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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bernadette O’Donnell Date: October 1, 2019 Tormenta Academy Hosts TopSoccer for Athletes with Disabilities Tormenta FC Academy continues to break down barriers to youth soccer. Beginning September 29th, Tormenta FC will be partnering with TOPSoccer to initiate community based training for young athletes with disabilities. Tormenta FC is extremely excited to mentor these young athletes through the game of soccer. “Our goal is to enable young athletes with disabilities to develop their physical fitness, technical skills, courage, and self-esteem through the joy and excitement of playing soccer,” Brad Nein, Director of Youth Soccer said. Tormenta FC strives to continue to make a difference in the community and create a positive experience for our youth so that participants can thrive. “There are thousands of children with disabilities who need, and can be provided, the opportunity to play soccer through TOPSoccer,” Nein said. Tormenta FC wants to make that possible. This opportunity will be held throughout this fall with six sessions to join in on at in Savannah, Georgia, beginning September 29. For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Falls to Toronto FC II 1-0 on the Road
Team is Eliminated from Inaugural Playoff Race

With two matches left in the regular season, Tormenta FC needed a win tonight to stay in the playoff race. Despite their effort, Tormenta lost tonight 1-0 on the road to Toronto FC II, who has also been eliminated from the playoff race.

Notably, Michael Mecham made his first appearance and start of the season for Tormenta, playing 53 minutes in right back after an ACL injury in 2018. Nil Vinyals went in for Mecham also for the first time since his injury on August 3rd.

The action kicked off early as Toronto’s Jordan Peruzza had a chance in the 2nd minute, and Tormenta’s Marco Micaletto had a shot on goal in the 3rd minute that was blocked by Eric Klenofsky. 

In the 23rd, Toronto pulled ahead with a goal from Ramos Mingo, assisted by Jayden Nelson.

Tormenta continued to fight throughout the second half as Conner Antley had a close chance in the 60th minute, but Mikie Rowe was then called offsides. Pablo Jara also had a Save of the Week material block in the 74th minute. Their efforts fell short though, and they were unable to even up the score.

Tormenta FC now comes home to close the inaugural USL League One regular season at home against rivals Greenville Triumph SC.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Daltyn Knutson, Jordan Skelton, Joshua Phelps, Michael Mecham, Conner Antley, Ricardo Gomez, Jad Arslan, Marco Micaletto, Nick Wells, Mikie Rowe

Substitutions:

45’- TRM – Yaw Amankwa for Nick Wells

53’- TRM – Nil Vinyals for Michael Mecham

78’- TOR – Ayo Akinola for Jordan Perruzza 

80’- TOR – Luca Petrasso for Antonio Carlini 

85’- TOR – Adolfo Ovalle for Noble Okello 

Scoring Summary: TOR – 1 | TRM – 0

23’- TOR – Ramos Mingo (Assisted by Jayden Nelson)

Caution Summary:

24’- TRM – Ricardo Gomez (Foul)

62’- TOR – Jordan Perruza (Foul)

65’- TRM – Marco Micaletto (Dissent)

89’- TOR – Jayden Nelson (Foul)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Draws 1-1 against Lansing Ignite on the Road 
Mikie Rowe Scores Equalizer in the 67th

Tormenta FC continued its playoff push tonight against second-place Lansing Ignite, who have clinched their playoff spot and are looking to secure home-field advantage as well. Tormenta drew tonight 1-1 with Lansing after a second-half equalizer by Mikie Rowe.

Despite several big shots from Tormenta in the first half by Alex Morrell and Charlie Dennis, Lansing pulled ahead in the 46th minute with a goal by Nick Moon.

Mikie Rowe then scored an equalizer from the center of the box in the 67th minute,  assisted by Conner Antley, bringing the score to 1-1. This was Rowe’s third goal of the season and Antley’s sixth assist.

After Chattanooga’s 2-1 win against Orlando City B tonight, Tormenta’s draw drops them to sixth place in the USL League One standings with 34 points, two points behind Chattanooga.

