Tormenta FC
 | |||
| Full name | South Georgia Tormenta Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Ibises | ||
| Founded | 2015 | ||
| Stadium | Tormenta Stadium Statesboro, Georgia | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Coordinates | 32°24′35″N 81°47′46″W / 32.409722°N 81.796111°W | ||
| Co-owners |
| ||
| Head coach | Mark McKeever | ||
| League | USL League One | ||
| 2024 | USL League One, 10th of 12 Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | www | ||
|
| |||
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.
History
[edit]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.[4] The name also serves as a tribute to the former Storm Soccer Academy based out of Savannah, which was incorporated into the Tormenta FC academy system upon the team's founding.[5]
2016
[edit]On May 21, 2016, Tormenta FC hosted its inaugural home match against the Carolina Dynamo in front of 3,105 fans.[6]
Tormenta FC won their first match in club history on June 16, 2016 against the Charlotte Eagles in a 2–0 decision.[7] The club then followed up that victory with a second consecutive win on June 18, 2016 by defeating the Carolina Dynamo 1–0.[8] 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.[9]
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.[10]
Following their inaugural season, Tormenta announced the signing of "friendship agreements" with FC Academy in Monte Compatri, Italy, ASD Grottaferrata Calcio in Grottaferrata, Italy and KF Tirana in Tirana, Albania.[11]
On December 6th, Tormenta FC was named "New Franchise of the Year" at the PDL's Winter Summit due to the club's successes on and off the field.[12]
2017
[edit]Tormenta FC finished the 2017 season in 4th place in the PDL's South Atlantic Division, posting a 7-3-4 record with a +17 goal differential.
Despite falling short of a postseason appearance, the team hosted the PDL's Eastern Conference playoff semifinal and final matches at Eagle Field.[13]
2018
[edit]On January 25, 2018, South Georgia Tormenta FC was announced as the first founding member of USL League One for 2019 in a press conference held at Paulson Stadium's Bishop Fieldhouse. The team had an undefeated regular season in 2018, clinching the Deep South Division championship. Tormenta FC hosted the conference playoffs in Statesboro, Georgia, falling to The Villages SC in the Conference Semifinals. [14]
2019
[edit]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.[15] 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.
After the conclusion of the season, Tormenta completed the first outgoing transfer in USL League One history, sending Defender of the Year Conner Antley to USL Championship side Indy Eleven for an undisclosed fee.[16]
2020
[edit]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.[17] The team finished 8th out of 11 in the USL League One table in a modified 16 match season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
[edit]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.[18] Despite holding a 5th place spot halfway through the year, the USL League One team ultimately finished in 11th place, five points from the bottom of the table.
2022
[edit]In the off season, the club signed former Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and English youth international player Kazaiah Sterling.[19] Tormenta achieved a team-best Round of 32 appearance in the U.S. Open Cup, defeating USL Championship sides Charleston Battery and Birmingham Legion before falling to MLS side Inter Miami, 3-1. On October 2nd, 2022, the club opened their own soccer specific stadium, Tormenta Stadium, in a 1-1 draw against the Richmond Kickers. 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 USL League One Final against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC by a score of 2–1 in front of a home crowd of 3,045.[20][21][22]
2023
[edit]Tormenta again saw success in the U.S. Open Cup the following season, notching a win over USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros to face MLS side Charlotte FC in the Third Round, where they were defeated 4-1. The club remained in playoff contention until the final day of the regular season, finishing one point away from the 6th place spot after a 1-1 draw with the Charlotte Independence.
2024
[edit]In 2024, Tormenta equalized their record Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup appearance, besting the CFL Spurs, Savannah Clovers,and Miami FC, and fell to the Charleston Battery in extra time. The club suffered a downturn in form in the second half of the season, and finished in 10th of 12 teams. The club also made its debut in the USL Cup, finishing with a 0-4-4 record in the East Group, including two penalty shootout wins.
