Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

South Georgia Tormenta FC

2022 US Open Cup Round 3: South Georgia Tormenta earn second road shutout vs. USL Championship side

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South Georgia Tormenta 2022 US Open Cup
Players from South Georgia Tormenta celebrate during the club’s match against Birmingham Legion FC in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: South Georgia Tormenta FC

On a beautiful spring night in Birmingham, Ala., South Georgia brought the storm to the Birmingham Legion and easily dispatched the USL Championship club, 2-0.

In the first meeting between Tormenta and this Birmingham side since 2018, the Ibis continued right where they left off with another two-goal victory. While on the world may see this as a “cupset”, absolutely nobody in Tormenta is surprised.

Early on in the match, Legion FC took early control, dominating the ball and the pace of play, but Tormenta held on strong. Through the first 30 minutes, Legion were outshooting South Georgia 8-1, but shots do not always equal goals.

In the 33rd minute, Tormenta would take a 1-0 lead. And it was just their second shot of the night.

The build up was created with a ball played down the left wing in the Birmingham end of the field. Tormenta’s Kingsford Adjei cut back to his right at the corner of the 18-yard box and fired a low shot into the mixer. The ball found its way through the players in front of goal, forcing the goalkeeper to make a diving save to his left. The rebound would fall to Curtis Thorn who tucked the ball into the back of the net.

Just 13 minutes later, Jake Dengler got himself on the scoresheet just before halftime. After a corner kick, the ball fell to Dengler inside the box and he beat the keeper to score his first goal as a professional. This goal, though early in the game, felt like the dagger through the heart of the Legion’s cup run.

This was not Dengler’s first experience scoring in the US Open Cup, bagging a goal for FC Baltimore Christos (NPSL) in a 1-1 draw against West Chester United. He would eventually set up to take a shot during the penalty, where he calmly tucked it away to keep the Christos alive.

In the second half, Tormenta continued to showcase their dominance over Birmingham as they completely shut down the Legion attack while also continuing to flex their offensive muscles. Though no more goals were scored, the way Tormenta played was just an overwhelming amount of swagger.

“It is not something that I install, it’s something the entire club installs,” said Tormenta head coach Ian Cameron about his team’s confidence. “We know who we are. We don’t get ahead of ourselves. Everybody is very, very proud to put on the Tormenta badge. Sometimes we get beat, sometimes we win, but no matter what, the spirit of the group will always be there.”

For Tormenta, it was the club’s second straight road win against a USL Championship side, having defeated the Charleston Battery in the opening round.

Tormenta advance to the Fourth Round where they will play a third straight road game, this time in South Florida where they will take on Inter Miami CF (MLS) on May 10.

2022 US Open Cup Round 2: Ex-Battery man leads Tormenta FC to upset of Charleston in empty stadium

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South Georgia Tormenta FC Charleston Battery 2022 US Open Cup
Players from South Georgia Tormenta FC (left) and the Charleston Battery battle for the ball in their Second Round match in the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Tormenta FC

In a rescheduled game played in front of an empty stadium, South Georgia Tormenta FC left South Carolina in the early afternoon with an upset win over the Charleston Battery, scoring early through Arthur Bosua before holding on for a 1-0 road win.

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The Second Round game for both teams was played behind closed doors after being originally scheduled to be played on Wednesday night. However, due to storm damage to the Battery’s stadium at Patriot’s Point, the game was moved to an 11 a.m. kickoff with no fans in the stands. The weather would keep even the players off the grounds that evening, It was an unusual time for a professional soccer game and the first morning kickoff in the US Open Cup since 2016.

The game remained tied until the 61st minute when 2019-2020 Battery player Bosua blasted in a header against his former team from a corner kick taken by Adrian Billhardt, giving the USL League One side a lead they would not relinquish.  The goal was South Georgia’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup goal as a professional side.

Despite Charleston having greater possession and taking more shots, they were unable to get the ball into the back of the net in a game that saw 11 yellow cards distributed between the two teams.

The result was the first opening round loss by the Charleston Battery in the Open Cup since 2005, and ending what was the second-longest opening-round win streak at 14 games.  Rochester currently holds the longest win streak with 17 opening round wins. The loss also brought the Battery’s nine-game home unbeaten streak in the tournament to an end. It tied a club record and was tied for the fourth-longest such streak in the Modern Era.