In less than a week, Tormenta FC travels to Toronto on Friday, September 27 to face Toronto FC II for its last road match of the regular season. Tormenta then comes home to close the inaugural USL League One regular season at home against rivals Greenville Triumph SC.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Nick Wells, Jordan Skelton, Daltyn Knutson, Conner Antley,, Ricardo Gomez, Marco Micaletto, Alex Morrell, Charlie Dennis, Jad Arslan, Shinya Kadono

Substitutions:

54’- TRM – Mikie Rowe for Shinya Kadono

73’- LAN – Rhys Williams for Kyle Carr

77’- LAN – Alex Bruce for Pato Botello Faz

84’- LAN – Steeve Saint-Duc for Tumi Moshobane

87’- TRM – Kobe Perez for Charlie Dennis

87’- TRM – Yaw Amankwa for Nick Wells

Scoring Summary: TRM – 1 | LAN – 1

46’ – LAN – Nick Moon (Assisted by Kevin Coiffic)

67’ – TRM – Mikie Rowe (Assisted by Conner Antley)

Caution Summary:

19’- TRM – Charlie Dennis (Foul)

34’- TRM – Jad Arslan (Foul

Tormenta Squares Off With Second Place Lansing Ignite
Major Playoff Implications On The Line With Only 9 Points Left On The Table

Lansing, MI– Well Tormenta Nation, here we go. Only three more matches left in the inaugural USL League One season. A season that has been, needless to say for Tormenta fans, a roller coaster. We have seen Tormenta go from sitting in 1st or 2nd place consistently, to the steady decline in form leading to the team’s current 5th place standing. Tormenta fans have seen the team struck by the injury bug in the worst form. Starting with Micah Bledsoe before the season started, to Lars Eckenrode, to Nil Vinyals, to Lucas Coutinho, and more. If one word could describe Tormenta’s squad this season, it would be resilient. This team does not quit. When it seems that everything is going wrong, Tormenta stays right in the mix of it all. Resilient is exactly what Tormenta needs to be these last three weeks. The 5th-place squad is fresh off a tough 2-1 loss to 1st place North Texas. There is no rest for Tormenta who now finish their season versus 2nd place Lansing, a hard to beat at home Toronto FC II, and 3rd place Greenville (who lead Tormenta 2-1-1 across all competitions). Tormenta always knew it would be a fight in this new league, but these last three matches will all be wars. 

Home Sweet Home: On Saturday, Tormenta travels to Lansing, Michigan to take on a Lansing Ignite squad that is a force to be reckoned with at home. Through 12 matches at home, LIFC has won 8, drawn 3, and lost 1. On top of being impressive at home, Lansing is currently on an 11-match unbeaten streak and a 6-match win streak. Lansing has not dropped points at home since July 13th. This streak comes with impressive wins along the way. A 2-0 win versus Chattanooga, 3-0 versus OCB, 4-1 versus North Texas, and 4-3 versus Chattanooga. Tormenta won’t go into this match expecting Lansing to roll over simply because they have clinched a playoff position. Lansing will be motivated to hold onto their #2 spot and have a home match in the first round of the playoffs.

Firepower: Not only is Lansing deadly at home, but their offense has been nearly unstoppable. Lansing has scored 48 goals, second-most in the league (NTX in 1st with 50). LIFC has scored 20 more goals than Tormenta and a lot of that is thanks to the deadly Tumi Moshobane. The midfielder has bagged 10 goals for himself while adding 4 assists to the mix. On top of being a goal-scoring threat, Moshobane leads the team in chances created with 39. No matter where he is on the pitch, Moshobane is a threat. Tormenta’s midfield will have to pay close attention to Tumi throughout the whole 90 minutes. Moshobane is not the only threat that Tormenta will have to deal with, Pato Botello Faz has added 7 goals, Rafael Mentzingen has added 6, and Nick Moon has scored 5. These four threats have matched Tormenta’s total goals scored by nine players throughout the season. Keep an eye on these four to add significant pressure to Tormenta’s defense all match.

