum. Coming from a very strong season, in which he made it to the league's All-America team, he has a very solid and well-rounded game between the posts, coming up with big saves when his team needs him. The defining trait in Cruz's game, though, is his tremendous quality on the ball. Extremely skilled and calm in possession, he's capable of keeping the ball and moving it around even when under pressure inside the box, not only helping his team control games, but also initiating attacking plays.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DFdNedsuG3l/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Bybel and his [program_tooltip program_id='283397' first='[program_tooltip program_id='278668' first='Lonestar' last='']' last='SC'] Black team will have East Coast Surf SC, Delaware FC and Florida West FC as opponents in the U17 age group. The goalkeeper is one of the standouts in the team, anchoring their defensive system with his strong play. His game between the posts is consistent and reliable, as he excels in positioning and decision-making, making straightforward and efficient saves. Bybel, however, has the skills and the athleticism to make eye-popping saves when needed, showing great reflexes and remaining patient to go for the ball in the last possible moment.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Enriquez plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Red U18/19 team that will head to Florida to play East Coast Surf SC, Louisiana Fire Soccer Club and Potomac Soccer Association. An explosive and technical shot-stopper, he's one of the top goalkeepers in the state in his age group and consistently makes a difference for his team in goal. Enriquez has great spatial awareness and always picks the best spots to be at, giving nothing away to opponents when they try to score on him. He also plays very well with his feet, being capable of connecting accurate long passes out of the back.</p>    <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=1G4c7Q3H7sU </div></figure>

The 2026 year will come fast and furious for teams competing in the ECNL League, as the first National Event of the year for the Boys is set to take place in the very first weekend of the year, from January 3-5, in Florida.