On July 24th, 2024, Tormenta FC agreed to transfer defender Nick Akoto to EFL League One side Burton Albion FC, breaking the league's record transfer fee for an outgoing player and becoming the first paid international transfer in league history.[23]
Stadium
[edit]Tormenta FC currently plays at Tormenta Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium in Statesboro with a current capacity of 3,500. The stadium plans to have a capacity of 5,300 when completed.[24][25][26][27] 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 | Puma
| |
| 2025–present | Puma[28]
|
SubAir Sport |
Record
[edit]Year-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 | R32 | 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 | R32 |  Sebastián Vivas
|
8 | Ian Cameron
|
^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
[edit]- As of October 8, 2025
- 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 | August 8, 2025 | 104 | 41 | 42 | 21 | 156 | 159 | 39.42 |
| Mark McKeever |  Ireland
|
August 8, 2025 | present |
Players and staff
[edit]Current roster
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Technical staff
[edit]- As of October 8th, 2025[31]
Mark McKeever – Head Coach
Jordan Bell – Assistant & Goalkeeping Coach
Front office
[edit]- As of February 6, 2024[32]
Tom Valcke – Senior Director, Franchise Development- Michael Blackmon – VP, The Tormenta Group
- John Schlieman – Senior VP, Corporate Partnerships
- Colt Carver – Senior Director, Soccer Operations
- Camryn Brooks – Coordinator, Soccer Operations
- Loren Kersey – Coordinator, Soccer Operations
- Colby Beard – Coordinator, Ticket Sales and Service
- Sally Scott – Senior Director, Ticketing and Fan Engagement
- Johnnie Sanchez – Coordinator, Academy Recruitment
- Joleen Tomlinson – Team Chef
- Reggie Hodges – Supervisor, Grounds
- Donald Roberts – Director, Facilities
- Khristina Harper – Director of Accounting
- Lindsay Paquette – Executive Staff
- Lisa Lee – Executive Staff
- Brad Nein – VP, Tormenta FC Academy
Tormenta FC 2
[edit]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.[33] 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.[34]
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.[35][36]
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 | |
| 2023 | M | Jackson Khoury |  LBN
|
Young Player of the Year |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tormenta FC to Elevate USL Academy Team". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "BLOG Archives". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "History in the making for Tormenta". Tormentafc.com. May 23, 2016.
- ^ Colin (June 17, 2016). "Tormenta FC Secures First Win".
- ^ "Tormenta FC moves up in Ranking with Two Consecutive Wins On The Road". Tormentafc.com. June 20, 2016.
- ^ "Tormenta comes through in the clutch". Statesboroherald.com.
- ^ "Standings – 2016 Regular Season – South Georgia Tormenta FC 2". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
- ^ "Tormenta FC partners with European clubs". www.statesboroherald.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Longshore, Jason (December 6, 2016). "South Georgia Tormenta named PDL New Franchise of the Year". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Top teams in Eastern Conference square off in the Boro". www.statesboroherald.com. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Tormenta FC joins USL Division III for 2019". January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ O'Donnell, Bernadette (March 30, 2019). "Post-Game Notes: March 29 vs Greenville Triumph SC". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
- ^ Murray, Nicholas (November 21, 2019). "Antley's Transfer Shows Potential for Change in Player Movement". USL League One. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "Tormenta FC Names Ian Cameron as USL League One Head Coach". South Georgia Tormenta FC. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "USL announces return of the W League from 2022 – SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "Tormenta FC Sign Former Tottenham Hotspur Forward Kazaiah Sterling". uslleagueone.com. February 28, 2022.
- ^ "USL League One Match Report". uslleagueone.com.
- ^ "USL League One Match Report". uslleagueone.com.
- ^ "Champions – Tormenta rules League One". stateborohearald.com. November 7, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Staff, USLLeagueOne com (July 24, 2024). "South Georgia Tormenta FC transfers Nick Akoto to Burton Albion FC for record-breaking fee". USL League Two. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ "Stadium". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "Tormenta Stadium to break ground March 27". Statesboroherald.com.
- ^ "Tormenta FC owners give update on new stadium, retail shops". October 24, 2019.
- ^ "Optim Health System Claims Naming Rights for Tormenta FC Field". February 2, 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 (January 23, 2019). "Tormenta FC Announces Rebrand of its USL League Two Team". South Georgia Tormenta FC. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Zimmer, Amy (July 29, 2019). "Historic season for Tormenta FC 2 comes to an end". WJCL. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Popkin, Jackson (May 8, 2019). "A South Georgia Tormenta FC Guide to the 2019 U.S. Open Cup First Round". Dirty South Soccer. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Tim (May 15, 2019). "2019 US Open Cup round 2: Nashville SC holds off pesky South Georgia Tormenta 2". TheCup.us. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
