Aggieland Friendship Cup: Five Outside Backs to Watch

<p>Preseason tournaments are popping up all around Texas as club teams from the Lone Star State finalize their preparations for the opening matches of their respective leagues and this weekend College Station is set to host one of the biggest of them, the Aggieland Friendship Cup.</p>   <p>Hosted by Challenge SC, the two-day event has attracted as many as 171 girls' teams from the U10 to the U19 age group, including some of the best sides from the Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio areas.</p>   <p>There will be some elite-level talent in action this week at Veteran's Park and we'll feature some players worth your attention, now looking into the outside backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Colquitt and her Solar SC ECNL 09 teammates are set to meet Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL 08 and Classics Elite ECNL 08 this weekend in College Station. A lockdown defender, she's typically used at left back and more often than not does an excellent job of keeping things under control in her zone. Colquitt is very strong when it comes to winning the ball back as she times her tackles extremely well, but, thanks to her intelligence and athleticism, also has great success when stepping up and defending higher up on the field. A lefty, she has good quality on the ball, does a solid job of beating opponents with quick body moves and engages in combination plays near the sideline.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/aricolquitt/status/1807627195566752005 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gilkey will be with Sting Austin ECNL 09 when they face DKSC RL 08 and Dallas Texans RL 08 in College Station. Her solid two-way game and her excellent instincts make of her a perfect fit for the right back position and a very important player for her team. Gilkey is a lockdown defender, who covers space well, knows how to use her body to dominate opponents and has a perfect understanding of when and how to tackle down. She also offers a lot offensively, consistently making herself available for combination plays and picking the right moments to push forward to contribute with goals and assists.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">The dynamic Byrd and her Dallas Texans ECNL 09 team will have Lonestar SC RL 09 and Rise SC GA 08 as their opponents at the Aggieland Friendship Cup. She can play at either outside back spot, but is more often used on the right. Very quick and aggressive on the ball, Byrd does an excellent job of staying wide and stretching the field, offering a reliable passing option to her teammates while also creating space for them to infiltrate through the middle. She plays with a lot of energy and is very determined, being very difficult to beat in 1v1 situations around the penalty box.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">St. John will appear with Albion Hurricanes FC RL 08 in their duels against Sting Black ECNL 09 and FC Westlake RL 08 in this weekend's event. An offensive-minded outside back, she can play on both sides but typically features on the left and is at her best when deployed as a wingback with three center backs behind her. St. John is very quick and aggressive off the dribble, which makes of her a constant threat to opponents out wide. She also finishes well and operates efficiently in tight spaces, which allows her to play more centrally as an attacking midfielder or even a forward.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/12/IMG_7152.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-155932" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Albion Hurricanes FC ECNL-RL G08 vs. Challenge SC ECNL-RL G08</figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Grosso will feature for FC Westlake RL 07/06 when they are faced with DKSC RL NTX 07/06 and Albion Hurricanes FC RL 08 at Veteran's Park. Mostly used on the right, she can also play on the left, offering some nice versatility to her team. Grosso is a very strong offensive player, who can help her team produce in a variety of ways. She understands time and space well and is very smart with her overlaps, always placing herself in a good position to receive through balls, and is very precise with her crossing. Grosso often uses her excellent first touch to beat defenders and create space and is very determined when playing defense.</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=zibj4QNa_bA </div></figure>   <p></p>

Preseason tournaments are popping up all around Texas as club teams from the Lone Star State finalize their preparations for the opening matches of their respective leagues and this weekend College Station is set to host one of the biggest of them, the Aggieland Friendship Cup.