In a surprising move just 13 days from the start of their season, South Georgia Tormenta and the United Soccer League announced Monday that the team will suspend operations and not participate in the 2026 USL League One season.

“This strategic decision follows a thoughtful evaluation process and reflects our long-term commitment to building a stronger, more sustainable future for the professional team. This was a heart-wrenching decision and not made lightly,” Tormenta co-owner and president Darin Van Tassell said in a statement Monday.

The players signed by Tormenta will be given three months severance pay and will be free agents who can sign with any team. It may be difficult for them to find a team at this late date as many teams already have their rosters in place and may not have the space or the resources to add another player this close to the season.

There was no indication given as to plans for Tormenta beyond the 2026 season, but the expectation is the team would want to participate in the 2027 season and beyond.

“We are fully committed to returning to professional play,” Van Tassell said. “Our players, staff, supporters and partners deserve a foundation built for long-term excellence and this step ensures we can deliver on that promise.” 

Van Tassell said he was heartbroken to have to make this decision, especially this close to the start of the season.

“I’m responsible for the shortcomings on this. No one else,” he said. “This was a heart-wrenching decision and not made lightly.”

Tormenta was scheduled to kick off their 10th anniversary season on March 8 when they hosted Spokane Velocity in a rematch of last year’s first round playoff matchup.

While the players won’t be in Statesboro, the staff for Tormenta will remain in place, including the front office and coaching staff.

“Our front office and technical staff will remain in place, focusing on supporting the continued growth of our academy while preparing for the next phase of our professional team,” Van Tassell said.

Rumors of the team not participating in the 2026 season began swirling online Saturday morning. Multiple outlets, including Beyond the 90 and Backheeled.com began reporting early Saturday afternoon that Tormenta would not play in 2026. Neither the club nor the league issued any public statements until Monday.

Alex Ashton reported on the website Beyond the 90 that teams around the league were trying to schedule replacement games on the dates they had Tormenta scheduled as tickets for those dates had been sold as part of season ticket packages.

While the League One and USL-W League teams will not play in 2026, Van Tassell said the Tormenta Academy will continue to operate and develop local soccer players going forward.

“We have a large academy and they’re still a part of our organization,” he said, calling the academy the “backbone” of Tormenta FC.

South Georgia Tormenta was founded in 2015 and played in the Premier Development League before becoming the founding member of USL League One in 2019. Tormenta won the league title in 2022, hosting the title game in Statesboro and defeating Chattanooga 2-1.

Tormenta joins a list of teams who once participated in USL League One and, for various reasons, no longer do. That includes teams like FC Tucson, Central Valley Fuego and Northern Colorado. Following the end of the 2025 season, Texoma FC announced it was dropping from USL League One to play in USL League Two, a semiprofessional soccer league.

Kaylor Hodges, host of The USL Show podcast that covers USL, said the decision came as a surprise to him based on how Tormenta attacked the offseason in putting together their roster.

He said the 2026 Tormenta team would have been, on paper, the most talented team since South Georgia won the league title in 2022, and possibly even better than that team.

Tormenta signed back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year winner Sean Lewis this offseason and was bringing back a solid roster that included double-digit goal scorer Yaniv Bazini among others.

Manager Mark McKeever, who took over the reins of the club last August, led the team to a 9-1-2 record over the final three months to make a late push to the playoffs before falling to Spokane. 

On Wednesday the team announced the hiring of Zane Barnes as an assistant coach/goalkeeping coach to go along with Associate Head Coach Jordan Bell.

Hodges recalled Tormenta from their time in the Premier Development League prior to the formation of USL League One. He said they were a talented team with a passionate fanbase that saw a couple hundred fans travel to Alabama to support them.

He said taking the 2026 season off could be beneficial if Tormenta is able to use the time to get the necessary work done on the stadium and other infrastructure improvements necessary as well as reengaging the fan base in Statesboro and surrounding areas.

Hodges also said a market the size of Statesboro is important for the league as it tries to grow. Having success in Statesboro gives cities of similar or slightly larger populations the blueprint for how they can develop a professional team.

“It allows a team like in Dothan (Alabama) a chance to be in the conversation of having professional soccer,”  Hodges said.

While some may focus on larger cities like Baltimore or Cleveland for teams, it’s important for the USL to have a team like Tormenta, he said, to show that soccer is for everyone and can be successful in smaller cities as the league tries to develop a true soccer pyramid with promotion and relegation.

“I think the league is going to miss having someone like that (in 2026),” he said.