Table set for Tormenta to make a run
If Tormenta is going to make a run this season, it seems likely that it starts Saturday night with their road match-up with Chattanooga. The Red Wolves game is the first of four games with teams either below or just above South Georgia in the standings.
Those teams (Chattanooga, then Central Valley, One Knox, and finally Lexington) have 15 losses in their last 20 games combined in League One play. In Jagermeister Cup play, which the Central Valley game is one of, Fuego is the only team other than Tormenta not to win a game in the competition, with one loss and three draws in the tournament so far. While three of the upcoming four games are on the road, this is likely as soft as the schedule is going to get for Tormenta.
We can do that. We can look ahead do some stat box and record scouting and envision a run where Tormenta rips off four wins in a row as their young roster gels at just the right time. We can dream on a situation where we look up in four weeks and have 21 points through 13 games and a Cup win. Where Austin Wehner and Sebastian Vivas have put up five goals between them, where Mason Tunbridge solidifies himself as a playmaker in the midfield, where Nick Akoto and Aaron Lombardi excel on the wings and the trio of Jake Dengler, Preston Kilwien and Callum Stretch lock down opponents strikers and dominate in the air in the box.
We have that luxury because we're not actually playing. That's what fans do. If you're a Tormenta fan and not dreaming on this team going on a run, well, it's not my place to tell you how to be a fan. You do you. But I have to imagine many fans are envisioning a nice run over the next month.
That starts with Chattanooga on Saturday night. The Red Wolves are 2-4-1 in League play (and 1-3 in Jagermeister Cup action.) The two teams met back on May 18 in Statesboro with Tormenta coming away with a 4-0 win and a dominating performance with Vivas scoring twice and Ajmeer Spengler and Niall Watson adding one each. Tormenta finished the night with 20 shots (12 on target).
On the year, however, the Red Wolves have been fairly potent on offense, scoring 12 goals in their seven League games (though their production falls off to only four goals in four games in Cup play.) This needn't concern you, but I really wish there were combined Cup and Season stats somewhere.
Despite the offensive production, the Red Wolves struggle to keep teams out of the net, surrendering 18 goals in their seven League games. They're led by Ropapa Mensah's three goals, but injuries have kept him out of the lineup recently. (I can't be the only one who sees his name and sings Notorious B.I.G.'s "I love it when you call me Ropapa." In related news, please keep reading, I promise that's as bad as it gets.)
Chevone Marsh and Mayele Malango and both have three goals on the year, with Malango scoring two in the first 10 minutes in Chattanooga's last match against Charlotte that saw the Red Wolves give up four unanswered to lose 4-2.
Defensively, former Tormenta goalkeeper T.J. Bush is second in the league with 35 saves through seven games. That's a lot of saves and indicative of a team that surrenders a lot of shots.
On Tormenta's end, they unveiled a 3-4-3 formation against Madison, with Akoto and Lombardi lining up as outside midfielders as they were able to get forward against Madison (I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm trying to figure out how to delete it.) While Tormenta didn't score in their first game in the new formation, they also limited a Madison team on a six-game winning streak offensively in a 0-0- draw. We'll see on Saturday if that was a one-time thing or a more permanent change for Tormenta. If it's a more permanent change, I'm going to hope that John Morrissey of the twitter account @USLTactics breaks it down as I'm not nearly qualified enough to do that for you all. What can I say, I know my limitations.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 eastern and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Other Tormenta News:
Assistant Coach Jordan Melia has left the team after several years with the club. No reason was given for the departure but I've been told it was amicable and not unexpected.
In front office news, Conner Martin (no relation), Coordinator, Creative and Brand for Tormenta is leaving to join Orlando City SC where he'll join former Tormenta staff member Aaron Cranford who is the current director of digital for Orlando City.
Tormenta's next League One win with be the club's 50th regular season win in team history.
The next goal for Tormenta will be their 200th in regular season play for South Georgia.
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