ECNL Players Dominate the 2016 CONCACAF U17 Women’s Championship Best XI Awards
RICHMOND, VA (March 15, 2016) – The 2016 CONCACAF U17 Women’s Championship concluded this past weekend in St. George’s, Grenada. The United States Under-17 National Team were crowned CONCACAF Champions with a 2-1 win over Mexico, and more importantly the champion, finalist and third place team all earned berths in this fall’s U17 Women’s World Cup. While the United States earned the team championship, there was no doubt where the players that dominated the event came from – the ECNL.
Of the 11 players named to the CONCACAF Best XI by the Technical Study Group, eight players came from the ECNL. The United States lead nominees with seven (8) recipients, all of which are current ECNL players, including the Golden Ball winner (Ashley Sanchez) and Golden Glove winner (Laurel Ivory). One of Mexico’s two nominees was also from an ECNL club.
This accomplishment reflects the tremendous work being done by coaches within ECNL clubs across the country, the quality of competition within the ECNL on a daily basis, and the progression of player development within the ECNL Member Clubs.
Congratulations to the ECNLers recognized in the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Championship Best XI:
| Name | Position | ECNL Member Club | Country |
| Laurel Ivory* | Goalkeeper | West Florida Flames | USA |
| Kennedy Wesley | Defender | So Cal Blues | USA |
| Naomi Girma | Defender | De Anza Force | USA |
| Kimberly Rodriguez | Defender | Texas Rush | Mexico |
| Brianna Pinto | Midfielder | CASL | USA |
| Jaelin Howell | Midfielder | Real Colorado | USA |
| Ashley Sanchez+ | Forward | So Cal Blues | USA |
| Civana Kuhlmann | Forward | Colorado Rush | USA |
* denotes Golden Glove winner
+ denotes Golden Ball winner
For more information on the 2016 CONCACAF U17 Women’s Championship, click here.
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About Elite Clubs National League: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for college and youth national teams through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
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