IMG Cup Winter Showcase - Defenders who stole the show

I took one for the team, and made the trek to Florida in sunny 80 degree weather so that you didn't have to. [program_tooltip program_id='283661' first='IMG' last='Academy'] was a busy place, the NWSL Combine was going on in the back lots, and at the same time, the IMG Cup Showcase was in play on the main fields. Plenty of teams from all over were present, although there was a big East Coast influence, as I saw a heavy dose of teams from Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and a few from the Northeast. I'm sure there were others, but for the games I managed to catch that was the largest batch, just in case you're curious what the make up of these events are, because that is important context. Mostly, I found a few ECRL teams, some NAL teams, some GA and GA-Aspire teams.   What stood out to me over the match ups I watched during the weekend was the general composure of teams. It was interesting, and I don't know if it's a bi-product of the level or not, but many of them had similar make ups. There were a couple fast players up top, a few physical mids, and one more advanced CB. Goalkeeping was hit or miss, there were a few bright spots, and a few where the lack of defensive depth made it tougher for some. Intermixed in all of that, there were a couple teams that stood head and shoulders above everyone else, including one that was so good I could have just written up the whole starting lineup and called it a day.   First up, looking at some of the better defenders from the showcase, ones that I managed to catch some of and really grabbed my attention in a good way.   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li>Harper Ericsson 2027- CB plays for SWFL [program_tooltip program_id='283350' first='Florida' last='Premier'] ECNL RL G09 team, and she was legit. She was the best defender I saw all weekend, and was doing it despite battling an injured hamstring. With it wrapped and taped, she was out fighting against the best team I saw all weekend in IMG's 2009 GA team. She had her hands full with some stand out forwards, and she never backed down. Harper took good angles, used good speed and had to handle two of the best forwards at the event constantly pressuring her, but she did a good job, and teased something that every college is out there looking for, a tall CB with some speed that can carry the ball. The first touch was impressive, the ball died at her feet, she wasn't giving up bounces when she played a ball, and showed good strength with a free kick that traveled over 50 yards in the air. She's a 2027, with a good soccer IQ, she understands positioning, coverage, and thinks quick on her feet, and has a 4.0 GPA. I'm surprised she's still on the board as a prospect, she's very advanced for me and I could see her in D1, based on the battles she was having with a West Virginia commit. </li> </ol>    Harper was the best defender I saw at IMG Cup all weekend. She has good size at 5'10 and used it well. She had a taped hamstring, and still showed good speed and ball control when building out of the back. Her leg strength was top notch, sending a Free Kick over 50 yards in the air. She showed great IQ with her positioning and coverage, and was battling the best offensive player in the tournament. This was the best matchup of the weekend, and it didn't disappoint. Harper is a diamond for me, I'm shocked she isn't committed already, there are coaches I talk to all regularly and they are always looking for players exactly in her mold. So for now, I guess it's first come, first served, but she's going to be a steal for someone this late in the game.    2. Avery Rice 2028 - OB, is Harper Ericsson's teammate on SWFL [program_tooltip program_id='283350' first='Florida' last='Premier'] ECNL RL G09. Avery also had her hands full when I saw her, having to battle two of the best forwards in the entire tournament, and she was giving as good as she got, showing good speed on the outside, to shutdown one of the fastest players in the entire tournament. As with many players, sometimes they play different positions in club vs high school, she was playing shut down defense at outside back when I saw her, but during HS season apparently got off to a blazing start with 7 goals in her first 5 games of the season playing for Out of Door Academy on offense. She showed well a few times on the build out, winning 1v1s to press the ball ahead, and defensively did a very good job of keeping some very fast players contained and not allowing them to get a clean cross or pass away.   3. [player_tooltip player_id='111509' first='Juliana' last='Friedrichsen'] 2027 - CB for IMG's 09 GA team was outstanding. Most of what I saw of her happened in warm ups because IMG locked down their opponent's so hard there was only two rushes that made it to Juliana, but she handled both easily, taking the ball and sending it back out to the wings. She showed a strong leg on a free kick, played solid physical defense and just made the game look easy, even on the one tough through ball she was tested on. She took the correct side of the player, used her body to take possession, and turned the ball out and back down the field. I'd love to see more of this team, but this looks like one of the next big things defensively.   4. Alyssa Feeheley 2029 - OB/CB for Liverpool Central MD U16G. Alyssa has a blend of speed and physicality that can cause havoc for offensive players. She's moved all over the defense, playing everything from 2 to the 6, and has done pretty well at all of them. For me, she's better up the middle than on the wings, but she was still passable out there because of her speed. She tends to one touch and get the ball out vs collect and carry, but has been improving in that area recently. When the game turns physical, so does she. She's not afraid to bang with the biggest, and will lay some hits on 50/50 balls. With a little more coaching on advanced techniques defensively and the experience to see plays coming before they happen, she could become one of the elite defenders in her class. She's still very young, just a freshman this year, but hasn't reached her ceiling yet either.   5. Aubree Snyder 2027 - CB/CDM for Liverpool Central MD U19G. Aubree is a smaller defender, standing about 5'4, but with that comes speed and agility that you lose in a lot of defenders. She has good defensive instincts and takes good paths to the ball, shows good IQ when reading the play and making decisions and plays solid defense on the ball. Hard to say if the size will impact where she plays, some coaches prefer larger, more physical play in the middle and may play her further up as a 6, or maybe on the outside wings. I haven't seen her play outside, so not sure how that would play but her defense up the middle is very good. She's a player that just needs to be given an assignment and turned loose, the skill is there and could easily play at the next level in college, which position, depends on the coach.   I know there was some offense scored in this tournament. I saw a game that was 11-1, and another that was at least 6-0. But these were more from the occasional mismatches you get in bigger tournaments like this than actual offensive ability. In most match ups I saw, the IMG teams were a leg up on the rest, especially in the oldest brackets, but with them being GA teams, playing teams from lower in the food chain, but the one consistent was that there was at least one solid defensive player on most every team there. I'm glad some of them can get some shine, and hopefully some college coaches are paying attention, because there are some that can really help a program still out there circulating. Just because they don't have a big Alphabet Badge doesn't mean there isn't talent to be had, you just have to work harder to find it. Some of these girls are every bit as good or better than some ECNL girls I've seen in their respective age groups, and I hope they are getting the interest they deserve.

I took one for the team, and made the trek to Florida in sunny 80 degree weather so that you didn't have to. IMG Academy was a busy place, the NWSL Combine was going on in the back lots, and at the same time, the IMG Cup Showcase was in play on the main fields. Plenty of teams from all over were present, although there was a big East Coast influence, as I saw a heavy dose of teams from Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and a few from the Northeast. I'm sure there were others, but for the games I managed to catch that was the largest batch, just in case you're curious what the make up of these events are, because that is important context. Mostly, I found a few ECRL teams, some NAL teams, some GA and GA-Aspire teams.