With the score tied in the 62nd minute, South Georgia Tormenta’s Mukwelle Akale entered the match looking to make a difference.
The striker, known for his skill with the ball at his feet and his speed, wasted little time making an impact, scored two minutes after setting foot on the field and then adding a second goal in extra time to propel Tormenta to a 4-2 win over the Chattanooga Red Wolves in a rematch of the 2022 USL1 championship game.
“Coming off the bench when the other team is tired is the perfect way to get two goals,” Akale said.
Akale’s first goal was set up after some excellent ball movement from Tormenta. Kazaiah Sterling on the right was able to find Akale at the top of the 18 yard box. He dribbled towards the center when he spotted Kingsford Adjei on the left. Adjei cut to the middle, drawing defenders, before laying the ball back to Akale who took a touch and fired a low shot into the right hand corner of the goal to give Tormenta a 3-2 lead.
Later in the half, Akale looked to seal the victory when he found himself open along the right side. He dribbled into the box, putting pressure on the Red Wolves’ defense and ultimately drawing a foul, resulting in a penalty kick.
The ensuing penalty, taken by Akale, was fired by the Chattanooga goalkeeper to provide the 4-2 win and earn Tormenta three points in the standings.
Chattanooga spent most of the game playing with only 10 men. Early in the match, starting goalkeeper Carlos Avilez was shown a yellow card for time wasting. That would come back to haunt the Red Wolves as Avilez was shown a second yellow card in the 39th minute after a foul on Sterling as both were racing for the ball in the penalty area.
Sterling would convert the penalty to give Tormenta a 2-1 lead heading in to halftime.
Despite playing down a man, the Red Wolves were able to tie the score early in the second half when Chevone Marsh was able to get behind the Tormenta defenders and finish the left-footed strike past Tormenta goalkeeper TJ Bush to even the score at two each.
Despite the win, Tormenta Head Coach Ian Cameron was not satisfied with how his team performed Saturday night.
“The feeling right now is frustration,” he said. “That should have been a game we see out.”
While pleased with the offensive performance, he said the team needs to tighten up its defense going forward as he described Saturday’s defense as sloppy.
“I’d have liked to seen a mature performance. A steadier performance.” he said. “Sometimes you get lulled into a false sense of security. Every team in the league has weapons to score goals.”
Central defender Jake Dengler knows the team can’t have a performance like Saturday’s going forward.
“In the back end, we have to clean that up,” he said. “We shouldn’t be letting up a goal to a team that’s down a man. But that’s something that’s going to come along and we’re going to keep working on it.”
Tormenta opened the scoring in the 10th minute on a corner kick. Adjei’s cross came into the box and hit Deshawn Nembhard in the face and bounced towards the Chattanooga goal. A poor clearance resulted in the ball at Nembhard’s feet where he was able to get a shot off and find the back of the net for the early lead.
Offensively, Tormenta has scored nine goals over their last two games.
Akale said the team made a shift in formation and style has led to the change in offensive output.
“We play a little more direct and get in behind (the defense). I think one thing we were missing at the beginning of the season was getting the ball behind because once you get in behind it gets the defense thinking,” he said. “They don’t know if you’re going to play it to feet and it gives you more space.”
The focus of training the last several weeks has been to ignite the offense, but Cameron said when you do that, it can result in the defense not being as sharp as they need to be.
“That’s what happens sometimes when you’re not scoring enough goals is that all your training starts going towards that so then you’re better at something, but something else lacks,” he said. “As a staff we probably need to now balance the books a little bit and make sure both ends of the field are a little bit more secure.”
Tormenta currently sits ninth in the standings, three spots outside of the playoffs, but their back-to-back wins have pulled them much closer to playoff position.
Tormenta returns to action on Saturday when they host Greenville in the final installment of the newly created Peach States Derby. Kickoff is set for 7:30 at Tormenta Stadium.
News and Notes:
A report first published in the website The Athletic said there are discussions of possible promotion and relegation within the USL divisions. Tormenta Co-Owner and President Darin Van Tassell declined to comment on the record about any specifics in the report, but said he wants to do whatever is best for Tormenta going forward.
A vote is expected next month among the owners of the USL to determine if there is enough interest towards further work in implementing a promotion/relegation plan in the organization, according to the report.
The report also said there may be a third USL league which would fit between the USL Championship and USL League One.
It’s possible such a change, if approved, could begin as early as 2024, though The Athletic’s reporting said the 2024 campaign could be used to determine which USL Championship teams will compete at which level when the USL Championship teams split into different leagues.
Currently the USL Championship has 25 teams competing while USL League One has a 12 team league. Both leagues already have plans for expansion going forward, including a USL League One team in Brooklyn starting in 2025.
Tormenta USLW star signs professional contract
Amy Andrews, who led the Tormenta USLW squad to a 2022 title last year, signed with Durham Women FC in England. Durham Women FC is part of the second tier of English women’s soccer.
“What a fantastic achievement for Amy,” said Jim Robbins, Tormenta’s head coach. “We are so proud of her here at Tormenta FC. I am confident she will be a great player wor Durham WFC and will score goals for them as well.”
Andrews, who won USLW player of the year as well as being the league’s leading scorer in 2022 with 16 goals in 10 games, joins six other players from the 2022 Tormenta USLW team to sign professional contracts.
