South Georgia Tormenta FC, or simply Tormenta FC, is an American soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, as well as a pre-professional team in USL League Two called Tormenta FC 2 (which is on hiatus since the 2023 season)[1] and a pre-professional team in USL W League. The team colors are midnight navy, sky blue, silver, and magenta. The team's crest shows an ibis.[2][3] Tormenta FC's USL League One team and the W-League team both emerged victorious in 2022, becoming national champions in their respective leagues.
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| Full name | South Georgia Tormenta Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Pelicans | ||
| Founded | 2015 | ||
| Stadium | Tormenta Stadium Statesboro, Georgia | ||
| Capacity | 5,300 | ||
| Coordinates | 32°24′35″N 81°47′46″W / 32.409722°N 81.796111°W | ||
| Co-owners |
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| Head coach | Ian Cameron | ||
| League | USL League One | ||
| 2024 | USL League One, 10th of 12 Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | https://www.tormentafc.com | ||
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History
editSouth Georgia Tormenta FC was founded in 2015 making it Statesboro's first pro team in any sport in 60 years, since the Statesboro Pilots of baseball's Georgia State League folded in 1955. Owned by Tormenta FC LLC, the operations of the franchise are steered by Darin Van Tassell and Netra Van Tassell. The word "tormenta" means "storm" in Spanish.[4]
2016
editOn May 21, 2016, Tormenta FC hosted its inaugural home match against the Carolina Dynamo in front of 3,105 fans.[5]
Tormenta FC won their first match in club history on June 16, 2016 against the Charlotte Eagles in a 2–0 decision.[6] The club then followed up that victory with a second consecutive win on June 18, 2016 by defeating the Carolina Dynamo 1–0.[7] On June 23, 2016, Tormenta FC not only scored their first ever home goal, but the team managed to win their first home match as well; a 1–0 victory over Southern West Virginia King's Warriors.[8]
Tormenta had a five-game win streak snapped in a 2–1 defeat against the King's Warriors on July 2, 2016.
The club finished 6th out of 8 in the South Atlantic Division.[9]
2018
editOn January 25, 2018, South Georgia Tormenta FC was announced as the first founding member of USL League One for 2019. The team had an undefeated regular season in 2018, clinching the Deep South Division championship. Tormenta FC hosted the conference playoffs in Statesboro, Georgia.[10]
2019
editOn March 29, 2019, Tormenta FC hosted the inaugural match of USL League One, winning 1–0 against the Greenville Triumph and setting a new attendance record of 3,519.[11] After a successful start to the season that saw the team in second place, a second-half downturn with 2 wins in their last 16 matches brought them down to 6th place and out of a playoff spot.
2020
editOn September 16, 2020, Tormenta announced that it had promoted John Miglarese to Technical Director, and promote previous assistant coach and head coach of Tormenta 2, Ian Cameron, to head coach of the first team.[12]
2021
editOn June 8, 2021, Tormenta announced they will be fielding a women's side to compete in the new USL W League beginning in 2022.[13]
2022
editIn the off season, the club signed former Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and English youth international player Kazaiah Sterling.[14] The club finished the season in third place, qualifying for the first round of the USL League One playoffs. In the club's first ever playoff appearance, they defeated sixth seeded Charlotte Independence and then second seeded Greenville Triumph before winning the final match against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC by the score of 2–1.[15][16][17]
Stadium
editTormenta FC currently plays at Optim Sports Medicine Field, a 5,300-seat soccer-specific stadium in Statesboro.[18][19][20] They previously played at Eagle Field at Erk Russell Park on the campus of Georgia Southern University from 2016 to most of the 2022 season.
Sponsorship
edit| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 |  Nike
|
Optim Orthopedics |
| 2019–2023 |  Adidas
| |
| 2024–present | Puma[21]
|
Record
editYear-by-year
edit- As of October 26, 2024
| Season | Premier Development League | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Top Scorer 1 | Head Coach | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||||
| 2016 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 5th, South Atlantic | Did not qualify | Ineligible |  Sam Lofts
|
4 | Ben Freakley
|
| 2017 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 17 | 25 | 4th, South Atlantic | Did not qualify | DNQ | Jamie Merriam
|
9 | John Miglarese
|
| 2018 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 10 | 36 | 1st, Deep South | Conference Semifinals | 2R |  Marco Micaletto
|
4 | John Miglarese
|
| Season | USL League One | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Top Scorer 1 | Head Coach | ||||||||
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||||
| 2019 | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 32 | 34 | 37 | 6th | Did not qualify | 2R | Marco Micaletto
|
8 | John Miglarese
|
| 2020 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 8th | Did not qualify | Not held |  Nil Vinyals
|
4 | John Miglarese (2–4–4) Ian Cameron (3–3–0)
|
| 2021 | 28 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 36 | 47 | 30 | 11th | Did not qualify | Not Held | Marco Micaletto
|
11 | Ian Cameron
|
| 2022 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 42 | 40 | 45 | 3rd | Champions | 4R | Kazaiah Sterling
|
13 | Ian Cameron
|
| 2023 | 32 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 55 | 56 | 42 | 7th | Did not qualify | 3R | Kazaiah Sterling
|
13 | Ian Cameron
|
| 2024 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 42 | 20 | 10th | Did not qualify | 3R |  Sebastián Vivas
|
8 | Ian Cameron
|
^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
