• MLS Next will add two new full programs next season with the addition of the
Dallas Hornets and
Houston Rangers. The Hornets were founded in 1985. Their academy director, Cody Worden, hails from Fort Worth and spent time at Surf Soccer Club (academy director/boys director of coaching) and the Real Salt Lake Academy (elite talent director). The Rangers started in 2022 with the help of former MLS player Josh Gardner, who will serve as the academy director. They are concentrated in the Katy and West Houston areas. Both programs will have teams in all six divisions (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U19), increasing to 10 the number of MLS Next programs in Texas and 11 the number of new programs in MLS Next in 2023-24.