Tormenta head coach Ian Cameron had praise for his side and how they can use this experience going forward in league play.

“A strong, professional performance from the side today,” Cameron said. “We are going to play against Omaha in a couple of days, but today’s match helped us prepare because both clubs share similarities. Both teams are excellent on the field: they are direct, and we have to adjust to their style of play.”

“We didn’t adjust to NCFC, and we lost,” Cameron added about his club’s previous league performance. “Today we adapted and won, and we will do the same two Saturdays from now.”

With the win, South Georgia Tormenta FC advances to the Third Round of the US Open Cup, scheduled to be played April 19-21.  They will learn their opponent in the Round 3 draw Friday at noon ET.

2019 US Open Cup Round 1: Greenville Triumph SC wins all-pros matchup vs. South Georgia Tormenta

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Players from Greenville Triumph celebrate the club's goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the First Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Brittany Hildreth | Twitter: @britthildreth
Players from Greenville Triumph celebrate the club’s goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the First Round of the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Brittany Hildreth | Twitter: @britthildreth

In the only 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup First Round match to feature two professional teams, Greenville Triumph SC was able to notch a 1-0 victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC in a USL League One showdown. The victory came on the back of hometown boy Cole Seiler’s 75th minute game winner after a chaotic few minutes starting in the 65th minute.

Tormenta goalkeeper Matias Reynares was about to be booked for persistent time wasting when a Triumph player went to grab the ball and was elbowed in the face. After a scrum, no cards were handed out and, oddly, an indirect free kick was given inside the 18-yard box.

While nothing came from that chance, moments later, Seiler saw the ball drop at his feet from an Aaron Walker corner kick that led to the match’s only goal. The midfielder celebrated his goal by doing the Legacy Leap into the supporters’ section.

“I think it’s always nice to score. I haven’t done that enough in my pro career so I am trying to make a habit of it here in Greenville,” Seiler said. “I wish I would have celebrated with my teammates before the fans.

“I appreciate the fans but I want everyone to know that was a team effort on that goal.”

With the win, Greenville will host USL Championship side Charleston Battery Wednesday, May 15, for the first ever Palmetto Derby between South Carolina’s two professional teams. This will mark just the second time in the tournament’s history that two South Carolina teams have squared off. Back in 2002, the Charleston Battery, then of the A-League (Div. 2 pro) traveled to take on the Greenville Lions (D-3 Pro League) in a Second Round matchup.

“It’s important that the guys recognize this moment and the hard work that was put into it,” said Greenville head coach John Harkes, who won this tournament as a player with D.C. United in 1996. “I thought the guys deserved it tonight. We came out and we managed the game extremely well with good possession and a good battle in winning duels.

“It’s a good win. We will take it and move forward.”

The game got off to a fast start for Greenville as it dominated possession early in the match. As Greenville created chances early, it was clear that a mostly second choice Tormenta side was growing increasingly frustrated and things began to get a bit chippy.

Although the referee gave plenty of leeway early on, he would try to bring the match under control in the 37th minute by issuing a yellow card to Tormenta’s Mikie Rowe for a foul, followed quickly by another to Tormenta’s Josh Phelps for dissent.

After a scoreless first half, Tormenta tried to boost its attack early in the second half by bringing on Ricardo Gomez and Conner Antley who have both shined this season.

After the Seiler goal, the Triumph were able to go on the defensive and see the match out in front of the over 1,700 home fans.

2019 US Open Cup Round 1: Tormenta amateurs shut down pros from Chattanooga Red Wolves

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Players from South Georgia Tormenta 2 celebrate in a First Round game against the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Raphael Pantin
Players from South Georgia Tormenta 2 celebrate in a First Round game against the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Raphael Pantin

With a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup win under their belts from 2018, South Georgia Tormenta 2 returned to this year’s cup with a recipe for success.

The trio of Jarvian Wigfell, Luca Mayr-Fälten and Adrian Billhardt combined to give Tormenta 2 a 3-0 win over USL League One opponent Chattanooga Red Wolves in Statesboro, Ga. Tuesday in the opening round of the US Open Cup.

