Is there a reason attacking players dominate?
In general, forwards get more playing time at a younger age than central defenders, who tend to need more time to develop their tactical awareness, positioning and understanding of the game.
Notes:
- Players included must be age 21 or under on June 1.
- Positions are: GK (goalkeeper), DEF (defender), MID (midfielder), FW (forward), ST (striker)
Jump to: 21-16, 15-10, 9-4, and 3-1.
Club: Lyon (on loan at Stade de Reims)
Country: France
Age: 18
Becho caught the attention of the world in the U19 European Championship semifinals against Germany, with an extra-time brace. Becho decided to move to Lyon in 2020. Becho has spent the second half of the season on loan with plucky Stade de Reims, but once again, the tricky attacker has struggled to claim a starting role.
Becho has a keen vision for the game and doesn't waste many chances in front of goal. With a deft touch and clear room for development, the attacker's greatest weakness is the competition she faces for minutes at Lyon. Her growth is at risk if she doesn't get more chances to play.
On loan at Houston Dash.
Country: Argentina
Age: 20
Before teams from abroad started calling, Gramaglia played in Argentina's Primera Division A. She joined the Houston Dash on loan in December of 2021. She wants to win the World Cup as the captain of Argentina's U17 side. Gramaglia said that the big moves in her career have helped her grow as a player. She wants to increase the visibility of her international teammates while also winning some domestic trophies along the way.
Gramaglia has shown her maturity and leadership qualities, and she scored nine goals in seven appearances while with the U17 side in Argentina. She has yet to make her debut for Houston as she has been injured and international duty have kept her out of the squad but she will be hoping she can show that she is the attacking force that the Dash are looking for. With the move to training full time and putting her studies on hold, showing she can hold pace in the athletic NWSL will be key.
Club: Tigres
Country: United States
Age: 21
Fishel shocked the soccer world when she decided to move to Mexico. After being selected by the Pride as the No. 5 pick in the NWSL draft, he took a chance with Tigres in Mexico. The choice to establish her own future paid off immediately. Fishel has eight goals in 14 regular-season appearances in her first year as a professional. The 21-year-old had four goals in four Liguilla matches in the playoffs.
There is more to Fishel than scoring. The forward is active in pressuring the opposition. The Tigres star has a knack for being in the right place at the right time for a goal. She will become the best in Femenil if she can improve her ball control and add more assists in the final third.
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Country: England
Age: 20
Le Tissier picked up sponsorship to fly over to England to attend trials in the hope of winning a professional contract after playing with boys on the island. She went from strength to strength after making her senior debut for Brighton at the age of 16 in the Conti Cup against Ji So-yun. She set a league record this year for most WSL appearances as a teenager under Hope Powell. She has attracted interest from bigger clubs, but she is happy with her current situation under the guidance of Powell. Le Tissier has been named the club's women's Young Player of the Season for the last two years in a row.
One of Le Tissier's biggest strengths is her sheer consistency and she has played every minute for the past two seasons. She started out in more attacking roles, but has now moved perfectly into the right full-back position. Sometimes an aggressive and fast defender can be beaten in one vs. one situations.
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Canada
Age: 21
Over the last few years, Huitema has gone from being a promising player to a recognised force in the world game. The comparisons with Christine Sinclair are inevitable, but Huitema is a brilliant player in her own right. She made her international debut at 15 and won an Olympic gold medal in 2021, so it has been a rapid rise. This season has seen her play less than usual in Division 1 Feminine, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani in exceptional form, which explains her drop from No. 4 on last year's ESPN list. She initially found it hard to adapt to the way of life, but has grown in confidence and her performances are improving with age.
The strengths and areas to improve are as follows: Huitema is a great scorer in the air, but also a great goal scorer in the box, with an average of 1.86 goals per 90 minutes. She is still considered to be one of the best strikers in France even though she has been used a little less by Paris Saint-Germain. She can play through the middle and cover the right flank with her link-up play. She can improve her consistency in front of the goal.
Club: North Carolina Courage
Country: Mexico
Age: 20
There is no stopping Ordonez, who is growing in her career. She joined North Carolina Courage after starring for the Virginia Cavaliers and saw them win the NWSL Challenge Cup. She scored twice on her debut with the Mexico senior national team after choosing her international status in April. The 20-year-old should get a chance to show her skills on the international stage this summer, when she will likely be involved in Mexico's attempt to qualify for the World Cup.
Standing at 5-foot-11, Ordonez is fantastic at holding the ball up and her decision-making can create opportunities in attack. While she was a proven goal scorer at the collegiate level, only time will tell if she will be able to consistently find the net with North Carolina and Mexico.
