The United States Soccer Development Academy Finals Week began in Houston, Texas last weekend with the Crew Soccer Academy Wolves U-16 squad from Livonia, Mich. representing the Black & Gold. The Wolves kicked off group play with a 2-1 defeat against Solar Chelsea SC from Dallas. Kalenga Selemani scored the Wolves' lone goal in the opener. In their second match of the week on Tuesday, Ahinga Selemani and Hunter Barone found the net for CSA against De Anza Force, but the Force scored an 80th-minute winner to defeat the Wolves.
The CSA Wolves round-out group play on Thursday against the Colorado Rapids.
For the Wolves' regular season efforts, U.S. Soccer named Lars Richters the U-15/16 Development Academy Coach of the Year for the Central Conference.
Richters led the CSA Wolves to the top of the Mid-America Division of the Central Conference with a 22-4-4 overall record. His team finished the season with 70 points and allowed a Conference low 19 goals for the season. The Wolves then won a berth in the Finals Week of the U.S. Soccer Development Playoffs when they defeated Seattle Sounders FC U-15/16 2-0 in Dallas.
Development Academy players and coaches have received postseason recognition since the Academy's inaugural 2007-08 season, and the end-of-year awards are voted upon by U.S. Soccer Technical Advisors.
