CARSON, CALIF - No one said winning championships is easy, but Friday night's USSF Development Academy Finals Week U18 championship game at Home Depot Center between the Baltimore Bays and LAFC took it to another level.

Steve Nichols' Bays team eventually came out on top 4-2, but only after three red cards, extra time, a power outage, players on the ground, rowdy crowds, and controversial calls all made this a most memorable match.

Baltimore came out firing early on, running the sidelines and spreading the field very effectively. LA quickly responded with some fine runs by forward Kevin Mejia who continually battled Baltimore defender Joseph Vidmar who held down the Bays' defense as LA continued to attack. Mejia showed his strength and agility as he controlled a through ball, got past two defenders and pulled the trigger, putting the ball in the back of the net from just outside the box and bringing LA up 1-0.

Baltimore continued fighting after the early goal with midfielders Andrew Bulls and Brendan Klebanoff working hard. Superstar forward Chris Agorsor, who started on the bench due to a knee injury, didn't hurt either, as he charged ahead for Baltimore as well. Both teams went back and forth, as Baltimore attacked with high passes and big through balls on the ground, LA countered and kept the ball in their attacking third with lots of short and crisp passes. Even with LA's ball control, Baltimore managed to tie the score with a perfect header from high flying Agorsor who got up past LA defenders to head the ball past the LA keeper, tying the score at 1-1.

The game got physical quickly between the two teams as every time Agorsor got the ball in the attacking third, he was mauled by two or three LA defenders who often ended up throwing Agorsor to the ground. LA's Patrick Chin received a red card after his 2nd bookable foul on Agorsor and was ejected from the game, leaving LA to play with 10 men. Richard Menjivar and Cesar Barajas, two LA midfielders, kept fighting and effectively moving the ball down the field and into the box but the half ended with no more scoring.

LA came back in the second half just the same way the left the first, showing a lot of aggressiveness in perusing the ball and attacking, led by Mejia and midfielder Carlos Alvarez. Baltimore continued to defend rather effectively with Christian Barreiro and Steven Levin holding down the fort. LA stayed persistent though and soon enough with a beautiful long cross from Alvarez, Mejia was able to head the ball into the goal giving LA the 2-1 lead. The remainder of the half was a constant back and forth between the two teams until the last five minutes of regulation.

Toward the end of the half, Baltimore began to control play and put pressure on the LA defense. On one such run in the final minutes, Bays forward Agorsor turned the corner inside the area and was thrown to the ground by an LA defender. The referee awarded the penalty kick which was confidently hammered in by Baltimore midfielder Bulls to level the score and send the match into overtime.

The teams came back onto the field for the first period of extra time and to add to the fun, after 90 seconds the lights went out in the stadium, causing a tense 15-minute delay.

When action resumed the action was again back and forth. Bulls scored the go-ahead goal for Bays with a laser into the goal from 20 yards out that left the keeper with no chance.

Both teams were getting noticeably fatigued yet they continued to battle. Strangely, the speed of the game may have changed but the intensity level only rose. Kevin Orozco apparently got too intense as the LA player was given a red card and ejected, pushing their count to nine young men. Michael Lansing then subbed in for Baltimore and was ejected about two plays later on a late slide tackle.

The two red cards ended the first period of overtime and players anxiously awaited their last half of soccer of the season. Baltimore wasted no time, even with a 3-2 lead, as they immediately began putting pressure on the LA defense. Baltimore's Agorsor found his teammate John "JJ" Raley with a perfect through pass on a counter. Raley had an LA defender on him but with a hard cut towards the goal, and a powerful shot to the upper right corner, sealing the deal for Baltimore at 4-2. LA kept fighting but was not able to produce anymore goals and full time was blown on the match and Bays celebrated winning the inaugural U18 Academy championship.

"We knew that even at 3-2 we needed another one to insure the victory and I knew that if I got it to JJ he'd do the right thing; he killed it," man-of-the-match Chris Agorsor said of the final goal. "It feels good to be a champ. We've worked so hard all season and it's finally all paid off; it feels good."

PDA and Carmel United will play for the U16 title Saturday night.

Other Results

3rd Place: Columbus Crew 4, Colorado Rush 0
5th Place: Concorde Fire 3, Chicago Fire 2
7th Place: FC Westchester 1, CASL Elite 1
(Westchester win on penalties, 5-4)