Media release from Darlington School, Written by Maddie Chastain – Faculty:
The Southern Soccer Academy (SSA Swarm) Residential Program at Darlington, more commonly known as Darlington School Soccer Academy, has held the number one ranking in the nation in the U19 MLS NEXT Academy Division for three consecutive weeks following an undefeated start to their season. The team has been building on what they started last year as U17s, finishing the year ranked third in the nation after making it to the MLS NEXT Cup semifinals.
The U19 team is currently undefeated and entered their third week at number one with a victory over Roswell Santos, a challenging team in the division’s South Conference.
MLS NEXT rankings are determined by record, the league’s difficulty, team accomplishments and more. The U19 MLS NEXT Academy Division is home to 268 teams, with 14 in the South Conference. South Conference clubs range in size from 2,000 to over 13,000 players.
“It’s been a long road for the boys, the program, and the coaches,” said Soccer Academy Director Chad Liddle. “It takes a village to be ranked first in the nation! Everyone in our Darlington Community has contributed to these players’ success on the field, in the classroom and in life.”
The Darlington School Soccer Academy formed a strategic partnership with Southern Soccer Academy Swarm FC in 2025. The partnership has provided access to top-tier developmental pathways for student-athletes through SSA Swarm and MLS NEXT.
“The MLS Next Academy Division is the top non-professional academy league in North America,” said Liddle. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve used the MLS NEXT platform to enhance our offerings to players with even more college exposure. We’ve also been able to reach more prospective players. They can truly see the special environment and family-like atmosphere here.”
After a strong start to the season, the team hopes to finish what they started last year and compete for the national championship at the MLS NEXT Cup in the spring. Ultimately though, Liddle said that the coaches take one game at a time and spend the practices in between teaching the players to improve and find ways to problem-solve together.
“The Soccer Academy’s tagline is ‘Live for Soccer. Prepare for Life,'” said Liddle. “We hope the Soccer Academy truly gives this to all our players – past, present and future. If we can accomplish that level of impact, then our time with these young men will have been well spent.”
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