SSA Cartersville U17 Boys to Compete For National Championship

Cartersville GA - Southern Soccer Academy Cartersville saw their elite U17 boys team win the South Atlantic Premier League Playoffs this past weekend as they continue their quest for a National Premier League National Title. The South Atlantic Premier League (SAPL) is a part of US Club Soccer’s National Premier League (NPL) and sees the Cartersville-based team compete against some of the best teams and clubs from TN, GA, AL, SC, and NC.

Head Coach Alex Laldin, had this to say “This group and their success is a shining example of the culture and identity that we’ve built here in Cartersville over the last few years. I’m extremely proud of this group not only for who they are on the field but more importantly for who they are becoming off it. I may coach them on gameday but their success comes from their commitment to each other and the support and mentorship they’ve received over the years from Richard Foy, Declan Traquair, Scott Anderson, and Jim Nicklas. All of whom have supported, developed, and pushed them to become better people first and then better athletes. As someone who played in Cartersville back when we (SSA) were known as Cartersville Clash (Cartersville Bartow Youth Soccer Association), it’s great to see our elite-level players no longer having to leave Cartersville to receive top-level coaching and top-level competition. It’s also great to see the success of the local high school programs as our kids lead their teams to region victories and deep playoff runs.”

Location Director Richard Foy, on the team’s success “The boys have been extremely competitive throughout the season and winning the SAPL playoffs is nothing less than they deserved. There’s a lot of quality in this team and having an opportunity to take that quality and showcase it at a regional event is extremely exciting not only for the group of players but for our organization as a whole”.

In June, the team will head to NPL East Playoffs in Bermuda Run, NC where they will play the winners from the other 6 regions East of Colorado.

About National Premier Leagues:

The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a national competition platform created to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape by:

• extending developmental principles espoused by U.S. Soccer into more age groups and clubs
• linking competition with player development and identification platforms
• providing meaningful weekly competition culminating in a national postseason

NPLs are leagues unified under one national competition platform and based on a common technical framework. More specifically, the NPL provides a platform:

• focused on long-term player development
• for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training-to-game ratios and eliminating calendar congestion
• integrated with the id² Program, which includes Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and that works closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development
• designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs
• that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Finals

About Southern Soccer Academy Cartersville:

Since 1997, SSA Cartersville, formerly CBYSA, has been Cartersville and Bartow County's top soccer program for 25 years. The program has consistently produced top-level talent, including DI, DII, DIII, and members of MLS Next, The Girls Academy, and the Atlanta United Academy. The program is currently a branch of Southern Soccer Academy.