Five Texas Center Backs to Follow at ECNL Girls Finals

<p>The biggest week of the season has arrived in the ECNL Girls League, as the league is set to host its Playoffs and Finals for the U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17 age groups from July 11-17 in Redmond, Washington.</p>   <p>The massive event held at 60 Acres Park will feature as many as 288 teams, which will compete in the Champions League, North American Cup, Showcase Cup and Friendlies in the Pacific Northwest.</p>   <p>The state of Texas will have as many as 25 teams making the trip to the state of Washington, with [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'], [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'], [program_tooltip program_id='283296' first='Classics' last='Elite'], [program_tooltip program_id='283311' first='Dallas' last='Texans'], [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'], Solar SC, [program_tooltip program_id='283497' first='Sting' last='Austin'], Sting Black and Sting Royal all being represented in the event.</p>   <p>As we focus our event coverage on the U15, U16 and U17 age groups, we'll now list five players in each position who could make an impact in the Playoffs. This time we'll feature the center backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Schwarte plays for the Sting Black G11 team that is entered in the Showcase Cup and will play Missouri's SLSG Navy in its first match in Redmond. One of the team's captains, she's a reliable defender who's always ready to step up and intercept passes inside and around the penalty box. Schwarte does well in physical duels, but is very mobile too, doing well every time she has to chase opponents higher up on the field, keeping them under pressure when they have the ball. She's very calm and composed in possession, too, handling pressure well and moving it efficiently 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=fTB0BTvLkyk </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">McCalmont is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G10 team that will have Georgia's Concorde Fire Platinum as their first opponents in the Champions League. A versatile and well-rounded player, she can be used anywhere across the backline, providing defensive stability with her consistent performances. McCalmont's excellent positioning and mobility allow her to do very well when defending in transition and when stepping out wide to challenge opponents on the wings. She's very confident on the ball, too, and offers strong contributions to the team's offense by stepping into the attacking half and playing direct passes that break lines.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPciE2v8w-0 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Delgado will be with [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] G10 in the Showcase Cup, where they will be faced with Virginia's Arlington Soccer in the first round. The center back is incredibly quick and often gets to dispossess opponents with her timely defensive actions inside and around the penalty box. Despite not being very physical, she typically holds her own in duels, using her strong lower body to absorb the impact and challenge opponents. Delgado has great quality on the ball, often initiating attacking plays out of the back with accurate passes and runs through the middle.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/11/IMG_3257.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-274437" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Villarreal plays for the Sting Royal G09 team that will go for the title in the Champions League, having the Michigan Hawks as their first opponents. Combining excellent size, interesting defensive instincts and tremendous quality on the ball, she's a dominant center back who makes it very hard for opponents to score on her team. Villarreal uses her physical tools extremely well to control the penalty box, but also steps up with her ability to read plays and step up to intercept passes. Also capable of playing as a forward, she has excellent offensive vision and often uses it to set up attacking plays out of the back and to make an impact in offensive set pieces.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Brendel plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G09 side that will be in action in the North American Cup, meeting Marin FC in the first round of the playoffs. Very quick and intelligent, she moves very well inside and around the penalty box, consistently popping up in great spots to win the ball and stop opponents. Brendel is very firm in the tackle and is very good at understanding when it's best to delay opponents and force them back instead of making a play for the ball. The center back has good quality in possession and often scores off headers in corner kicks.</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=LZuf63PBD1w </div></figure>

The biggest week of the season has arrived in the ECNL Girls League, as the league is set to host its Playoffs and Finals for the U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17 age groups from July 11-17 in Redmond, Washington.