Capitalizing Early: A positive thing for Tormenta over the last few matches is how early they found the back of the net. In two of their last three matches, Tormenta has found the back of the net in the first five minutes. Both these goals have come off class set pieces that seem to catch the opposition off guard. Yes, both times Tormenta has lost after the final whistle blows, but there are positives in this. Through the first 10 to 15 minutes in both these matches, Tormenta looked like a different team. We see Tormenta capitalize very early, press hard, and create more chances. The issues come when Tormenta takes their foot off the pedal and allow for the opposition to catch their breath and equalize off a mistake. If Tormenta wants to feel comfortable in the match, adding two goals early will allow them to focus on what they are built on, defense. Relying on the strong midfield and backline to lockdown and frustrate their opponents is what Tormenta found their success in early in the season. Tormenta has never seemed comfortable as the team that is playing end-to-end, trying to put up three or four goals. Teams like Lansing and North Texas are built to do that, but Tormenta needs to get a decent early lead and frustrate their opponent for the remainder of the match.

Match Facts:
Lansing Ignite FC (12-5-9) v. Tormenta FC (8-8-9)
Cooley Law School Stadium, Lansing, Michigan
Saturday, September 21st. 7 PM.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Falls to North Texas 2-1 

Tormenta FC lost  2-1 to North Texas SC who clinched the USL League One regular season championship tonight. Tormenta FC took an early lead in the 4th minute when Conner Antley scored from Charlie Dennis’ free-kick. North Texas’ Richard Donso then evened things up in the 21st. Before the end of the first half, North Texas scored once again, bringing the score to 2-1.

“I thought we battled hard tonight,” Tormenta FC Head Coach John Miglarese said. “The biggest thing I asked the players to do was to put their hearts into the match, and I think they did that. They were throwing their bodies in front of shots and really put it into shift. Unfortunately, we conceded right at halftime and that put us in a really bad scenario. But the biggest takeaway was our shape was good and we worked hard and created chances.”

Tormenta was unable to even the score back up and in the 73rd, was forced to carry on with just ten men after Joshua Phelps received a red card.

Tormenta FC is now tied for fifth place with the Chattanooga Red Wolves and travels to face Lansing Ignite who sits second in the USL League One standings.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Daltyn Knutson, Conner Antley, Jordan Skelton, Joshua Phelps, Marco Micaletto, Ricardo Gomez, Jad Arslan, Mikie Rowe, Charlie Dennis, Alex Morrell

Substitutions:

52’- TRM – Shinya Kadono for Alex Morrell

60’- TRM – Nick Wells for Mikie Rowe

75’- NTX – David Rodriguez for Alfunsainey Jatta

81’- NTX – Oscar Romero for Dante Sealy

88’- TRM – Dalton Pando for Marco Micaletto

91’- NTX – Cesar Murillo for Ronaldo Damus

Scoring Summary: TRM – 1 | NTX – 2

4’ – TRM – Conner Antley (Assisted by Charlie Dennis)

21’ – NTX – Richard Donso

47’ – NTX – Arturo Rodriguez

Caution Summary:

19’- TRM – Mikie Rowe 

37’- TRM – Marco Micaletto 

43’ – NTX – Alfunsainey Jatta

47’ – TRM – Conner Antley

61’ – TRM – Joshua Phelps

72’ – TRM – Joshua Phelps (Red)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 7, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Steals a Point in Madison, Draws 1-1
Marco Micaletto Scores Equalizing Goal

After two tough matches last week against North Texas and the Richmond Kickers, Tormenta FC stole a point tonight on the road against Forward Madison FC, drawing 1-1. 

The odds were in Forward’s favor  as Paulo Junior started off the scoring in the 24th minute with a goal to the top left corner that even Pablo Jara couldn’t save. It looked as though Forward would pull out a win, advancing to third place in the USL League One standings, but Tormenta’s Marco Micaletto scored a late match equalizing goal, assisted by Jad Arslan. This draw keeps Tormenta tied for fourth with Madison and the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

After picking up the attack tonight with shots by fresh starters Jad Arslan and Mikie Rowe, along with loanee Shinya Kadono, Micaletto was finally able to tie up the match from outside the box in the 80th minute.

