Five Texas Midfielders to Watch 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. The midfielders are up next:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Knapp plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='283296' first='Classics' last='Elite'] G11 team that will take part in the Showcase Cup, starting its campaign against Athletic Club Florida. A central midfielder, she has a solid, well-rounded game and nice versatility, being capable of playing in front of the team's backline or in a more advanced role. Knapp typically operates as an offensive hub for her team, getting on the ball almost every time they have possession and distributing it efficiently to initiate attacking plays. She contributes defensively with great effort and good positioning and also supports the offense by stepping into the attacking half to deliver final passes and finish chances.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Taylor is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G11 team that will appear in the Champions League in Redmond, beginning its campaign against Washington's XF Academy. Combining impressive quality on the ball and a high level of intensity, she's a key piece in the team's midfield, making a big impact in their play. Taylor moves very well off the ball, dropping deeper and drifting wide to be a passing option to her teammates, and gets very involved in their playmaking. She has excellent footwork, is very smooth with her dribbling and is very aggressive when in possession, making direct runs to the penalty box as she moves past opposing defenders.</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/DPE6EFoDg2E/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Ortiz will feature for the Solar SC G10 team that's scheduled to face Missouri's SLSG Navy in the first round of the Champions League playoffs. A dynamic and creative attacking midfielder, she makes a big impact in the team's chance-creation efforts with her smooth, unpredictable game in the attacking half. Ortiz is very intelligent when on the ball and poses a big challenge for opponents trying to stop her, as she can easily beat them in tight spaces but also deliver excellent passes in the final third if given too much space. She's particularly dangerous when bringing the ball inside from the left, as she's very precise with her shots from outside the box.</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/DXX0rN4jueL/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Meehan will be with [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G10 in the North American Cup - they play Minnesota Thunder in their first match in the event. A center midfielder, she provides great balance for the team and helps create the conditions for the team's offensive standouts to shine in the final third. Meehan has great quality on the ball and is very intelligent with her distribution, consistently making good decisions in possession, while also thriving with her quick moves in the center of the field to beat opponents and create space. She also adds to the team's defensive efforts by covering ground and winning duels in the center of the field.</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=dWJSgQwZtgk </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Traver is part of the Sting Black G09 team that will have Nevada's LV Heat Surf as their first opponents in the North American Cup in Redmond. An attacking midfielder, she's a key piece in the team's offensive system, unlocking opposing defenses with her superior vision and intelligent passing. Traver is a constant threat to opponents because she's highly technical, moves very well in the final third and is always looking for ways to set her teammates up with passes behind the backline - she's also a goalscoring threat herself, constantly stepping into the box to finish chances. The midfielder also works hard off the ball and is committed defensively, making strong tackles to win the ball in the center of the field.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://vimeo.com/1165542065 </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.