edit- As of October 14, 2022
- Includes Regular Season, Playoffs & U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | G | W | L | D | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Freakley |  United States
|
2016 | January 11, 2017 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 18 | 42.86 |
| John Miglarese | United States
|
January 11, 2017 | September 18, 2020 | 70 | 30 | 19 | 21 | 109 | 80 | 42.86 |
| Ian Cameron | Scotland
|
September 18, 2020 | present | 104 | 41 | 42 | 21 | 156 | 159 | 39.42 |
Players and staff
editCurrent roster
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Technical staff
edit- As of June 15, 2021[24]
- Ian Cameron – Head Coach
- Jordan Bell – Assistant & Goalkeeping Coach
- Jordan Melia – Assistant Coach
- Drew DeJohn – Performance Coach
Front office
edit- As of February 6, 2024[25]
- Caroline Boykin – Director, Marketing
- Tom Valcke – Senior Director, Franchise Development
- Rich Fleming – Director, Production and Outreach
- Noah Schroyer – Coordinator, Communications & Social Media
- Conner Martin – Coordinator, Creative & Brand
- John Schlieman – Senior VP, Corporate Partnerships
- Bryce Judy – Senior Director, Soccer Operations
- Colt Carver – Head Equipment Manager
- Talique Cobb – Coordinator, Ticket Sales and Service
- Colby Beard – Coordinator, Ticket Sales and Service
- Alex Wagner – Senior Director, Ticketing and Fan Engagement
- Johnnie Sanchez – Coordinator, Academy Recruitment
Tormenta FC 2
editIn January 2019, the team announced that it would continue to field a team in USL League Two while also playing professionally in USL League One.[26] The team, Tormenta FC 2, continues to play in the Deep South Division and has won the conference once in 2019. During its inaugural season, the team won the Southern Conference for the first time in organization history.[27]
The 2 team has also qualified for two U.S. Open Cup tournaments in 2019 and 2020, with the latter being cancelled and the tournament spot being transferred to 2021.[28][29]
The club announced in January 2022 that Tormenta 2 would take a one-year hiatus from USL League Two in order for the club to focus on developing its academy.[1]
Honors
edit- USL League One
- Playoffs Winners: 2022
- USL League Two
- Deep South Division Champion: 2018
Player honors
edit| Year | Pos | Player | Country | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USL Premier Development League | ||||
| 2016 | D | Peyton Ericson | USA
|
All-Eastern Conference Team |
| 2018 | M | Marco Micaletto | ITA
|
All-League Team All-Southern Conference Team |
| M | Toni Soler | ESP
|
All-Southern Conference Team | |
| USL League One | ||||
| 2019 | D | Conner Antley | USA
|
Defender of the Year All-League First Team |
| D | Mikie Rowe |  IRE
|
Goal of the Year | |
| 2020 | M | Marco Micaletto | ITA
|
All-League Second Team |
| 2021 | M | Marco Micaletto | ITA
|
All-League First Team |
| 2022 | M | Adrian Billhardt | GER
|
Comeback Player of the Year |
| D | Jake Dengler | USA
|
All-League Second Team | |
| M | Gabriel Cabral |  BRA
|
All-League Second Team | |
| F | Kazaiah Sterling | ENG
|
All-League Second Team | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Tormenta FC to Elevate USL Academy Team". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ "PDL Awards Franchise to Statesboro, Georgia". Premier Development League (PDL). August 6, 2015.
- ^ "Tormenta FC Arrives in South Georgia". Premier Development League (PDL). October 28, 2015.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Tormentafc.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "History in the making for Tormenta". Tormentafc.com. 23 May 2016.
- ^ Colin (17 June 2016). "Tormenta FC Secures First Win".
- ^ "Tormenta FC moves up in Ranking with Two Consecutive Wins On The Road". Tormentafc.com. 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Tormenta comes through in the clutch". Statesboroherald.com.
- ^ "Standings – 2016 Regular Season – South Georgia Tormenta FC 2". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "Tormenta FC joins USL Division III for 2019". January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ O'Donnell, Bernadette (2019-03-30). "Post-Game Notes: March 29 vs Greenville Triumph SC". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "Tormenta FC Names Ian Cameron as USL League One Head Coach". South Georgia Tormenta FC. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ "USL announces return of the W League from 2022 – SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Tormenta FC Sign Former Tottenham Hotspur Forward Kazaiah Sterling". uslleagueone.com. 28 February 2022.
- ^ "USL League One Match Report". uslleagueone.com.
- ^ "USL League One Match Report". uslleagueone.com.
- ^ "Champions – Tormenta rules League One". stateborohearald.com. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Tormenta Stadium to break ground March 27". Statesboroherald.com.
- ^ "Tormenta FC owners give update on new stadium, retail shops". 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Optim Health System Claims Naming Rights for Tormenta FC Field". 2 February 2021.
- ^ "South Georgia Tormenta FC, PUMA Announce Multiyear Partnership".
- ^ "2021 USL League One Roster". tormentafc.com. Tormenta FC. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "South Georgia Tormenta FC Roster". USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Technical Staff". Tormentafc.com.
- ^ "Front Office". Tormentafc.com.
- ^ O'Donnell, Bernadette (23 January 2019). "Tormenta FC Announces Rebrand of its USL League Two Team". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Zimmer, Amy (29 July 2019). "Historic season for Tormenta FC 2 comes to an end". WJCL. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Popkin, Jackson (8 May 2019). "A South Georgia Tormenta FC Guide to the 2019 U.S. Open Cup First Round". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Tim (15 May 2019). "2019 US Open Cup round 2: Nashville SC holds off pesky South Georgia Tormenta 2". TheCup.us. Retrieved 30 January 2020.