Club: US Sassuolo
Country: Malta
Age: 18
Bugeja signed for Sassuolo at the age of 16 and scored two goals in her first game for the club, including a solo effort in which she wormed her way around four defenders before unleashing a shot with her weaker foot. The young Maltese attacker went on to score 12 goals in her first season, establishing herself as a crucial part of the Sassuolo team that finished the season a whisker outside of a European spot.
Bugeja has only been able to find the back of the net three times due to injury. She has improved her assist rate and dribbling abilities when she is fit. With the help of Bugeja, the diminutive European nation of Malta has been revitalised and has been able to show a more competitive edge in international competition.
Club: Manchester City
Country: Norway
Age: 20
Blakstad spent her entire professional career in her home country of Norway before joining Manchester City. She made her senior debut in 2020 and joined the club the same year she had 17 goals in 35 appearances for the club. She announced herself at City with a stunning first strike againstLeicester City in April. With a few established names possibly moving this summer, she will be pushing for more starts in the City squad.
It wasn't easy for such a young player to join a team and a league as competitive as Manchester City in the WSL halfway through the season, but she has given the manager a selection headaches when given the opportunity to shine. She is a creative and brave player, which she demonstrated with her strike in April. She will be looking to put her stamp on games more and make her presence felt so she moves from a player who comes off a bench to a starting City figure.
Club: Racing Louisville
Country: England
Age: 21
Salmon is one of the best talents in England and he is currently playing in the NWSL. When her contract expired in 2021, she attracted a lot of interest from WSL sides, even though she was released from Man United. She scored just 74 seconds into her NWSL debut against Houston Dash and has impressed ever since. Matt Beard, her former boss at Bristol City, summed up her game perfectly when he said she was strong, quick, and good in tight spaces.
She would have enjoyed scoring the winner for Bristol City against her old side the following year if she had the mental strength to recover from her failure to break through at United. Salmon used her pace and precision to turn United's defence inside out, before finishing past Mary Earps. She was a constant threat and playing as a lone forward at City would have been difficult as the club were on the wrong end of hammerings week-in-week-out. She has developed as a versatile inside forward and is working on her composure, finishing and consistency in front of goal.
Club: Lyon
Country: France
Age: 21
Malard was snapped up by Lyon at the age of 14 and signed her first professional contract in the summer of 2017. It has been about the slow growth of Malard and the need for some vital playing time. Returning to Lyon more determined than ever, Malard has continued to develop, becoming a regular starter for the all-conquering Lyon team.
Malard has been able to use her ability to run at players more and more as she transitions from a centre forward role to a wide one. One of the weaker aspects of her game is her decision-making.
Club: San Diego Wave
Country: United States
Age: 21
When she captained the team that won the College Cup, she established herself as a player to watch. The left-sided centre-back captained the U.S. U-20 national team and was named U.S. Soccer's Young Female Player of the Year in 2020. San Diego Wave FC, the new expansion team, selected her at the top of the NWSL college draft in 2022. How much is expected of Girma is reflected in the Wave's decision to select her before the likes of Howell.
Her one-on-one defending skills are excellent, her positioning is that of a seasoned veteran, and she reliably makes an impact in any game she starts. The NWSL regular season is barely under way, but Girma led the Wave in recoveries during a preseason tournament. If there is an area to improve, her forward passing accuracy from deep positions isn't on the level of her teammate. She is in a good spot to learn and grow.
Club: Montpellier
Country: Australia
Age: 19
Fowler's star continues to rise, he is a super-sub for Montpellier and a game-changer for Australia. She played on the sand with her siblings when she was younger and has since made a World Cup squad and scored at the Olympics. Fowler, who made her national team debut at the age of 15, has proved to the Australian public that they were right to believe the hype. With four goals off the bench for her club this season and seven in 26 appearances for Australia, she continues to impress across attacking roles.
Sam Kerr, a woman who knows a thing or two about finishing, has described the 19-year-old as the best finisher on the team. Fowler has a finishing rate of over 50% this season, and she also has intelligence and fearlessness in her play, whether that be breaking the lines in attack or shooting from distance. While she is talented enough to be a starting national team player, the teenager needs to make more of an impact on games, something that should come with time and experience.
Technical analysis: In addition to her strong work ethic, her sudden burst of pace makes a difference when attempting to regain possession and Fowler rarely takes unnecessary touches while mapping out the goal prior to delivering a decisive shot. Despite often being tightly marked, she is able to evade challenges through excellent one-on-one abilities and dribbling.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Stade de Reims
Country: Haiti
Age: 18
She was a key player in Haiti's under-20 World Cup showing when she was just 14 years old, and also netted 14 goals in the under-20 CONCACAF Championships in 2020. She caught the attention of scouts from all over the world at AS Tigresses in the Haitian women's football championship and impressed over several trials with Lyon, but her age kept her from signing a pro deal.
