Six Dallas-area soccer players, including both SportsDayHS Players of the Year, named Allstate All-Americans 

Multiple Dallas-area soccer players were named to the All-State All-American team this week, an honor given to 250 boys and girls high school soccer players around the country.

Both of The Dallas Morning News' Players of the Year, Highland Park's Presley Echols and Arlington Sam Houston's Jose Ortiz, made the list. Echols, now a two-time state champion, scored 52 goals and added 30 assists this year. She's been committed to Texas since her freshman season. Ortiz finished the year with 59 goals, breaking the school record for goals in a season for the third consecutive year.

Coppell goalie Lauren Kellett, a TCU pledge and The News' girls Defensive Player of the Year, and Hebron's Briley Weatherford were the other local girls to make the All-American team. Flower Mound Marcus teammates Tomas Pondeca and Harvey Castro were the other All-American boys.

Earning All-American status isn't the last part of the process. All-State is hosting an inaugural All-American game that will feature 40 girls and 40 boys from the list of the 250 All-Americans. The "All-State Cup" will be hosted on July 31 in Orlando, Fla. It will also be broadcast on ESPNU.

The four teams will be coached by four former U.S. Soccer national standouts. Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain, two Olympic gold medalists, will coach the girls teams while Brian McBride and ESPN's Taylor Twellman will coach the boys.

"I am very familiar with the tremendous amount of focus, work and sacrifice it takes to be an elite player, especially at a young age, and how important it is to have the support of your soccer community," McBride said via an All-State press release. "I've always admired the work Allstate does within the sport, and the Allstate All-America initiative is no different. I look forward to encouraging these young players and coaching them through what is sure to be an incredible Allstate Cup experience."

In addition, the 80 All-Americans that play in the All-State Cup will be honored on the field at halftime of the MLS All-Star Game.

You can view the list of the first 150 All-Americans here and the list of the additional 100 added this week here.

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Girls soccer

Boys soccer

On Twitter: @JoeJHoyt