From early on, it was clear the Tormenta 2 had an attacking mindset that their opponents were lacking. Tormenta broke through in the 25th minute with a goal from their hometown hero. Playing on his home pitch at Georgia Southern University, Wigfell went on a late run to direct a deflection from James Meehan into the far corner to give his side a 1-0 lead.

Players from South Georgia Tormenta 2 celebrate in a First Round game against the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Raphael Pantin
Players from South Georgia Tormenta 2 celebrate in a First Round game against the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the 2019 US Open Cup. Photo: Raphael Pantin

Wigfell’s early goal set the tone of things to come as he and his fellow attackers continued to get good chances, with Tormenta finishing with seven shots on goal compared to Chattanooga’s 3.

“The forward guys were clinical,” said Tormenta 2 head coach Ian Cameron. “They believed in themselves and had the energy to outrun the other defenders. We knew we’d have quality, but the attitude was brilliant.”

They added to their lead in the second half, first with a beautiful cross from Billhardt that Mayr-Fälten slipped past the Chattanooga keeper to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute. Mayr-Fälten returned the favor with a great ball across the field that found Billhardt, who added the nail in the coffin in the 74th minute.

Cameron said he expected a good effort, but came clean when asked about the result.

“We knew that the spirit and fight can be instant as can the culture of the group,” said Cameron. “The quality was a little bit of a surprise. Adrian and Luca and others were breathtaking. That’s not coaching, that’s individual.”

Being a USL League Two team means that Tormenta 2 hasn’t had much time to practice. Most of their players arrived in Statesboro earlier this week. Cameron said that last year’s Tormenta team set the tone for the 2019 squad.

“What’s helped gel them together is that the culture of Tormenta as a whole was already in place,” added Cameron. “The attitude that the first team had as they trained showed these guys what they had to do. The group last year gave them this opportunity and we played for them. I couldn’t be prouder. They were fantastic and their energy was terrific.”

Billhardt was supposed to start the match for Tormenta 2, according to Cameron, but he wasn’t in the starting 11. Cameron didn’t provide a reason for leaving Billhardt out of the starting lineup. Despite that, Cameron said he was thrilled with way the young player responded both on and off the pitch.

“His focus the last few days has been outstanding, and when called upon, his attitude was tremendous,” added Cameron. “For someone who has such an attacking quality, to play in the defensive shift that he was put in and the number of turnovers he caused, if he keeps on doing that, his trajectory is going to take him to great places.”

Tormenta 2 advances to face Nashville SC out of the USL Championship division (Div. 2 pro). Cameron said that while the prime objective of USL League Two is to develop players, he said he expects his team to compete with whoever they line up against.

“I want them to fight, to play hard. They’re brave, and we expect to see them give a committed performance.”

2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Charleston Battery’s early goal vs. Tormenta FC keeps streak alive

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Victor Mansaray of the Charleston Battery delivers a cross in a 2018 US Open Cup match against South Georgia Tormenta FC. Photo: Ross Almers Photography
Victor Mansaray of the Charleston Battery delivers a cross in a 2018 US Open Cup match against South Georgia Tormenta FC. Photo: Ross Almers Photography

Courtesy of Soccer ‘N’ Sweet Tea

For the 13th consecutive year, the Charleston Battery won their first match in US Open Cup play and advance to the next round, this year beating South Georgia Tormenta FC, 1–0 on Wednesday night. The win extends the Battery’s winning streak to five in a row in all competitions after defeating Bethlehem Steel FC at home this past Saturday.

The Battery started in a 3–4–1–2 formation, giving veteran keeper Odisnel “Super” Cooper the start, as well as Ryan Arambula and Angelo Kelly. Swedish Ian Svantesson and Patrick Okonkwo drove Coach Michael Anhaeuser’s offense up front on a humid Carolina evening.

The Battery played defensively, focusing on holding a physically aggressive Tormenta FC in the beginning of the first half. Head referee David Erbacher was on his whistle consistently stopping play. Each side lost any momentum as play started and stopped over and over.

In the 21st minute, the Battery scored the match’s only goal in dramatic fashion. Patrick Okonkwo, on loan from Atlanta United, opened his Battery scoring account with his first professional goal, playing a cross from Victor Mansaray off his head and putting the Battery up for the rest of the match.

