Standouts from the 2024 ECNL Conference Cup

The ECNL Conference Cup wrapped up last week from Chula Vista, California. The Conference Cup brings together 120 of the best players from the league in the U16 through U18 age groups (2028-2025). Following the event, the ECNL hands out a Best XI along with other individual awards. Below is a scouting report on some of the award winners as well as some standouts from the Championship Game between the Northwest and New England teams.    Gonzalez was one of the top performers at the event. She was awarded a spot on the Best XI and the Golden Glove (as the best goalkeeper) at the event. She led her team to a semifinal performance. The highlight reel speaks to the quality Gonzalez brought to the event, which earned her the title as Best Goalkeeper among the best goalkeepers in ECNL. Her quick reactions, safe hands, and distribution stood out from the games. Gonzalez was outstanding throughout the event and showed she should be considered among the best of the best in the most important position on the team.    <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/AvarieGoalie/status/1822767331782836602 </div></figure>    Forsgren was outstanding in the championship game against New England. The right back showed she is a two-way player. Comfortable and confident on the ball, she offered an outlet for the center midfielders when they were under pressure. Her dribbling skills were on display as she skated around defenders and created an overload on the right side of the attack for her team. Forsgren showed quality defensively too with excellent tackles and a sharp soccer mind in her positioning off the ball. The two-time Conference Cup participant was outstanding for the championship winning side.     It's no surprise to see Devey on a standout list. The North Carolina commit was awarded a spot on the Best XI as well as the Golden Boot for the event. Devey's performance from the opening whistle in the championship game showed her quality. Dynamic on the ball, confident on either foot, and possessing elite dribbling skill, Devey showed what the level is for a National Team player and she looked every bit the part. She was the best player on the field in that game. She had a wonderful assist on the first goal of the second half from Anna Babcock that showed her quick-thinking and ingenuity on the ball.     Maves, a 2027, was one of the youngest players on the Championship winning side. I thought she had a terrific game at left center back in the finale. She handled the pressure well especially in possession. I thought the decision-making on the ball was really good. The recognition on when to take a touch to change her passing angle to get around the press showed great awareness. The Northwest team also was fearless in sending the outside backs forward - and even sometimes the center backs. They could only do that because Maves was so good in the transition. She recognized when to step and stop the transition and when to fall off and try to delay. I thought it was an outstanding performance from a player we will be hearing about for a long time.     Another player from the Best XI of the event, Travers just did everything well in the championship game. She made countless winning plays for her side. The left back is a rare talent. The elite combination of tactical intelligence and technical proficiency make her seem fit to be playing for a top club in Spain in the future, if she wishes. Travers had a play in the second half when she megged an opponent, combined for a quick 1-2 with a teammate, and then dribbled through two more defenders. The playmaking ability from an outside back is something special.     Rubinstein is another player on the Best XI from the event and deservedly so. She was outstanding in the championship game. An elite 1v1 defender, Rubinstein shut down countless attacks during the course of the game. She is such a smooth defender who uses her body so well in tackles. There is a high upside to her potential thanks to that ability to calmly and efficient win any duel. She also has this knack for getting in the way. She got her foot on countless passes in the first half to shutdown passes from the opposition. She is also excellent on the ball and an impressive passer with accuracy to hit long range passes.     I've written about O'Donnell before with regards to her versatility and that was once again a strong point of her showing at the Conference Cup. She played as the right back for her side at the start of the game. She had a couple of passes in the first half that were world class. Exceptional pace and placement on the pass to set up chances for her teammates. O'Donnell is a terrific two-way player and showed it against the best.     Ring had another stellar performance in the Conference Cup. She was involved in everything. The small parts of her game really stand out to me when you see her play at the top level. There are very few players who scan the field as frequently as she does. There is this constant surveying off the ball that sets her up for success as her focus is always on the game. Ring makes winning plays around the ball too. She was instrumental in the goal for her side in the championship game with her defensive instincts and quick reaction.

The ECNL Conference Cup wrapped up last week from Chula Vista, California. The Conference Cup brings together 120 of the best players from the league in the U16 through U18 age groups (2028-2025). Following the event, the ECNL hands out a Best XI along with other individual awards. Below is a scouting report on some of the award winners as well as some standouts from the Championship Game between the Northwest and New England teams.