To call them a Cinderella story really isn't accurate.

If you only pay casual attention to elite youth soccer in this country, than maybe you don't know the Carmel United U16 Boys Academy team. But if you've been watching the inaugural season of the USSF Development Academy you know these boys from the Indianapolis area can play.

They proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt in Saturday night's National Playoff final at Home Depot Center in Carson, California, defeating a very talented PDA squad 1-0 to win the championship. A. J. Corrado provided the winning goal with a curving 2nd-half strike from 25 yards.

Corrado said the team has had self-belief for some time.

"At the beginning of the season knew we had a lot of talent. We had the best players from Indiana," he said. "We trained really hard before Nike Friendlies and we played well there. Then we started playing Academy League games and we were winning 3-0 and 4-0 against top quality teams. We realized we were good enough to beat anybody. We got the mindset that it didn't matter who we were playing, we knew we could win."

"I've never been part of a more focused group," he added. "Everybody knew what they wanted."
During the season, Carmel went 22-2-6 in winning the Great Lakes Conference, outscoring opponents by an impressive 82-18 margin.  Corrado, Austin Oldham , Harrison Petts and Michael Wignot were named to the Conference Starting XI at the end of the regular season, and Corrado and Petts wre named to the national Startng XI.

On the week, the team won two games and drew a third to qualify for the final. Oldham led the way with four goals, while Michael Wignot added two and Harrison Petts and Taylor Anthony scored one each. Petts was tremendous all week on the right side of the attack. He put in a man-of-the-match performance Saturday night and solidified his status as one of the very best prospects in the 2010 graduating class.

Another personality of note was tri-captain Jamie Vollmer, who along with solid all-around play contributed some of the most ridiculously-long throws in to be seen in the game of soccer. Vollmer said the team built upon a number of qualities to find success.

"Our goalie Jon Dawson played great, our back line was strong, our midfield was solid and we we've always been able to score," Vollmer said. "Our coach helped a lot with skills and tactics. We really try to pass the ball around. We're not just a physical team. Plus people we're so committed to training. We tried to train at least three and sometimes four times a week."

Running those sessions was head coach David Costa. Costa said a mid-season loss on the road to Detroit-area club Vardar proved to be a watershed moment for his squad.

"They really handed it to us that day. The guys made a decision after that match that they weren't going to be satisfied with not winning the league," Costa said. "It was something to watch them grow in each game during the season. As we got to finals week the coaching staff was not worried that the experience would overwhelm them. We knew they knew how to win and that they were willing to do whatever it takes. "
What it took in this case was being able to play soccer. As Vollmer noted, Costa has worked to build the team's technical and tactical acumen, even as they developed some match-management skills as well.

"There are different ways to grind out a game, just like you saw in (the final)," Costa said. "You don't have to just punt the ball upfield and try to hang on. You can push players forward and work on keeping possession. You can make them play in their half. You don't have to defend if you have the ball. We figure we're good enough to play this game so let's play it right."

Costa said the league's format was considerably better than the state and regional cup competitions of the past.

"Everything you do matters. You're  preparing for a match every weekend," he said. "The guys also learned a lot from the national staff about preparation. A big message in the league is about professionalism. That's how you develop, by having that mentality."

Championship Match Lineups (Courtesy US Soccer)

Carmel: 18-Tyrone Martin, 10-Aj Corrado, 8-Lance Davis, 7-Austin Oldham, 6-Jared Isenthal, 3-Jamie Vollmer, 2-Taylor Anthony, 35-Jon Dawson, 4-Michael Wignot, 21-Harrison Petts, 20-Ade Oluyedun
Reserves: 11-Zakk Rankin, 9-Corey Fundenberger, 19-Charlie Dankert, 1-Andrew Moor, 16-Tyler White,14- Mitchell Weaver, 12-Adam Ward.

PDA 25-Scott Keogh, 24-Bonny Londono, 23-Jordan Beckett, 21-Jossimar Sanchez, 20-Dylan Renna, 17-Johnathan Aquirre, 16-Alex Bramall, 12-Robert Barrera, 10-Matthew Pesci, 2-Vincent McEnroe, 1-Rafael Diaz
Reserves: 22-Anthony Ciccone, 19-Johan Hernandez, 15-Joseph Mineo, 14-Christopher Medina, 9-Jeffrey Eisenbud, 7-Michael Encarnacion, 5-Sean Gardner