Relentless Outside Backs at the Texas Shootout

<p>The club soccer season is entering its final stretch around the country and girls' teams from Texas will have an excellent opportunity to fine-tune their games ahead of the start of the playoffs in their respective leagues this weekend.</p>   <p>One of the most traditional showcases held in the Lone Star State every year, the Texas Shootout will have its 38th edition from Saturday to Monday, at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, in the Austin area.</p>   <p>The tournament organized by [program_tooltip program_id='283282' first='Challenge' last='SC'] will feature as many as 120 teams from several different leagues, which will play in five different age groups during Memorial Day weekend. Some of the best players in the state will be in action this week, and before the tournament begins, we're taking a look at some of them. In today's article, we'll feature the outside backs:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gilmore plays for NTX Celtic FC Green ECNL RL NTX G07/06. She typically plays as a left back for them and brings a lot of defensive solidness to the table. Gilmore uses her size and her ability to read plays to make stops, but also has great pace and determination to recover when she's beaten out wide. The outside back is very accurate with her crosses and does a very good job of quickly turning defense into offense after she gains control of the ball, either pushing it forward or connecting quick passes upfield.</p>   <p><strong><a href="https://www.fieldlevel.com/app/profile/kelsey.gilmore/soccerwomen/videos/2632077">Highlights</a></strong></p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Johnson is part of the Solar SC G08 ECNL RL team that will be in action this weekend in Round Rock. She can play on either outside back spot and in midfield, and typically delivers consistent performances with her solid all-around game. Extremely athletic, Johnson has a great ability to cover ground and manages to keep opponents under pressure when they get into her zone. Offensively, she uses her pace and her ability to shield the ball to take it to the end line and make crosses, but, because of her versatility, she can also support the team's attacking efforts from more of a central position, using her passing and vision to disorganize opponents.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KamoraJohnson_4/status/1918520381260087481 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hamlin-Segura is a starter in the [program_tooltip program_id='283243' first='Albion' last='Hurricanes FC'] G09 ECNL team that's entered in this weekend's event. An extremely technical and versatile player, she's mostly used as a left back for them, but can also play on the right or in midfield, where she features for her high school team Fort Bend Austin. Hamlin-Segura is an excellent defender, showing a very high soccer IQ to consistently make the right decisions and tremendous determination to make plays inside and around the penalty box. She also offers a lot offensively, consistently overlapping on the left and timing her runs so she can get the ball in space. The outside back also provides great service to her teammates, scanning the box before crossing the ball and finding them in good spots.</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=DYSeGV_gdd4 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gilkey features in the backline of [program_tooltip program_id='283497' first='Sting' last='Austin'] G09 ECNL. She can play in any of the three positions, but is more often used at left back, where she can impact the game on both sides of the ball. Gilkey uses her body extremely well to play defense and is very tough to beat in 1v1 plays because of how patient and intelligent she is in reacting to actions performed by opponents. She also has good quality on the ball and has a strong passing game, which allows her to both find teammates with long balls out of the back and to engage in quick combination plays when in the attacking half.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BlakeGilkey/status/1917959095807512617 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">McCalmont is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='283648' first='FC' last='Dallas'] G10 ECNL side that will be in contention this weekend. A talented and dynamic wide player, she's a force on the right side for them, playing with tremendous intensity. McCalmont has excellent offensive instincts and adds an interesting option in the attacking half when she pushes forward, connecting well with her teammates and helping her team stretch the field. She also dominates defensively, typically coming out on top in physical duels and thriving with her excellent positioning.</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=arA1IOPyPZc </div></figure>

The club soccer season is entering its final stretch around the country and girls' teams from Texas will have an excellent opportunity to fine-tune their games ahead of the start of the playoffs in their respective leagues this weekend.