STATESBORO, Ga. – Lars Eckenrode has joined the South Georgia Tormenta FC Front Office as the Coordinator of Special Projects. To note, Eckenrode becomes the first player in Tormenta FC history to join the front office after retirement.
Eckenrode will seek to put on community events, and camps and clinics on behalf of the Tormenta FC organization. Additionally, Eckenrode will be an avid advocator for Tormenta FC and his local Statesboro community. He will proactively be seeking to strengthen relationships and partnerships with local youth soccer clubs, organizations and schools.
“I am extremely excited to embark on this new chapter of my life working with Tormenta. I have been with the club from the beginning and although I am no longer able to help by contributing on the field, I am really looking forward to growing the club with the amazing front office staff that I have come to know throughout my four years as a player. I am very grateful to the organization for having created this role for me in which I can channel the same work ethic, hunger and passion I had as a player into a new direction.”
Lars Eckenrode, Tormenta FC Front Office
Eckenrode spent four years playing with South Georgia’s USL League One team, where he quickly became a fan-favorite and a leader on and off the field. Eckenrode is one of four players in Tormenta FC history to wear the captain’s armband after wearing it for four games in 2019.
Overall, Eckenrode featured in 21 games for Tormenta FC, scoring the equalizer against Orlando City B on April 14, 2019, and the first goal in South Georgia’s 3-1 win against Greenville Triumph on June 20, 2021.
In the game against Orlando City B, Eckenrode suffered a concussion and neck whiplash that kept him out for six months. The following year, Eckenrode had a double fracture of my tibial plateau and was ruled out for three months. In 2021, the defender suffered from a torn meniscus which required surgery, sidelining him for three months. In his final season as a professional, Eckenrode tore his meniscus again, requiring surgery and is still recovering from it.
A University of Michigan alumnus, Eckenrode spent four seasons with the Wolverines men’s soccer team, which he captained in 2016. During his collegiate career, Eckenrode appeared on the Big Ten All-Rookie Team in 2013 and the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Big Ten Team in 2014. Eckenrode was drafted in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, where he was picked up in the fourth round by the Toronto FC organization.
Welcome to the TFC Front Office, Lars!