In the 63rd minute, Nico Rittmeyer, already shown a yellow card in the 48th minute for a questionable tackle, was shown a second yellow card and sent off.

Having to play a man down for the remaining 27 minutes, the Battery then substituted out Okonkwo and Vincenzo Candela for Tah Brian Anunga and Kotaro Higashi to better control possession and manage the tempo.

The Battery frustrated Tormenta the remainder of the match, and that frustration caught up with them in the 87th minute. Tormenta midfielder Nils Vinyals was overly aggressive on his challenge to Higashi and also saw his second yellow of the night, sent off for the remainder of the match.

With an additional three minutes of stoppage time added on at 90th minute, the 10-men Tormenta squad failed to mount an attack and fell short at the final whistle.

When asked about tonight’s performance, Coach Anhaeuser had this to say: “The key is win and move on … We were unfortunate to get the red card there, but the guys defended well. I don’t think we gave up a shot which is fantastic for our defense.”

The Battery then host the Third Round of US Open Cup play the following Wednesday. Elm City Express of the NPSL will make the trek down from the northeast to Charleston. The match is tentatively scheduled for May 23rd with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

2018 US Open Cup Round 1: South Georgia Tormenta’s late rally ends Mutiny in Myrtle Beach

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South Georgia Tormenta and Myrtle Beach Mutiny battle for the ball in an all-PDL matchup in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Ian Brooking
South Georgia Tormenta and Myrtle Beach Mutiny battle for the ball in an all-PDL matchup in the 2018 US Open Cup. Photo: Ian Livinston Brooking

South Georgia Tormenta FC scored twice in the final 15 minutes to defeat the Myrtle Beach Mutiny 2-1 in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday, May 9.

Two hundred and fifty people were on hand to see what was a very physical game at North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex. A hard foul on the Mutiny’s Romario Piggott forced the forward to step off the pitch for a moment while a crunching tackle by Alex Nelson of the Mutiny led to the defender being given a yellow. Twenty-six fouls were called throughout the match and five yellow cards were handed out.

The first 15 minutes of the match was dominated by Tormenta FC as a majority of their seven first half shots came within that time frame.

However, two of Tormenta FC’s best chances came minutes apart midway through the first half, with a shot going high over the bar in the 19th minute and a free kick rattling the crossbar just seven minutes later.

The Mutiny’s best chance in the first half came in the 31st minute as Nazeem Bartman’s shot went whiskers wide of the post, keeping the match scoreless with less than a quarter of an hour to play in the first half.

The Mutiny would control the first 15 minutes of the second half, creating more of an attacking presence and keeping Tormenta FC on their heels in their own half.

The constant pressure by the Mutiny led to a goal in the 56th by Myrtle Beach’s Rooby Dalusma. Dalusma gathered the loose ball outside the box, dribbled in and ripped a shot that breezed past Tormenta’s Pablo Jara and into the side netting.

John Miglarese, head coach of Tormenta FC, talked about the message he was telling his team from the sidelines after going down a goal.

“We’ve talked in the past week or so about finishing games strong and playing our best in the final 20 and 30 minutes,” said Miglarese. “I thought we had a great first half and we were unfortunate to not be a goal up. I have to give credit to Myrtle Beach as they had us on our heels and none of our schemes were working so we had to hang in there.”

Just over 10 minutes after scoring the opening goal, Dalusma had to be subbed off due an injury.

Tormenta would take this as an opportunity to up the pressure on the Mutiny defense. Jad Arslan zigged and zagged his way through the Mutiny defense and put the ball past Junior Santos, tying things up at a goal apiece in the 76th minute.

Miglarese talked about a possible extra-time game plan if the match was going to have an extra thirty minutes to decide a winner.

“We were watching our subs in case extra time happened,” said Miglarese. “Once we got that second goal, we burned our last sub to get an experienced defender.”

Six minutes later, Toni Soler’s free kick took a slight deflection but still found the back of the net to give Tormenta FC a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the match.

“I think we showed a lot of character in the final 20 minutes,” said Miglarese. “We got a bit lucky with the deflection on the second goal but in the end, it’s a win.”

Tormenta FC now advance to the second round of the US Open Cup to play the USL’s Charleston Battery next Wednesday, May 16 at MUSC Health Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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