CARSON, California - Among other things, U18 Carmel United coach Dave Costa proved to be a master prognosticator.

Pay close attention to this gem, which he offered at the week’s beginning.

“There are some teams, that, even when things aren’t pretty they just find a way to win. Those are championship teams.”
                
Carmel United is one of those championship teams.

Again.

Costa’s prescient words echoed through the Home Depot Center on Thursday as his Carmel team celebrated their Development Academy national title following a 1-0 victory over D.C. United, in a game that was broadcast live by ESPN Classic.

It was the second consecutive title for the Indiana-based club, coming after most of the core group captured the U16 Academy crown last year again under the guidance of Costa.

This time, it took an inspired defensive effort and an opportunistic goal.

Nikita Kotlov pounced on a D.C. United defensive mistake, and beat standout goalkeeper Abdul Hamid for the game-winner in the 29th minute. The team’s leading scorer throughout the year, Kotlov beat defender Ethan White to a wide ball on the left wing, cut inside and put the ball inside the far post.    

“He wasn’t finding the ball wide. We had to get the ball to his foot because he’s a very dangerous player,” Costa said. “He found his chance and made them pay.”

Throughout the week, D.C. has proven to be one of the most potent offenses in the Academy, but Carmel only allowed glimpses of their brilliance Thursday.

Strong defender Tyrone Martin was vital in marking a couple of D.C.’s many offensive threats, and Jared Isenthal showed great help consistently. The deciding play of the match, though, was turned in by Carmel goalkeeper Jon Dawson.

With D.C. United employing a three forward attack and scrambling to even the match with a goal late in the second half, dangerous goal scorer Andy Najar received a ball over the top that he volleyed to himself at the top of the box and turned to fire. It was sure goal until Dawson laid out to his right, getting just enough fingertip on the shot for it to deflect off the left post.

Dawson pumped both fists in excitement, knowing that his team had dodged a bullet and sensing they were close to victory.

“We defended very well, guys really committed to what we were doing and we picked the right time to go forward,” Costa said. “The key is keeping the ball so we don’t have to defend as much.”

D.C.’s best chance at a goal may have come on a non-call that could have changed everything. Attacker Michael Burgos was trying to corral a ball just inside the box in the 62nd minute when it appeared that keeper Dawson tackled and taken him out from behind. D.C. protested, but no call was made.

Carmel had a few chances of their own down the stretch when D.C.’s aggression opened up space for counter attacking.

Harrison Petts appeared to have an open lane on the left flank in the 80th minute but Kevin McBride stopped the ball and broke up a potential play in what was a fine 1v1 response.

Carmel found some success going over the top of D.C. as evidenced by two good shot opportunities late, one by Kotlov that missed wide, and another on a set piece header by Matthew Sanner that sailed long in the 77th.

Paul Torres had a strong match for D.C., and drew a lot of defensive attention. D.C.’s top strikers, Christopher Hegngi and Najar, created some looks, but weren’t allowed enough chances as Carmel closed out its season on a 13-game win streak.

Despite the loss, D.C. remained entertaining, playing with the kind of personality that has long been associated with their team.

“That’s not just typical of our team, but typical of the whole club,” said D.C. United coach Judah Cooks. “We play with enthusiasm. But we’re not just here to play, we want to play well. And with our tradition, we want to win things.”

U18 Carmel United Lineup
Starters: Jon Dawson, James Vollmer, Tyrone Martin, Michael Wignot, Jared Isenthal, Nikita Kotlov, Jarrett Baughman, Jeremy Vollmer, Harrison Petts, Ryan Flier, Matthew Sanner.
Subs: AJ Corrado, Austin Oldham.

U18 D.C. United Lineup
Starters: Abdul Hamid, Alex Herrera, Ethan White, Kevin McBride, Nicky Yin, Michael Funes, Julio Arjona, Paul Torres, Andy Najar, Shane Cook, Christopher Hegngi.
Subs: Myles McGinley, Chris Perez, Michael Burgos.

IMG ACADEMY 1, REAL COLORADO 0 (2OT)

It took 104 minutes for IMG to outlast Real Colorado and claim third place in the Academy Finals.

Andres Acevedo volleyed in the winner on a feed from Fernando Mares in the second overtime to end a long, contested match.

IMG finished the week without a loss at 2-0-2, while Real Colorado lost their two final games to finish at 1-2-1.

U18 IMG Academy Lineup
Starters: Larry Jackson, Jon Eckford, John Rayha, James Doliner, Ambry Moss, Alex Walters, Miguel Medina, Luis Ocejo, Tyler Currence, Luis Calzadilla, Benjamin Barshai.
Subs: Mikhail Meyreles, Chase Miller, Fernando Mares, Martin Ontiveros, Reinaldo Brenes, Andres Acevdeo.

U18 Real Colorado Lineup
Starters: Bobby Thalman, Adam Tormoehlen, Kyle Venter, Scott Branson, Taylor Kemp, Nick Rodriguez, Robert Derschang, Brent Ham, Anis Abdulgasem, John Lacouture, Zach Portillos.
Subs: Drew Beckie, Connor Talbert, Alex Tarnoczi, Levi Ross, Mate Aguirre, Matt Hammett, Alex Gunberg.   

PDA 3, FC GREATER BOSTON 2

PDA stormed out of an 2-0 hole to defeat FC Greater Boston and claim fifth place in the Academy.

JP Rosero converted on a penalty kick to get the rally started, while Ryan Finley scored in the 70th minute and the New Jersey-based club got the winner five minutes later.

Boston got goals from Charlie Rugg and Gideon Gyasi in the losing effort.

U18 PDA Lineup
Starters: William Smith, Matthew Pesci, Scott Keogh, Bonny Lodono, Jossimar Sanchez, Anthony Ciccone, Jordan Beckett, Sean Gardner, Alex Bramall, Dylan Renna, JP Rosero.
Subs: Ryan Whalen, Hamadi Cantave, Christopher Medina, Kyle McCarthy, Vincent McEnroe, Jeffrey Eisenbud, Jonathan Aguirre.
  
FC Greater Boston Lineup
Starters: Ciaran Nugent, Sean Fitzgerald, William Donovan, George Hodge, John Miller, Josh Danesh, Brendan Caslin, Sam Kelley, Gideon Gyasi, Charlie Rugg.
Subs: Nick Vozzella, Owen Fox, Cecil Jeffrey, Leon Brown, Chris Pettiglio    

CASL CHELSEA FC ACADEMY 1, DALLAS TEXANS 0

Charles Root put in a second half score to lead CASL Chelsea to a seventh-place finish. It was the second consecutive victory for CASL Chelsea, who defeated Real Colorado 2-0 on Tuesday.

The Dallas Texans finished the week without a win, rounding out play with a record of 0-3-1.