- July 22, 2026
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The core of Golden Goal Sports Soccer Academy in Ocoee’s 19U team has grown up together.
They learned one another’s tendencies over six years as they completed middle school and high school. They learned to drive a car together. They celebrated graduation together. They celebrated state championships and battled through many national tournaments as they spent hundreds of evenings training through rain delays, weekend practices and long travel weekends.
So, when they captured the national championship at the 2026 National League Cup Thursday, July 9, they celebrated for more than the title. GGS 19U finished as the national champion and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
“It’s not about one game,” head coach Carlos Carlet said. “It’s about all the journey that we’ve been together. That’s what made us successful to become No. 1 in the nation.”
Eleven players from the original core remained together from about age 10 through their final youth season. That consistency is increasingly uncommon in today’s club sports landscape.
“It’s not an easy thing to do — especially because you have an 18-player roster,” Carlet said. “To keep them together is hard. But we kept the core, and the players (who) came in added to what we already had.”
Half the roster now will move on to college after a dominant 2025-26 campaign during which the team also won the Easter and the Adidas Cup.
While the final game of the tournament (which GGS won 4-0 over Legends FC) solidified the title with a 3-0 weekend and ended in celebration, Carlet said the true challenge came one day earlier against Spire FC.
The national championship tournament required teams to play three games. Rather than the final game determine the result, the crown was given to the team with the most wins overall.
During the second match against Spire Wednesday, July 8, GGS found itself trailing 2-1 and hopes of a championship slipping away.
“We could not lose that game,” Carlet said.
With one minute left, he reminded the players there still was time. Moments later, they found their way in.
Spire FC turned the ball over, GGS connected in transition and scored the tying goal with 10 seconds left on the clock.
“We could not believe it,” Carlet said. “Everybody was jumping on each other and celebrating. We felt like a family. The energy was there.”
Carlet has coached many of the players since they were in elementary school. Some entered through GGS’s recreational program before they developed into the elite players they have become today.
He said watching their growth has become one of the most rewarding parts of coaching. He never has worked with a group of boys for this long consistently.
“I’m really proud to see each individual player grow — not only on the field but also out of the field,” he said.
Over the years, Carlet watched players experience every stage of the teenage phase while balancing school, family responsibilities and increasingly competitive soccer landscapes. Practices sometimes were canceled because of the rain, while others required extra weekends spent training to prepare for their top competition.
But the players never wavered their support and dedication in the sport.
“They understood that if we worked, we were going to get this,” Carlet said.
Understanding expanded beyond simply the players but to Carlet himself.
He said successful development of young athletes requires coaches to remain patient and willing to adapt to each athlete’s needs rather than expecting every player to progress the same way.
“You need to be really patient,” he said. “Sometimes, you need to criticize yourself and see where your mistakes are or what the team needs.”
The patience helped as the players grew from the 10 years olds into the 18-year-olds they are today. Now after celebrating their best season together, four of them will continue on to play collegiate soccer, while others will continue with GGS and play in the clubs adult league.
