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Tormenta, Battery form partnership
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    South Georgia Tormenta FC turned plenty of heads nationwide in its first season of competition in the Premier Development League. A solid team on the field and an immensely popular hit within the Statesboro community, Tormenta was named the PDL's 'New Franchise of the Year' at the league meetings in December.
    As it turns out, there are even higher levels of the United States' soccer structure that have taken notice.
    On Tuesday, Tormenta released information about a partnership with the Charleston Battery of the United Soccer League — the last step from the top before reaching Major League Soccer. Tormenta will join fellow PDL division rivals Tri-Cities (Tenn.) and Myrtle Beach in their partnership with the Battery.
    “The Battery and the USL have grown tremendously over the last couple of years and these agreements fit into the overall plan we have for the club moving forward,” Battery Vice President Mike Kelleher said. “The PDL partnerships allow us to continue to expand our scouting network and community reach beyond the Charleston area.”
    “We're very excited for this,” Tormenta owner Darin Van Tassell said. “We have three friendship agreements in Europe and this gives us a connection to professional soccer (in the United States).”
    As part of the agreement, Tormenta will gain access to Charleston's player tryouts and will also work in conjunction with the Battery in various youth camps and clinics. The agreement also opens up a more clear path for Tormenta players who are climbing the ranks up to the professional level.
    With an additional partnership between the Battery and Atlanta United FC — which kicks off its inaugural season in March — there will actually be a clear-cut link to the MLS for Statesboro's second-year team composed mainly of current collegiate players.
    “This is a great opportunity for our players and our organization,” Van Tassell said. “Our players will have the chance to try out for a USL club while our coaches and front office personnel will have a chance to shadow (Charleston) and learn their best practices.”
    Van Tassell also emphasized that the partnership will help establish a name for Tormenta in the Carolinas. That sort of growth and forward thinking is exactly what fueled the club's quick growth in just over a year of existence.
    As the current U.S. Soccer structure stands, there is the MLS at the top, the USL on the second tier, no thoroughly defined third tier, and then the amateur-level PDL. With more interest at the younger levels building in the country —and with elite youth players from foreign countries looking for any road to advance their careers — Tormenta is setting itself up to grow along with the U.S. Soccer brand.
    “Gasoline is being poured on the fire of soccer in our country,” Van Tassell said. “You've got so many other countries where the market is just saturated with talent. Here, we've got the ability for people to move in and move up. That's why Tormenta and the Battery are so interested in forming a relationship and working to build our clubs.
    “That sort of interest is why we're doing these things. We see what could be three or four years down the line and we're positioning ourselves to take advantage of a chance to improve ourselves.”
    South Georgia Tormenta has already held one round of tryouts and will host others as the winter and spring continue. Tormenta will begin its second season of competition this May, playing 14 games through the end of July.

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9408.