Podcast: Lessons learned from the ECNL Girls Florida showcase

Molly Tufts stood out at center back for Scorpions SC at the ECNL Florida winter showcase. (Heather Stouch)

On the latest episode of New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast, hosts Matt Langone and Matt Doherty recapped the ECNL Girls Florida winter showcase, which was held last month.

The event perennially serves as one of the major national competitions on the ECNL calendar. New England clubs were there in full force, playing three games in three days against squads from outside of their ECNL conference.

There were also hundreds of college coaches in attendance at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., creating a massive opportunity for uncommitted players.

Doherty covered the showcase in-person and discussed what he saw and what he learned with Langone, in advance of the 2024-25 ECNL Girls regular season resuming in just a few weeks.

Here are some highlights from our discussion:

On a major takeaway from the showcase:

Doherty: “My biggest takeaway was the number of college coaches there. I (covered) MLS Next Fest (in December) and there was a ton there, but some of these girls games — especially the New England clubs, like (FC) Stars Blue and South Shore Select — they had hundreds of coaches at each individual game on the sidelines. And that includes all the high Division 1 schools that you can think of from across the country.”

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On how the showcase helps lay a foundation for the rest of the ECNL season:

Doherty: “I think this showcase was more like an appetizer for the season for (the teams), because some of the clubs from outside New England, they’ve already played together throughout the fall. So, they have that chemistry and experience, whereas a lot of New England clubs that was their first real action (of the 2024-25 ECNL season).”

On a particular team that really impressed at the showcase:

Doherty: “I think the Scorpions SC ‘08 team was really good. And I think they added some new pieces, is what I gathered. Obviously, you know (FC) Stars and (South Shore) Select are going to be really good, with Scorpions as kind of that third team in the upper echelon. They have some really dynamic forwards, who can score.”

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