Tormenta FC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South Georgia Tormenta FC
Tormenta FC logo.svg
Full nameSouth Georgia Tormenta Football Club
Founded2015; 7 years ago (2015)
StadiumEagle Field at Erk Russell Park
Statesboro, Georgia
Capacity3,500
Coordinates32°24′47″N 81°47′13″W / 32.413°N 81.787°W / 32.413; -81.787Coordinates: 32°24′47″N 81°47′13″W / 32.413°N 81.787°W / 32.413; -81.787
Co-owners
  • Darin Van Tassell
  • Netra Van Tassell
  • Jeff Spencer
Head coachIan Cameron
LeagueUSL League One
2021USL League One, 11th of 12
Playoffs: Did not qualify
WebsiteClub website
Away colors
Current season

South Georgia 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. The team colors are midnight navy, sky blue, silver, and magenta. The team's crest shows an ibis.[1][2]

History[]

South 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.[3]

2016[]

On May 21, 2016, Tormenta FC hosted its inaugural home match against the Carolina Dynamo in front of 3,105 fans.[4]

Tormenta FC won their first match in club history on June 16, 2016 against the Charlotte Eagles in a 2–0 decision.[5] The club then followed up that victory with a second consecutive win on June 18, 2016 by defeating the Carolina Dynamo 1–0.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

2018[]

On 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.[9]

2019[]

On 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.[10] 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[]

On 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.[11]

2021[]

On June 8, 2021, Tormenta announced they will be fielding a women's side to compete in the new USL W League beginning in 2022.[12]

Stadium[]

Tormenta FC currently plays at Eagle Field at Erk Russell Park on the Georgia Southern University campus. Construction for Optim Health System Field,[13] a 5,300-seat soccer-specific stadium in Statesboro commenced on March 27, 2019, due for a 2022 completion.[14][15]

Sponsorship[]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2016–2018 United States Nike Optim Orthopedics
2019–present Germany Adidas Optim Healthcare

Record[]

Year-by-year[]

Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup
2016 4 USL PDL 5th, South Atlantic Did not qualify Did not qualify
2017 USL PDL 4th, South Atlantic Did not qualify Did not enter
2018 USL PDL 1st, Deep South Conference Semifinals Second Round
2019 3 USL1 6th Did not qualify First Round
2020 USL1 8th Did not qualify Cancelled
2021 USL1 11th Did not qualify Cancelled

Players and staff[]

Current roster[]

As of August 28, 2021[16][17]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Pablo Jara  Chile
2 DF Nick O'Callaghan  United States
3 DF Stefan Mueller  United States
4 DF Lars Eckenrode  United States
5 DF Sergi Nus  Spain
6 MF Ricardo Gómez  United States
7 MF Luca Mayr-Fälten  Austria
8 MF Adrian Billhardt  Germany
10 MF Marco Micaletto  Italy
11 FW Rodney Michael  Sierra Leone
15 FW Kristo Strickler  United States
16 MF Kobe Perez  United States
17 FW Clayton Adams  United States
23 DF Curtis Thorn  England
26 FW Tyler Bisseck ([A])  United States
27 DF Luis Rodríguez  Colombia
29 DF Brittain Gottlieb ([A])  United States
77 DF Joshua Phelps  Australia
99 MF Vincenzo Candela  Colombia
MF Gabriel Cabral  Brazil
DF Jake Dengler  United States
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract

Technical staff[]

As of June 15, 2021[18]
  • United States John MiglareseVP of Player Development and Technical Director
  • Scotland Ian CameronHead Coach
  • Colombia Jorge Gonzalez – Assistant Coach
  • England Jordan Melia – Assistant Coach
  • England Tom Morris – Assistant Coach
  • United States Nick Jaramillo – Goalkeeping Coach

Front office[]

As of September 19, 2018[19]
  • United States Mike Panter – VP of Soccer Operations
  • United States Bryce Judy - Director of Soccer Operations
  • United States Justin Smith - Assistant Director of Soccer Operations
  • United States Bernadette O'Donnell – Director of Communications and Public Relations
  • United States Logan Crosby - Director of Business Development
  • United States Todd Bergstrom - Director of Sales & Services

Tormenta FC 2[]

In 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.[20] 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.[21]

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.[22][23]

Honors[]

USL League Two[]

  • Deep South Division Champion: 2018

References[]

  1. ^ "PDL Awards Franchise to Statesboro, Georgia". Premier Development League (PDL). August 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Tormenta FC Arrives in South Georgia". Premier Development League (PDL). October 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Tormentafc.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "History in the making for Tormenta". Tormentafc.com. 23 May 2016.
  5. ^ Colin (17 June 2016). "Tormenta FC Secures First Win".
  6. ^ "Tormenta FC moves up in Ranking with Two Consecutive Wins On The Road". Tormentafc.com. 20 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Tormenta comes through in the clutch". Statesboroherald.com.
  8. ^ "Standings - 2016 Regular Season - South Georgia Tormenta FC 2". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  9. ^ "Tormenta FC joins USL Division III for 2019". January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  10. ^ O'Donnell, Bernadette (2019-03-30). "Post-Game Notes: March 29 vs Greenville Triumph SC". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  11. ^ news@tormentafc.com, Tormenta FC Staff- (2020-09-16). "Tormenta FC Names Ian Cameron as USL League One Head Coach". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  12. ^ "USL announces return of the W League from 2022 - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Optim Health System Claims Naming Rights for Tormenta FC Field". 2 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Tormenta Stadium to break ground March 27". Statesboroherald.com.
  15. ^ "Tormenta FC owners give update on new stadium, retail shops".
  16. ^ "2021 USL League One Roster". tormentafc.com. Tormenta FC. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  17. ^ "South Georgia Tormenta FC Roster". USLLeagueOne.com. USL League One. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "Technical Staff". Tormentafc.com.
  19. ^ "Front Office". Tormentafc.com.
  20. ^ O'Donnell, Bernadette (23 January 2019). "Tormenta FC Announces Rebrand of its USL League Two Team". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  21. ^ Zimmer, Amy (29 July 2019). "Historic season for Tormenta FC 2 comes to an end". WJCL. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Sullivan, Tim. "2019 US Open Cup Round 2: Nashville SC holds off pesky South Georgia Tormenta 2". TheCup.us. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
Retrieved from ""