Tormenta FC will now face number one North Texas SC, who just clinched their playoff spot yesterday, on Saturday, September 14 at home in Erk Russell Park.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post-Game Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Conner Antley, Joshua Phelps, Jordan Skelton, Daltyn Knutson, Ricardo Gomez, Marco Micaletto, Mikie Rowe Charlie Dennis, Jad Arslan, Alex Morrell

Substitutions:

56’- TRM – Shinya Kadono for Mikie Rowe

79’- MAD – Brian Bement for Paulo Junior

83’- MAD – Oliver White for Danny Tenorio

90’- TRM – Nick Wells for Daltyn Knutson

Scoring Summary: MAD – 1 | TRM – 1

25’- MAD – Paulo Jr.

80’- TRM – Marco Micaletto (Assisted by Jad Arslan)

Tormenta With A Lot To Fix In Final Stretch

Madison, Wisconsin- Tormenta FC hits the road this week for a match that could prove pivotal in shaping the USL League One playoff race. Tormenta, Forward, and Chattanooga all sit tied for fourth place with 32 points, making picking up all 3 points even more necessary. If Tormenta loses this match and FC Tucson picks up at least a point, we would see Tormenta drop even further down to 7th place in the league standings. So there is clearly a lot riding on this match.

Forward has been one of the harder teams to predict in USL League One. We’ve seen Forward struggle, at times, scraping the bottom of the league. Now, they’re one of the higher scoring teams in the league and have been in the playoff race for the last month.

Tormenta and Forward have met two times so far this season, each team picking up 3 points at their opponent’s homefield. Way back on May 18th, Tormenta (who were comfortably in the playoff mix) stole all three points at Breese Stevens Field following Conner Antley being in the right place at the right time on a corner. When Forward came down to Statesboro on July 6th, it was a totally different story. Madison looked the more cohesive and dominant side throughout the 90 minute match. The ‘Mingos went on to win 2-1 but the scoreline did not reflect the dominance they had throughout the match. Forward dominated statistically as well, 45.5% shooting accuracy to Tormenta’s 26.7%, had more shots on target, more interceptions and more tackles. Forward took smarter shots when they had the ball and defended much better than Tormenta did compared to the first match.

Now, here we are. The third and final round of this inaugural season. A loss this late in the season would truly be detrimental to the playoff lives of either team. IF Tormenta are able to use their last two matches as motivation, this team could turn it around. We’ve seen Tormenta get outscored 9 to 1 by the first place team in the league and a team that was sitting in 9th. Not a good look for a team that spent more time in the Top 2 than anywhere else. Over two matches, Tormenta conceded the same amount of goals that they conceded through the first 13 matches. Thirteen. That stretches from the inaugural match versus Greenville way back on March 29th to the previously mentioned 2-1 loss to Forward on July 6th. Time for this team to wake up.

What Needs To Change:

• Shot Selection and Team Identity: Tormenta needs to get smarter when it comes to picking their shots. Over the first 13 matches of the season, when Tormenta was at their best, the team was stellar at this. Tormenta would see their opportunity and take it. It led to a lot of 1-0 or 2-1 matches, but I think Tormenta fans would even take 1-0 wins right now. The team needs to get back their version of a killer instinct before it’s too late. The final five matches of the season are set to be a tough hill to climb. Tormenta goes from Forward, to North Texas at home, up to Lansing, up to Toronto, and finishes the season off at home versus Greenville. All these teams (even Toronto at times) have appeared as complete squads throughout the season. Teams that know WHAT their identities are and stick to it. Tormenta needs to get back to the team that’s built around their defense and able to grind out a 1-0 win.

• Consistency: Over the course of Tormenta’s recent struggles, we have seen a variety of different formations and squads played. Players have moved into secondary positions, formations have shifted focus to the defense, and when it does not work, the team goes back to the traditional 4-2-3-1. Another thing that shaped Tormenta in the early days of the season was WHO they put on the pitch. Conner Antley was known for causing havoc offensively but locking down a whole side of the pitch on defense, Marco Micaletto who could control the match from the midfield or the wing, Charlie Dennis who would whip in crosses into dangerous areas, and the deadly holding pairing of Nil Vinyals and Ricardo Gomez who stayed cool under pressure and locked down the midfield. Yes, names such as Vinyals, Coutinho, O’Sullivan, Eckenrode, and so on make up the rather long injury list for Tormenta and that has hurt consistency. What Tormenta needs to do now is to stick to their guns and plug holes with the same players in each spot weekly. Keep crucial players where they perform best, so there is some form of consistency on the pitch that feels familiar to the players.

