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| Photo Credit: Tormenta FC |
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That may be a strange thing to say for a team that will only play one game over that time, but South Georgia Manager Ian Cameron sees the bye weeks as opportunities to take the necessary steps to becoming the team he believes they can be.
"I think the group's in an interesting place. I think Saturday showed a team that's close to being good," Cameron said of Tormenta's 2-1 win over Greenville in the Jagermeister Cup. "I think we're close, but really how we approach this bye week and the following bye week that precedes the 16th, 17th and 18th of May, those two weeks will have a big consequence for our season. Are we just going to be an okay team or we're going to push forward and learn and become a very strong team in the league."
Currently Tormenta sits at 2-3-1 in League One play. Add in two additional wins the the US Open Cup and the aforementioned Jagermeister Cup win and you can see the makings of a team that is able to contend for a playoff spot and create some problems in the playoffs.
"I'm watching film and I see the progress, but I still there's more progress to be made, to be honest," Cameron said.
Tormenta is currently fourth in the league in goals-per-game at 1.8 (League One play only) and while Cameron is pleased with that aspect of his team so far, he knows there's still potential to improve if they are able to get healthy.
"One of the challenges we face is we came into the season with the design of three more mobile type winger guys and the season has been a bit stop and start for all three of those guys through some soft tissue injuries and so forth," Cameron said of Niall Reid-Stephen, Jonathan Nyandjo and Taylor Gray. "So the rhythm and identity of the group with that in mind maybe hasn't quite shown like we wanted it at this stage. We know that will improve, that dynamic, and we're excited to see it come to fruition once we get all those guys back and healthy."
Even with the injuries, Cameron feels the team is in line with his expectations on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, however, the team isn't up to where he thought they'd be at this point.
"I think we've leaked more goals that I expected. I expected us to be strong on the defensive end," Cameron said. "We've got a lot of outside backs who are all attack-minded so there's some growing pains there. But I think, as a whole group, we've recognized our defensive stubbornness needs to improve for us to reach our goals. That's a leap the group's going to have to make together, staff, players together."
South Georgia has surrendered 13 goals in their six League One matches, most in the league and that is with goalkeeper Austin Pack's 16 saves, good for second place through April.
Cameron said there wasn't one specific fix that could be made to improve the defensive performance.
"I think there's always some element of tactics. There's always positions you can take up that are more optimal than other positions, but I think defending is always a 50/50 between tactics and heart and desire. So we've to to raise the tactical awareness a wee bit and then raise the heart and desire a wee bit to really take pride in those actions," Cameron said.
"You can't attack with just pride. There's too many moving pieces, but you can defend with and leverage pride and hunger and determination on the defensive side quite rigorously so that's something we need to leverage," he said.
Despite the defensive shortcomings so far, Cameron still sees a lot to like in the 2025 squad.
"They've shown in a few of the performances, if they're up against adversity late in a game, they can find a way," he said.
"The Portland game (a 2-1 win that saw Tormenta finish out the last 19 minutes with just 10 players following a second yellow center back Anatole Prepelita), I think was one that was mainly about character and perseverance and just team culture," he said. "I think the FORO game, the response at the end of that Open Cup game (in which Tormenta conceded a goal late, but rallied in stoppage time to net the game winner) was about the culture," Cameron said. "That's a really good sign because late in the season you're going to be in some really tight games and if the group can manage those latter stages of moments really strongly, that's usually a really positive sign that shows fitness, character, willpower, those kinds of intangibles that's hard to teach. You kind of just have to have it. I think those items are there, which is really positive."
When everything is firing on all cylinders, Cameron sees a team that can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
"I think this team has the capacity to be able to look at anyone in USL1 and say 'yeah, we can beat them.' In years gone by, I think there's been some top USL1 teams that I felt like have been further away from our group, whether that comes from resources or just playing style or the players they have," he said. "But I don't think this group has a fear factor of anybody. We've got to get better defensively, but we don't have any fear factor."
Cameron didn't want to predict where Tormenta would finish in the regular season, saying that's too hard to project, but he thinks he has a team that can make a run for a title.
"I think this is a team that, in the playoffs, can we games so that gives you a shot to go to the final. Once you get to the final, you manage that," he said.
South Georgia is off this week followed by a home date with Spokane and then another bye week. The wrap up May with a home match with Chattanooga on May 24 and then a trip to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Jagermeister Cup action on May 31.
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