ESPN RISE

The Red Bull/Nolan Showcase continues to grow; just not in the way event organizer Jay Fitzgerald envisioned.

This year's girls' high school soccer event features a record 27 teams, but only two out-of-state squads.

"This year, with the economy the way it is, we were not able to get the star-power, exciting California teams, and that's too bad," said Fitzgerald, the coach of Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, Texas. "But the number of teams excites me, and the quality is good."

The Nolan Showcase began seven years ago as a local four-team event. As the tournament expanded, so did the magnitude of the event. Over the years such traditional national powers as Santa Margarita (Calif.), Monte Vista (Calif.) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) have ventured to Fort Worth to challenge the state's top programs. Such players as Southern Cal's Amy Rodriguez and North Carolina's Courtney Jones played in the tournament.

The only out-of-state participants this year are Mayfair (Calif.) and St. Thomas More (La.).

By no means does a Texas-heavy field indicate that this year's event is any less competitive. ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 2 Marcus, No. 3 Plano West, No. 7 Nolan Catholic, No. 10 Coppell, No. 15 Southlake Carroll, No. 26 Ursuline Academy, No. 35 McKinney Boyd and No. 50 Colleyville Heritage highlight the field.

A pair of Southern California powers, including FAB 50 No. 11 San Clemente, withdrew from the tournament citing financial reasons. Last year, NorCal power Monte Vista rolled through the event with a perfect record, and Amador Valley (Calif.) earned a national ranking with its performance in Texas.

"I even offered to pay some of the expenses for out-of-state teams, but they still could not make it," Fitzgerald said.

Each team is guaranteed four matches in the three-day mixer event. Each team plays once Thursday and Saturday and twice Friday. There is no overall champion, but a series of bracket champions.

As the matchups are predetermined, Fitzgerald was able to arrange some intriguing national-rankings clashes. No. 7 Nolan Catholic plays No. 15 Southlake Carroll, No. 3 Plano West takes on St. Thomas More (La.) and No. 26 Ursuline (Dallas) faces Mayfair on Thursday.

A meeting between No. 2 Marcus and Ursuline highlights Friday's schedule. Mayfair and Coppell square off Saturday morning.

Most of the matches will be played at either Doskocil Stadium on the Nolan Catholic campus or Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium at Texas Christian University. A few matches will be played at Dragon Stadium at Southlake Carroll and Mustang-Panther Stadium in Grapevine.

ESPNRISE.com will post the daily results in the blog section of the high school soccer page.

As for the future of the event, Fitzgerald figures as soon as the economy recovers, he can continue toward the goal of a 40-team tournament featuring the best high school programs from around the country.

"I've already had teams [from California] contact me and tell me they are coming next year," Fitzgerald said. "It will be nice to have some of them back."

Players to Watch

A quick glance at some of the top players competing in this week's Red Bull/Nolan Showcase:

Mallory Baum, Nolan Catholic, Sr., committed to SMU and a four-year starter for Nolan Catholic

Sophie Campise, Ursuline, Sr., youth national team player who has committed to Texas

Alina Garciamendez, Ursuline, Sr., committed to Stanford. Has Mexican youth national team experience

Hannah Higgins, Flower Mound, Sr., committed to the University of Texas

Samantha Howell, Colleyville Heritage, Jr., verbally committed to Oklahoma

Emily Reid, McKinney Boyd, Jr., verbally committed to Oklahoma

Taylor Schneider, Southlake Carroll, So., part of the youth national team pool for her age group

Abby Smith, Plano West, Fr., touted as the best young goalkeeper coming out of Texas

Chioma Ubogagu, Coppell, So., one of the nation's top sophomore prospects. She led the team in scoring at last year's Nolan Showcase

Clarissa Wedemeyer, Grapevine, So., was the surprise of the event last year and made a name for herself in a victory over then-No. 1 Coppell.

Sheldon Shealer is the soccer editor of ESPNRISE.com. You can reach him by e-mail, sheldon.shealer@espn.com.