When she was old enough to see the Division 1 Feminine sign in France, it was no surprise that she was focused on where she wanted her career to go. The Haitian wunderkind signed her first professional contract with the up-and-coming Stade de Reims. Needing little time to acclimatize to the young team in Northern France, Dumornay has continued to show her worth.
She draws fouls with her quick feet and is happy to take the resulting free kick, her ability to lay the ball into the box or directly at goal is a highlight of her game. She is strong but not imposing and could still work on her aerial and heading skills.
Technical analysis: A generational talent who can dominate games like few others. She can pick out runs with brilliant 30 to 35 meter passes, plus equally precise switch balls. She has excellent dribbling skills, a very precise long-range shot (she likes testing and surprising the opposing goalkeeper from distance) and tremendous balance.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Age: 20
Pina is hard to leave out of the side because of her success at Barcelona. After a year on loan at Sevilla, a local girl who came through the academy, made her debut as a 16-year-old this season. Pina has mostly appeared when players have been injured, against inferior opposition, or off the bench, but she has taken every opportunity she has been given. She ended the league season with 15 goals from 24 appearances and scored in each of the two legs of the Real Madrid win. She needs to be in the starting XI.
Pina is familiar with the club's style of play because she grew up at it. Her eye for goals is what makes her stand out. There is a chance the ball ends up in the net if you give her half a yard in the final third. Her early shots catch the goalkeepers off guard. She doesn't have a defined position at the moment. She has played in a variety of roles, including wide on the left and a No. 10.
Technical analysis: Pina always seems to gain the crucial meter on the opponent without much effort. While her fine touch and vision allow her to provide clever assists, she's also an excellent header of the ball. Her chipped goal against Real Madrid in El Clasico, executed with her weaker left foot, was nothing short of spectacular.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Hoffenheim
Country: Germany
Age: 19
When a player comes on and scores a goal and assists another within five minutes of their senior international debut, you know they are going to offer something special. Brand went on to impress so much with Hoffenheim that she was snapped up by Wolfsburg this summer. Brand had been playing in the second tier of German football less than a year before her international debut. She is in the running for a spot in a competitive Germany side and is attracting interest from clubs across the world. Alex Morgan is the USWNT star she would like to emulate, when asked who her career goal would be.
Brand's speed and individual attacking qualities were identified as two of her greatest assets by the sporting director. She showed how these can trouble defences in Hoffenheim's win over Arsenal. She will develop more tactical knowledge and awareness in the coming years. She admits that sometimes she just runs and runs and runs, but her work rate can't be denied.
Technical analysis: She is a strong running winger whose persistent movement causes problems for the opposition. To go with her first-class interpretation of the game and creativity (1.50 key passes per game), Brand is also remarkably quick and averages six dribbles per game. Busy, positive, direct in her play and diligent in her defensive work too, she has all the prerequisites to develop into an elite player. -- Tor-Kristian Karlsen.
Club: Barcelona (loan to Levante)
Country: Brazil
Age: 18
It has been a difficult year for Queiroz, who was forced to leave Barcelona for Levante on loan and later alleged she had been the subject of abusive behavior at the Catalan club. She scored seven goals for a Levante side that finished the season sixth in the Primera Division. A bigger club may be interested in taking a chance on Queiroz, who was plucked from Madrid CFF by Barcelona two years ago.
There are strengths and areas to improve. She is from a generation of Brazilian attackers that don't stay in a fixed position, which gives her the freedom to move around the pitch. She does that very well and is a creator as well as a scorer. She needs to improve her scoring element. She would have hit double figures in Spain this season if she had more confidence and belief in her finishing.
Technical analysis: Whether fielded wide on the right or up front, Queiroz is almost an attack on her own. Her change of pace and her brilliant ball-carrying abilities are particularly dangerous weapons on counterattacks, but the Brazilian also possesses an incredible determination which helps her bounce off most challenges. A technically gifted, creative player, she is already making a huge impact.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Germany
Age: 21
After a hip injury kept her out for six months, she returned to action for her club, and put herself back in the running for a place in the Germany squad for the Euros this summer. She made her debut for the first team at 17 years old. She made her national side debut in the same year and has continued to show her attacking and defensive qualities. She has not seen the same amount of playing time as she did last year because of new arrivals and her injury, but she is still an important part of the squad.
Strengths and areas to improve are dribbling and being on the ball. She has one of the highest attacking statistics for a woman in the Frauen Bundesliga but her eagerness to get forward can sometimes cause her to lose the ball or overhit her passes. Her movement on and off the ball is impressive. Her ability to react quickly has made her valuable in both attack and defence due to the sheer amount of ground she is happy to cover.
