Watching a lot of youth soccer games, one becomes accustomed to seeing the fastest players on the field playing at forward, chasing down long passes and causing opposing teams problems with sheer speed.

Nothing wrong with that of course, and the very best of those players will add superior technique to the mix to become a multidimensional threat to the opposition, but for Dallas Texans and U17 Women’s National Team standout Alexis Harris, the place to apply her superior athletic talents is in the middle of the park.

This rare combination has served to make Harris one of the very best players in the country at her age group, and a centerpiece of what is becoming a stellar 2010 recruiting class for the University of Texas.

Harris has more than a few offensive attributes including skill at finishing, running with the ball and the ability to provide a long service, but her superior pace, excellent reads and top-notch technique in the challenge, make her an ultimate defensive weapon for the Texans now, and the Longhorns in the future.

“The first thing you see is her athleticism,” Texans coach Ryan Higginbotham said. “I compare her a lot to (Men’s National Team midfielder) Ricardo Clark on the men’s side in that she can cover box to box and sideline to sideline. Her range is extraordinary for a player her age. On top of that she is one of the most competitive girls you’ll see. Every challenge she goes in hard and every touch she takes, she looks to be a perfectionist. She will not lose a challenge or a head ball. That’s why she’s reached the level she’s reached right now.”

What is perhaps more extraordinary, and a testament to the U17 Texans’ squad’s depth, is that it won the national title last summer while Harris was with the U17 WNT at the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament in Trinidad & Tobago. Harris acknowledged that she was torn at the thought of missing an event she and the team had worked so hard to reach, but she added she felt great support from Higginbotham and her teammates.

“That was so hard. I love my team and they have been there for me so much,” she said. “I felt really bad that I had to leave them on such a big occasion, but they said there will always be a next year and there will never be another U17 World Cup for me.”

She added that the experience of playing in New Zealand at the World Cup was an important one for her in terms of development.

“I was just kind of in awe of the whole thing,” she said. “Even though we came up short in the final, we learned so much, it was a great experience. As a player I learned more about how to possess the ball and how to connect with my teammates in order to play more possession style.”

Harris is perfectly comfortable with being thought of as a defensive player.

“The first thing I try to look for on the field is defense, so I am more of a defensive player, but I also like distributing more now,” she said. “Instead of attacking by myself I play with the team more.”

Higginbotham said Harris doesn’t let her star status keep her from being one of the girls.

“She’s a good kid. She likes to have a joke with the girls,” he said. “When we were at nationals she was sending the girls emails saying how sorry she was not to be there. That shows you what kind of character she is. When we won the national league last month, she was one of the girls who pulled the girls in from the younger age group teams to celebrate with us down at Disney. That says a lot about what she is like.”

Harris narrowed her college choices down to seven schools, but ended up visiting Tennessee and Texas, and then the decision was made (in October).

“When I went to visit Texas, I was just blown away,” she said. “I knew then I wanted to go there. I spent time with the girls on the team and they’re such a family-based team. The coach said he wanted me to play the same positions I’ve been playing.”

Harris will be joined at Texas by, among others, fellow Texans Becca Rivera and Kristin Cummins, fellow Dallas-area standouts Sophie Campise and Hannah Higgins and fellow U17 WNT player Alexa Gaul.

Harris, who has been invited to the joint U18 and U20 Women’s National Team camp being held in California at the end of the month, is looking forward to helping her team defend its national title and focusing on improving as a player.

“You can only get better. You’re never perfect,” she said. “I understand I always have weak points in my game and I always try to look for something to make better.”