Preseason check in

 

We are back for the start of my fifth season covering South Georgia Tormenta and one of these years I might actually start to feel like I know what I’m doing. Until that time I’m going to keep churning out these posts in the hopes that no one calls me on it.

It’s been another busy offseason at Tormenta, as is their custom, with a couple of transfers out to USL Championship, others leaving at the end of their contract, several returning players and a host of new faces set to take the field for South Georgia in 2026. Let’s take a look at the offseason so far for Tormenta and what that portends for the 10th year of South Georgia Tormenta soccer.

This is the first offseason Manager Mark McKeever has been at the helm of Tormenta. However, recruiting players to Statesboro was going to be one of his responsibilities when he was initially hired by Tormenta midway through the 2025 campaign, so this wasn’t an entirely unforeseen expectation of his. So how has it gone so far?

Well, seven players return from a 2025 squad that took off after McKeever took over following Ian Cameron’s resignation. (We’ll get to his offseason move in a bit.) Yaniv Bazini, one of three double-digit goal scorers on Tormenta last year, returns, along with midfielders Conor Doyle and Alon Drey. We’re counting Justin Malou as a returner as he was on loan from NCFC at the end of the year and must have enjoyed his time in Statesboro as he signed with South Georgia. Anatolie Prepelita is back following a knee injury that saw him miss most of last year, along with Keaton Pray, who is an academy product for Tormenta. Sam Jones returns as the expected backup goalkeeper (and if you haven’t followed Tormenta’s offseason, you’re in for a surprise when you get to who is expected to start for 2026. Continue reading for that.)

That’s a solid core to start from, but if they only had those seven guys then they’d get destroyed in every game because you start with eleven guys on the field and, as many of you know, seven is less than eleven.

But before we get to the newcomers, a quick look at those not returning. Five players from the 2025 team will be playing at the USL Championship level. Mason Tunbridge (Miami FC) and Niall Reid-Stephen (New Mexico United) were both transferred, with Reid-Stephen fetching a record-tying transfer fee for a League One player to USL Championship. (I don’t know what that number is, I’m sorry.) Meanwhile, Gabriel Alves (Brooklyn FC), Austin Pack (Tampa Bay Rowdies) and Makel Rasheed (Indy Eleven) all made the jump up a level following their year in Statesboro. Three other players have all signed to stay in League One. Gabriel Cabral (Union Omaha), Taylor Gray (FC Naples) and Callum Stretch (Sarasota Paradise) will be around while Sebastian Vivas is returning to play in Argentina at Dock Sud. 

So that is who returns from 2025 and who has left. But who are the new faces soon to be racing around Tormenta Stadium?

Well, for the second year in a row, Tormenta made a huge splash in the goalkeeper market, signing Sean Lewis from Knoxville where he’s won back-to-back USL League One Goalkeeper of the Year honors. This follows last year’s signing of the aforementioned Austin Pack. Lewis spent three years in Knoxville and will be reunited with former coaches McKeever and Tormenta Associate Coach Jordan Bell, who both worked with Lewis during their time on the Knoxville staff. (Aren’t you glad you stuck around for that news.)

Defensively, in front of Lewis, Tormenta has options to go along with Pray, Prepelitea and Malou. They brought in Shannon Gomez who played for San Antonio FC and has made 17 appearances for the Trinidad and Tobago national team. They also added Moses Mensah from Birmingham Legion, and Nick Spielman from the Charlotte Independence where he was second team all USL League One in 2024. 

Presumably there are more midfielders to come for Tormenta as in addition to Doyle and Drey (and I’ve proposed that anytime Drey is able to dribble past someone, it be an official stat called “Beats by Drey.” USL HQ, I know you can make this happen, or at least someone at Tormenta can track this, right?). Anyway, in addition to that duo, Tormenta has added Angelo Kelly, previously of Knoxville, and Andrew Booth, most recently of FC Tulsa. I can’t claim to be a soccer expert, but even I know you need more than four midfielders to last throughout the year so expect more signing announcements before the season starts.

Finally, up top, Bazini will likely be paired with new signee Lucca Durado, who scored eight goals and added two assists in just 24 appearances with Forward Madison where he was on loan from Birmingham Legion. Some media who cover USL League One were surprised Madison didn’t sign him. 

So that’s where Tormenta is at right now as practice starts this week. I’m hoping to make it out to training on the first day of media availability to talk to some players and coaches to get their thoughts on the 2026 season. We’ll have coverage here all season long.

Oh, right, I owe you news about Ian Cameron. He’s not going far as he’s taken an assistant coaching job with the Charleston Battery.