Georgia Southern sports have wrapped up until August, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a local sports team to enjoy and support this summer.
This year is the inaugural season of the South Georgia Tormenta FC soccer franchise, which has made its home in Statesboro. The expansion franchise is a member of the Premier Development League, a 67-team league that consists of four conferences spanning the United States and Canada.
Over the last decade, 70 percent of all Major League Soccer draftees have played in the PDL. Players range from professionals who have international soccer experience to current collegiate athletes getting an opportunity to face a higher level of competition while maintaining eligibility with the NCAA.
The 14-game season gives each team seven home matches and seven road contests. For Tormenta. who play in the eight-team South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, it means a home-and-home with each of its division foes. Teams in the South Atlantic Division hail from Georgia (2), South Carolina (1), North Carolina (2), Tennessee (1) and West Virginia (2).
To recap the season thus far, South Georgia earned a point in the standings by way of a draw in its first game in franchise history in Johnson City, Tennessee, against the Tri-Cities Otters. Tormenta FC has since hosted three home matches — drawing over 3,100 spectators in its first home contest against the Carolina Dynamo. Two weeks later, in the second home game of the season, over 2,700 waited through a 90-minute weather delay at Erk Russell Park.
Unfortunately, the home crowd has not seen a win yet. Or a goal. Through four games, Tormenta has simply not been able to put one in the back of the net.
But that doesn’t mean the games haven’t been exciting. Two consecutive games against Peachtree City MOBA and SC United Bantams have gone to halftime 0-0, but the good guys have dropped both 1-0 on late goals.
Starting a franchise from scratch is no easy task. Add to that the pressure the players must feel, as they are fully aware that the first to score will be in the record books forever as the first goal-scorer in Tormenta history. And the first win will be the first in franchise history.
Maybe they are pressing a little too hard trying to give this franchise its firsts? Maybe playing in front of the home crowd has them pushing a little too much at times? After all, the best result to date came on the road.
This team has shown some signs, but just hasn’t quite put it all together yet. The first game was played after the team had only been practicing together for a couple of weeks. And the schedule has been somewhat tricky, too. Tormenta faced Peachtree City in just its third game of the season on June 3. That game was Peachtree City’s sixth.
As this team continues to gain experience playing together — and once that first goal comes — I believe the first win will follow. After this group gets over those first few humps, I think business will pick up.
The remainder of this season should be a lot of fun. The next home matches are Thursday, June 23, and Saturday, June 25. If you haven’t been to a game, I absolutely recommend checking one out.
