ECNL Boys Finals Texas Team Preview: FC Dallas Red 11

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After almost 11 months of action, the ECNL Boys season is set to end this weekend, when the four best teams in the age groups from U13 to U17 decide the national title in Richmond, Virginia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After standing out in conference play and surviving the playoffs in San Diego a few weeks ago, teams now need to deliver against elite competition to return home with the trophy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state of Texas will be represented in the event, with [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Red 11 (U15), [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'] Academy 10 (U16) and Solar SC Academy 09 (U17) all making the trip to Virginia in the hopes of capping their seasons off with a pair more of wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the days leading up to the event, Prep Soccer Texas will preview the teams that will represent the Lone Star State in the Finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Red 11</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team from Dallas qualified for the playoffs after ranking ninth in the Texas Conference with ten wins, six losses and three ties. In the playoffs, they eliminated Nebraska's Gretna Elite Academy, Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals, Michigan's Nationals Soccer Club, South Carolina's CESA Triumph and Texas' Solar SC Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Their Opponents</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the semifinals, [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] Red will play California's San Diego Surf on Friday at 8:00 AM local time. Virginia's VDA and Colorado's Real Colorado Academy are the other finalists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Their Squad</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='381397' first='Thomas' last='Wimer'] is the goalkeeper in [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']' squad. Options for the backline include Blake Boklage, Joshua Hern, Jeosbanni Martinez and Sebastian Martinez. In midfield, they can play Gael Penaloza, Fabian Rodriguez, Luis Salas, Santiago Saucedo, Daniel Ghisoli, Matias Tejeda, [player_tooltip player_id='381399' first='Ryder' last='Robertson'] and William Fuentes Carbajal. The forwards in the team feature Kavani Bueno, Ari Gardi, Uriel Hurtado, [player_tooltip player_id='381398' first='Kevin' last='Monday'] and Aaron Szeto.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":381397,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a556e75a9105"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wimer is the starting goalkeeper for [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']. Also a basketball student-athlete, he has good size and is very reliable between the posts. Wimer does well with his positioning and is very quick to react between the posts, demanding a lot from opponents to score on him. The goalkeeper also uses his feet well and is very consistent and efficient with his distribution out of the back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":381399,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a556e75a917e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Robertson is a creative attacking player who can play in midfield or on the wings. He has tremendous quality on the ball and uses it to create chances for his teammates by generating space with his dribbling or by delivering accurate passes in the final third. Robertson has great confidence in his game and tends to demand the ball and make plays in key moments of matches. Besides being an elite chance-creator, he also contributes with solid goalscoring, getting into the box to finish plays and firing shots from distance with remarkable accuracy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DajDXO7lCmx/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <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/DajDXO7lCmx/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":381398,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a556e75a9212"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A center forward, Monday is a prolific goalscorer who makes a big impact in [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas']' offense. He typically plays as a striker and does incredibly well in crowded areas, using his body to shield the ball and showing impressive close control to squeeze the ball in tight spaces past opposing defenders. Monday is very calm inside the penalty box and doesn't rush things when on the ball, taking his time to get to the best possible spot to finish. He can also play as a winger, using his pace and dribbling skills to make plays out wide and create chances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Yy0Yv9Tqw","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <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=78Yy0Yv9Tqw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->