STATESBORO, Ga. – After a two-year hiatus, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup returned in 2022 and with it, South Georgia Tormenta FC’s presence in one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in the United States. In 2022, Tormenta FC returned to the national competition, where they took on two USL Championship sides in the second and third round, and its first-ever Major League Soccer side in the Round of 32 of the national competition.
Tormenta FC is no stranger to taking on teams from divisions above it in the U.S Open Cup. Coached by Ian Cameron in 2019, Tormenta FC 2 defeated USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in the First Round. In the Second Round, Nashville SC, formerly of the USL Championship, secured a 3-2 win. Despite defeat, Tormenta FC 2 was able to keep the contest close throughout.
In the 107th edition of the Open Cup, South Georgia started its journey in the second round of the competition traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, to take on the Charleston Battery. The match was scheduled for Wednesday, April 6.
Charleston was a familiar face for Tormenta FC, with several friendlies happening between the two sides in prior years and even a fixture in the Open Cup against Tormenta FC a year before turning professional. In addition to this, former Battery players Deshawon Nembhard and Arthur Bosua paid a visit to Patriots Point Soccer Stadium for the first time after departing the Charleston-based team.
The Storm Arrived
On travel day, severe weather occurred across the South Carolina Lowcountry on April 5-6, 2022. Seven tornadoes occurred across the area, making it impossible for the match to occur on April 6. The match was rescheduled for an 11 a.m Thursday kickoff.
In the 65th minute of that midday clash, Adrian Billhardt placed a corner kick into the penalty spot, finding Bosua, who perfectly placed the ball into the net with a header impossible for the keeper to contain. South Georgia ended up with a 1-0 win and the team’s first-ever Third Round appearance.
Next up, Birmingham Legion
To many, Tormenta FC’s Second Round result would be called a “cupset,” but to Ian Cameron and his team, this was just a glimpse of how united and hungry the team was.
A challenging test faced them as the team was paired against the Birmingham Legion on the road. Despite usually playing its USL Championship fixtures at Protective stadium, Legion FC would host the third round match from Goldfarb Field at Birmingham-Southern College.
A first-time meeting between both sides, Tormenta FC knew the opportunity to make a national statement was imminent. The matchup allowed the Tormenta FC defense to stand out and win the game for the Statesboro side; defender Curtis Thorn scored the first goal after finding a rebound, which he simply tapped in. Nearing the end of the first half, Jake Dengler scored as well.
Tormenta FC took advantage of the opportunities the game created and capped an impressive team performance off with a win that signified its entrance into the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, proving that a 0-2 score line is not the most dangerous lead in soccer (sorry, Argentina).
Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Tormenta FC
The team from Statesboro, Georgia, made it to the Round of 32 for the first time in club history. With many League One teams causing upsets in the national competition, Tormenta FC knew it was ready to compete against an Inter Miami CF team that was going to host its first-ever U.S. Open Cup game.
As the day arrived, everyone knew this fixture would be a different atmosphere than any other game played in 2022. This game meant much more than soccer to the Statesboro community, simply being mentioned in the same sentence as a Miami-based team was something to be proud of; as the day arrived, many fans decided to make the drive down to Fort Lauderdale to see the Statesboro team take on its first-ever MLS team in a competitive match.
May 11, 2022, was the day that Tormenta FC took on the MLS side, and it was almost the day the team from Statesboro caused the upset of the night. With praise from Inter Miami head coach Phil Nevil, Tormenta FC put Statesboro on the map.
South Georgia’s domination of the attack statistically and through much of the match caused fans to panic for the first 40 minutes of the match. Jamil Roberts tested the Inter Miami goalkeeper multiple times throughout the first half; meanwhile Arthur Bosua’s ability to create danger through the air nearly gave Tormenta FC the lead.
Three goals from the home side allowed Inter Miami to get out of danger despite not playing well in the first half. Two of the goals were assisted by a familiar face in Indiana Vassilev, a Tormenta FC Academy product.
Substitutes in the second half saw a hungrier Tormenta FC side look for a goal, and in the 88th minute, Tormenta FC was able to secure its first-ever goal against an MLS side in an official match.
Miami native Owen Green subbed into the match, making his dream come true. During the flight to Miami, Green mentioned that he really wanted to get playtime as he did not know if he would ever get another opportunity to play at home. Green came on in the second half and not only did he lock down the defensive unit but also found an assist after playing a pass into space for Kazaiah Sterling to run through and beat the defenders and goalkeeper. Sterling scored his first-ever goal for Tormenta FC that night, and went into the Tormenta FC history books as the first-ever player to score against an MLS side in an official match.
The final whistle blew, and with it, came the respect of Inter Miami fans, who stayed until the end to ask for autographs and photos of Tormenta FC players. Thus, the magical cup run came to an end in Fort Lauderdale. Despite the defeat, many learning lessons were taught that night, which ultimately helped Tormenta FC conquer its first USL League One title many months later.
The 107th edition of the oldest national soccer competition in the United States, will be one to remember for Tormenta FC. In 2023, South Georgia will be ready to compete once again against any opponent in the United States. With the opening of Tormenta Stadium in 2022, Tormenta FC would be eligible to host and bring the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to Statesboro for the first time in the pro side’s history.