Technical analysis: Lohmann's calm, focused approach to the game is most striking. Equally capable of playing as a No. 6, No. 8 or even No. 10 in midfield, she brings order, organisation and structure to the game. Her decision-making, combined with the precision in her passing, allow the game to flow through her and she plays with a maturity well beyond her years.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Portland Thorns FC
Country: United States
Age: 21
Smith made waves at youth national team level, but she wouldn't become a regular for the senior USWNT until last year. Smith became the first teenager to be picked in an NWSL draft when the Portland Thorns claimed her as the No. 1 pick in 2020. The attacker couldn't repay that confidence immediately because of the disruptions to the league.
Smith scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the Thorns last season, but spent a large portion of the year drifting in and out of form. The forward has played herself into contention for regular call-ups for the national team and looks to have the faith of the manager.
She has a tendency to drift out of games, which is the biggest area of concern. She has shown progress on that and her shooting ability this season. With a clean first touch and cool head in front of goal, Smith has natural attacking prowess and plays off the shoulder of the last defender well, while she knows when to shoot or make an attacking run.
Technical analysis: Smith can play anywhere across the front and is equally dangerous when attacking wide or through the middle. Her excellent technique, ambidexterity and quick footwork make her an exquisite finisher. She averages six dribbles per game and her excellent off-the-ball movement helps her take up good positions.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Wolfsburg
Country: Germany
Age: 20
Oberdorf has been in the top three of the U21 list for the second year in a row and she has once again had a stellar season.
She was part of the Germany team that won the U17 European Championship last year and many will be looking forward to seeing her play in the tournament in England this summer if she can stay fit. She made her name as the country's youngest senior international and she will be hoping she can build on this legacy as Germany looks to regain some of their European dominance.
Oberdorf had a strong sense of her position in her senior career because she played multiple positions across the pitch. She is a great reader of the game and always seems to be ahead of her opponents. She is known for her physical presence and willingness to muscle her way through a situation. It would be great to see more individual moments from her in front of the goal.
Technical analysis: Oberdorf's ability to play across the middle in defence or midfield is a testament to her exceptional all-round qualities. Predominantly recognised for her measured, intelligent passing, impeccable decision-making and mental aptitude, the midfielder sets the pace and the rhythm of the game. She is also strong on the defensive side of things -- covering space, blocking, tackling, protecting the centre-backs and being aggressive in her recovery duties.-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Manchester City
Country: England
Age: 21
Arguably the best player in the England setup, Hemp's rise was not an overnight one. After impressing in her debut WSL season with Bristol City, she was snapped up by Man City and became one of the first names on the team sheet for both City and England. When she shone at the She Believes Cup, she looked as if she had been playing for years, rather than just a few months.
The partnership of Hemp and Kelly on the left was a highlight of the 2020-21 season and even though Kelly was out for the majority of the 2021-22 campaign with an injury, he has continued to shine as an individual in the City.
There are few things defenders can do when Hemp is running at them. Her pace and determination can be seen when she sets up a teammate or wins a foul. With a smart left foot and strong close control, the winger is in her element when taking defenders out wide or cutting into the box, her precise crossing ability is an ever-growing asset. She needs to develop a ruthless side to shooting and goal scoring, rather than being the one to tee her teammates up.
Technical analysis: Hemp's speed, creativity (1.84 key passes), quality crossing, clever runs behind the full-backs and successful take ons (an average of seven dribbles per game at a 69% success rate) are all impressive. In addition to her bright, exciting, energy-consuming style of play, she's also happy to do her fair share of defending. -- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Club: Washington Spirit
Country: United States
Age: 20
She came in at number 10 last year, and this year she is at the top. The Washington Spirit forward arrived to the league with high expectations due to her record-setting draft selection as the youngest player to ever go through the process and due to her famous father, NBA great Dennis Rodman -- but as huge as the hype was, she backed it up.
Trinity is ready to make her own name in soccer.
Rodman was named the NWSL rookies of the year in 2021. She seems to have a bright future ahead of her, and her club agrees. Her agency says she was the highest-paid player in the NWSL when she signed with the Spirit. She earned her first cap for the U.S. national team in February. Her father's famous last name may still follow her, but she says she learned her competitiveness from her mom and she is making a name of her own.
She has everything you would expect out of a goal scorer: speed, power and tenacity. She led the NWSL in assists last season and made good on her league-leading expected assists. She can be found attacking mostly down the right but also floating centrally. She can still get even better with the ball at her feet, even though she has grown in that regard. When the ball isn't finding her, it limits her impact, but with improved off-the-ball movement, she will become even more of a threat. She doesn't seem to be close to her ceiling, as good as Rodman is.
Technical analysis: Rodman has a knack of picking the right spaces to get behind opponents and she's added calmness to her finishing too. Technically, her touch appears more refined and she seems more confident with her weaker left foot. She is also a brilliant team player who works tirelessly defensively (an average of 5.5 defensive challenges / 3.2 tackles per game).-- Tor-Kristian Karlsen
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