It's All Led Up To This

The entirety of existence in the universe has been leading up to this moment.

That may be a bit overdramatic, even if it's factually true, when it comes to tonight's Tormenta vs. Richmond match. I mean, technically it's true when you sit down for that meeting that could have been an email or when you're scrolling through Netflix on a Friday night and just decide to start How I Met Your Mother for the fifth time.

Setting aside the billions of years and millions of decisions large and small that have gotten us to where we are today, we're here now, and there's a game to play. It's the first game of the USL League One season. Spring is... well not officially here but it's certainly within shouting distance.

A revamped Tormenta team will be looking to recapture the glory days of 2022 that saw them claim a title. (I'm so glad the preseason is finally over so I can stop saying "retooled" or "revamped" or "overhauled")   Richmond, meanwhile, will also be looking to turn the clock back to 2022 when they were the best regular season club before being upset by Chattanooga in the semifinals. Both teams have fallen on hard times since then with Tormenta finishing 7th and 10th in the following years and the Kickers placing 11th and 8th.

New goalkeeper Austin Pack will help direct a new look (there's another phrase I'm ready to phase out) Tormenta defense, with newcomers Anatolie Prepelita and Jackson Kasanzu projected to hold down the center back positions in manager Ian Cameron's back four, with Gabriel Alves and returner Callum Stretch as outside backs. Recently signed Oscar Jiminez will also be expected to play a big part in Tormenta's defense. 

Offensively, Tormenta is hoping they've matched the system Cameron wants to employ with the players who can fulfill that vision, especially at the winger position where he has repeatedly said this preseason he wants players who play high and wide and can take on defenders and get good service into the box. Taylor Gray looked impressive (to me, which I fully admit doesn't mean much) in the two preseason games I watched of Tormenta, showcasing speed and ability to beat defenders off the dribble. Conor Doyle and former and future Tormenta legend Gabrial Cabral will anchor the central midfield spots

Sebastian Vivas returns as striker to lead the Tormenta attack that also added Yaniv Bazini a player who can slot in as a striker or one of the wing players Cameron needs for his system to operate at its full potential.

What to expect from Richmond:

(A thank you to Alex Ashton of @LeagueOneUpdater for this)

The sentiment in Richmond is "wait and see." While the addition of NISA Golden Boot winner Darwin Espinal brings the potential for an explosive offense, he's not yet proven in the league. Midfielder Nils Seufert brings experience in the Bundesliga, but again, it's unknown at this point if he fits into USL League One. 

With Adrian Billhardt likely starting the season on the injury list, right midfield will fall to a joint effort between second-year pros Hayden Anderson and Josh Kirkland. The former had somewhat of a breakout season with Greenville in 2024, scoring four goals across league competitions. The latter was a late-season signing for Richmond last year, making six appearances.

Defense is likely to be the stronger area until the offense finds its rhythm. Here, Richmond returns the core that helped guide the team into a surprising playoff run, including Dakota Barnathan, Klaidi Cela and budding star Griffin Garnett, and outside backs Simon Fitch and Maxi Schenfeld.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Tormenta Stadium.  I'm covering the game for the Statesboro Herald so my story with quotes and game recap will be there. I'll post a link to BlueSky when it is available (hopefully Saturday morning sometime.)

News and notes:

In case you missed it, John Morrissey of @USLTactics wrote a massive League One preview/power rankings. A fantastic preview for the league this year. He also posted his data driven projections here.

I have a general distaste for power rankings (we have standings, we don't need power rankings), but I still read them, including the one posted by the league this week.

Tormenta’s Conor Doyle was on the Walkin’ 90 Podcast. Certainly worth a listen.

The good folks at Protagonist Soccer take a look at the can't miss games around League One for the 2025 season.

I had a fairly lengthy (for me) preview of Tormenta on Monday here.

I also had an article in Thursday’s Statesboro Herald  Assuming I kept my notes straight, this has different quotes from Cameron than the previous link and also has quotes from Gabriel Alves and Taylor Gray.

Tormenta dropped their new kit. It got my oldest’s seal of approval. 

The USL Show had their League One preview podcast earlier this week. Always worth a listen, especially since former Northern Colorado Manager (and former "Most Handsome USL1 Manager" award winner) Eamon Zayed was a guest on the show.

Kian Brownlee was named as Tormenta's new USL-W head coach. He replaces Jim Robbins who accepted the women's head coaching position and Virginia Military Institute.

It's my hope to have contributions from someone covering Tormenta's opponents as often as possible. Obviously that depends on their willingness and generosity to help. Please go read and support anyone gracious enough to give their time and talents to write something for this blog.