ECNL New Jersey: Midfielders to Watch

Hartofelis will be playing with Classics Elite 06, where she will have a big role in the team’s midfield. Also capable of playing as a defender, she does an excellent of shielding the team’s backline by playing with great intensity and high energy. Hartofelis works really hard off the ball, covering a lot of ground and making timely tackles to win possession. She also has tremendous quality on the ball and very often turns defense into offense in a matter of seconds, winning the ball back and connecting a long pass to one of the forwards. She’s also very good at managing possession in a slower buildup and can also support the attack by finishing from distance or making runs off the ball into the penalty box.

Picked for Saturday’s National Selection Game, Dupre plays in a very central role in the midfield of the Pittsburg Riverhounds 07. From there, she makes a massive impact on the game with with her impressive offensive skills. Dupre is very good at making quick runs through the middle, beating defenders off the dribble and keeping the ball glued to her feet, getting in front of goal in no time. She has a diverse set of moves and can change directions very smoothly, fooling the defenders who try to keep up with her. Dupre also uses both feet well to pass and finish and has very good vision. She also contributes off the ball, putting pressure on opponents to regain possession.

Freifeld plays a wide midfielder/winger role with San Diego Surf 07 and is one of the team’s main offensive weapons. She typically plays on the right and is very intelligent with her positioning, always getting into spots where she can get on the ball and push it forward immediately, benefiting from her excellent first touch. If she has to beat an opponent off the dribble, that’s not a problem to Freifeld, who has several moves and uses both feet really well to drive the ball. That gives her the ability to either take the ball to the end line or cut inside, making it very difficult for defenders to game plan for her.

A player will the all tools to play anywhere across the midfield, Pazahanick has more of a deep-lying role with Challenge SC 07. She plays with tremendous intensity, covering a lot of ground and protecting the team’s backline with her strong play. Pazahanick’s main asset as a defensive player is certainly her ability to read the game because she knows exact when to bait opponents at coming at her with the ball or when to chase them higher up in the field in order to get the tackle. She also has huge quality on the ball, connecting good passes from her deeper position and finding teammates with her great vision. Pazahanick plays as more of an attacking midfielder with her high school team Klein Cain and has good scoring instincts too.

Wearing the no. 10 jersey for her United Futbol Academy 08 team, Barber is the centerpiece in the team’s offensive system. She typically plays behind the team’s center forward, from where she can pull the strings in the team’s attacking efforts. She uses both feet well, has excellent vision to pass the ball and is very good when she needs to operate in tight spaces. Barber does a very good job of finding pockets of space to get on the ball and she is very quick in her mind, often playing one-touch passes that generate space to her teammates. She can also drop deeper to get on the ball when needed.