Forward Madison is a tough team to beat. It takes a team that knows their own identity, has a solid gameplan, and confidence in their own ability to go into Breese Stevens and come out with all three points. It appears that all three of those have been missing at times for Tormenta. With only a handful of matches left, Tormenta needs to figure it out before they’re on the outside looking in.

Match Facts:
Forward Madison FC (9-9-5) v. Tormenta FC (8-7-8)
Breese Stevens Field, Madison, Wisconsin.
Saturday, September 7th. 8:00 PM. ET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Falls to Richmond Kickers 4-1

Tormenta FC lost 4-1 tonight to the Richmond Kickers at home. Mikie Rowe started off the scoring with a Goal of the Year material shot, but the homeside was unable to hold back Richmond the rest of the match. 

In the 5th minute, Irish forward Mikie Rowe hit the lower side of the crossbar at just the right angle and the ball bounced in, notching his second goal of the season.

After Rowe’s fantastic goal, Richmond responded too well as they scored four goals throughout the rest of the match. Richmond’s Dennis Chin and Joe Gallardo each scored a brace. 

Tormenta FC has a week of recovery before hitting the road to face Forward Madison FC on Saturday, September 7. Forward is currently tied for fourth place in the USL League One standings.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Jerry Saint-Vil, Jordan Skelton, Joshua Phelps, Conner Antley, Marco Micaletto, Ricardo Gomez, Kaleb Jackson, Shinya Kadono, Mikie Rowe, Alex Morrell

Substitutions:

45’- TRM – Conner Antley for Nick Wells

45’- TRM – Charlie Dennis for Kaleb Jackson

70’- RIC – Ryley Kraft for Matt Bolduc

72’- RIC – Scott Thomsen for Josh Hughes

72’- TRM – Jad Arslan for Mikie Rowe

83’- RIC – Maxi Rodriguez for Braeden Troyer

Scoring Summary: TRM – 1 | RIC – 4

5’- TRM – Mikie Rowe

12’- RIC – Dennis Chin

16’- RIC – Joe Gallardo

36’- RIC – Dennis Chin

80’- RIC – Joe Gallardo

Caution Summary:

28’- TRM – Nick Wells

41’- RIC – Joe Gallardo

57’- TRM – Conner Antley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 27, 2019
CONTACT: Bernadette O’Donnell

Tormenta FC Falls to North Texas SC 5-0 on the Road

Tormenta FC fell 5-0 to North Texas SC tonight on the road. This win puts North Texas in first place in the League One standings while Tormenta remains tied for third with thirty-two points. Tormenta FC now comes back home to play the Richmond Kickers this Saturday at 8 pm in Erk Russell Park.

For additional information and scheduling interviews, call (478-508-2604) or email: bodonnell@https://www.tormentafc.com.

Post Match Report:

Starting Lineup: Pablo Jara, Jerry Saint-Vil, Jordan Skelton, Daltyn Knutson, Joshua Phelps, Conner Antley, Marco Micaletto, Ricardo Gomez, Mikie Rowe, Alex Morrell, Charlie Dennis

Substitutions:

45’- TRM- Shinya Kadono for Charlie Dennis

61’- TRM- Jad Arslan for Jerry Saint-Vil

63’- NTX – Rayo for Danso

67’- TRM – Kaleb Jackson for Alex Morrell

72’- NTX – Tessmann for Hayes

86’- NTX – Almaguer for Rodriguez

Scoring Summary: NTX – 5 | TRM – 0

29’- NTX – Bryan Reynolds

34’- NTX – Richard Donso

49’- NTX – Ricardo Pepi

82’- NTX – Bryan Reynolds

91’- NTX – Ricardo Pepi

Caution Summary:

13’- TRM – Joshua Phelps

17’- NTX – Thomas Roberts

36’- TRM – Charlie Dennis

38’- TRM – Ricardo Gomez

48’- TRM – Jordan Skelton

70’- TRM – Kaleb Jackson

85’- NTX – Bryan Reynolds

89’- NTX – Callum Montgomery