By: Meagan Mulvany
South Georgia Tormenta FC is excited to announce Gabriel Rodriguez on a one-year contract with a club option for 2025, pending league and federation approval. The 27-year-old Colombian striker joins the Tormenta FC team after his impressive 2023 season with the South Carolina United Bantams in USL League Two.
Rodriguez most recently played with SC United Bantams during the summer of 2023, where he played in five games and scored one goal with two assists.
The striker participated in the U.S. Open Cup with Des Moines Menace in 2023, where during the two games Gabriel Rodriguez scored one goal. In the season prior, he played in the U.S. Open Cup with the same club and scored one goal and had one assist in the two games played in the tournament.
Rodriguez is not new to Tormenta FC, as he spent his 2021 season playing for our USL League Two team where he had 14 appearances and a total of 10 goals – seven of which during the regular season and the remaining three netted in playoff games. “To start, I’m extremely excited to be back at Tormenta. I wanted to come back to Tormenta because I know the coaching staff very well, and they know what I can provide to the team,” Rodriguez explained in an interview on his return. “I had a fantastic summer back in 2021 playing USL2 here and I’m happy to be back to play in front of great fans and community. Also, our Fans can expect that I will give it my all, work hard, and score goals. Here’s to a great season – Vamos Tormenta!”
The 27-year-old powerhouse spent the 2019 to 2021 seasons playing with the University of Charleston in the Mountain East Conference at the Division II level. In his time there he scored 33 goals, created 15 assists and made 58 appearances for the Golden Eagles.
Rodriguez has earned many accolades, most notably, 2019 NCAA Division II National Champion, the MEC Conference Tournament Champion three times over, two time MEC Regular Season Champion, two time Regional Champion, 2021 Division II National Runner-Up, two time All-Conference First Team MEC, All-Tournament First Team MEC, All-Atlantic First Team, and All-American First Team.
During the 2021 spring season, Rodriguez was one of the top performers across the country, ranking second in the nation for the most points, third in the nation with the most goals, and eighth with the most assists.
Prior to playing in Charleston, Rodriguez played his first year of college soccer at Laredo College in 2018 where he scored seven goals and had 11 assists. He played for another team within the college called Laredo Heat where he scored nine goals and had one assist. Here he was awarded Heartland Conference Champion 2018, Top Goal Scorer Heartland Conference 2018 and Regular Season Champion 2018.
The striker spent 2016 playing in Colombia with America Pedro Sellares U20s, 2015 with both the Universidad Autonoma del Caribe U18s and America de Cali U17s and 2014 with Leeds United U16 team in England.
Head Coach Ian Cameron spoke about his newest striker saying, “Having shown really well for our USL League Two program in the past Gabi has remained on our radar since. He combines clever runs in behind with the ability to link play effectively. He has also demonstrated a resilience in his patience to sign his first pro contract and we’re thrilled to see him do so for our organization. He’s hungry to prove himself within USL and now he has that platform.”
Tormenta FC fans can secure their seats at Tormenta Stadium ahead of 2024, with tickets available for purchase.
Founded in 2015, South Georgia Tormenta FC is a professional soccer club in Statesboro, Georgia. Tormenta FC is proud to compete in the professional USL League One and the pre-professional USL W-League. The team is also proud to offer a thriving academy system throughout South Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina. South Georgia Tormenta FC rose victorious in 2022, becoming the USL League One Champions and the USL-W League champions.
For media inquiries or additional information please contact Noah Schroyer at (770) 871-8654 or email nschroyer@tormentafc.com or Caroline Boykin at (912) 667-9422 or email cboykin@tormentafc.com.
