Georgia Storm FC

Georgia Storm FC

Full name	Georgia Storm FC
Nickname(s)	The Storm
Founded	2020;4 years ago (2020)
Stadium	University of West Georgia Soccer Field Carrollton, Georgia
Capacity	500
Coordinates	33.5643198,-85.0837066
Owner	Bill Rucker
General Manager	Stephen Bivens
Manager	Josh Bivens
League	National Premier Soccer League
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors Third colors

Georgia Storm Mascot
Stormie
First seen	December 2020

Georgia Storm FC is an American soccer club based in Carrollton, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the Southeast Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. ^[1] The NPSL is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and qualifies for the US Open Cup.

History

Inaugural Season

Georgia Storm FC played their inaugural match on May 1, 2021, against Georgia Revolution, resulting in a 1–0 loss at home in Carrollton. Georgia Storm achieved its first goals and victory in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) on May 15 against LSA Athletico Lanier. The first goal was an own goal and the second was a header off a set piece late in the second half by Stephen Bivens assisted by Andrew Carleton. ^[2] Including the win against LSA Lanier, the Storm went on a five-game unbeaten streak. Their first road loss was at North Alabama SC on June 12. This match was followed by a win on June 19 against the same North Alabama side. On June 26, Georgia Storm scored 14 goals in a Fabian Pekruhl clean sheet against Metro Louisville, which included six goals by Stephen Bivens, four by Wilfried Kamdem Tchoupa, two by Avery Shepard, and once each by Jeisson Palencia and Jacob Bivens. Georgia Storm ended conference play against Appalachian FC in Boone, NC, falling at the end 3–2 in front of 1,100 in attendance. ^[3] The team finished in second place in the conference and thus made the playoffs. The first playoff match was played in Carrollton against Appalachian FC, resulting in a 2–1 victory with goals from Andrew Carleton and Wilfried Kamden Tchoupa. ^[4] In the conference championship against Georgia Revolution FC, a 2–1 loss ended the inaugural season. Due to the team's success, a spot in the qualifying rounds of the US Open Cup was obtained. ^[5]

The 2021 roster included three former MLS players, including Hunter Jumper, Kevin Barajas, and Andrew Carleton. ^[6]

Fabian Pekruhl, Stephen Bivens, and Wilfried Kamdem Tchoupa were named to the 2021 NPSL Southeast Conference Best XI. ^[7]

Georgia Storm FC played in their first ever US Open Cup match on October 16 against Georgia Revolution at Luella High School. The match was tied until the second half, when Revolution's Christian Duncan converted his first. Deep into stoppage time, Gerard Forges scored from close range, assisted by Stephen Bivens to send the match to added time. The Storm struck early in added time with Jacob Bivens netting a header before a last effort strike by Duncan sent the game to penalty kicks. Georgia Revolution converted all their kicks and won the match 2–2 (4–2).

2022 Season

Pre-season

The Storm opened its account in 2022 with a pre-season friendly with Atlanta United on Tuesday, January 25 at 11AM in a closed-door friendly at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. ^[8] It was the first preseason match of the year for both clubs. After three minutes, Atlanta United attacker Luiz Araujo beat several players to create space for Erik Centeno who cut back and shot towards goal when Fabian Pekruhl made the save, but Tyler Wolff finished to give Atlanta United a 1–0 advantage. At the fifteen-minute mark, Storm delivered a corner from the right-hand side that was cleared up the line by Tyler Wolff to Luiz Araujo who drove forward towards Storm's defense before sliding a pass through to Jackson Conway who finished it off to put Atlanta United ahead 2–0 at halftime. ^{[9] [10]} In the second half, Storm played into the match, creating a few half-chances. With minutes left to play, Andrew Carleton drove into the left edge of the box where he cut back and had his shot towards the goal blocked by a sliding defender. As a highlight on the day, Storm's Youth Academy player, Isaac Cruz, made his first team debut in the final moments. On the day, Storm had 4 current Youth Academy players from its U16 National League PRO team earning their first experience with Storm's First Team. Joining Isaac were Nyckolas Waits, Wyatt Mathis-Kline and Jon Smith.

Georgia Storm game roster for preseason friendly with Atlanta United FC in January 2022

Regular Season

The Storm took a step back in 2022 recording a record of 2-7-1 with wins vs. LSA Lanier and Apotheos FC.

Stadium

• University of West Georgia Soccer Field; Carrollton, GA (2021-current)

Georgia Storm FC played their 2021 inaugural season at Carrollton High School's Grisham Stadium before moving to the West Georgia soccer field for 2022.

Training Ground

• Alexander High School (2022)
• New Manchester High School (2021)

Colors and Badge

In December 2020, on the heels of the launch of the team in the National Premier Soccer League in the Southeast Conference, the club launched a search for a new logo that would represent the club and its community as it moved into the semi-professional ranks. The color scheme was black, gold, white, and a light blue to represent the club. They announced the new logo on December 22, 2021. For the community, it represents playing in the state of Georgia, as well as its primary three cities of Carrollton, Douglasville, and Villa Rica being represented by the three gold stars. The antlers represent the White Tail Deer, which is official state animal. The Storm wordmark represents the values of Storm in power, passion, and unrelenting strength. Lastly, the symbol is a show of strength as they can weather any storm.

Kits

For its first season, Georgia Storm adopted the Puma Cup Jersey for its first team and U23s.

Kit Sponsors

On April 8, 2021, the team announced Scott Evans Auto Group as its primary jersey sponsor for the first team. The terms and length of the contract were not disclosed. Later in April, the team announced RedMed Urgent Clinic and GreyStone Power Corporation as sponsors for the back of the kit below the number. Soon after in May, Hacienda San Antonio Mexican Taqueria was announced as the primary training jersey sponsor for the team.

Season	Kit Brand	Kit Sponsor	Industry	Sponsors
2021-2022	Puma	Scott Evans Carrollton	Automobile Sales	Red Med Urgent Clinic, Hacienda San Antonio Mexican Taqueria, GreyStone Power Corp., Brown Dog Eatery, City Tavern, Reeves Insurance

Rivalries

In its first year, the Storm formed a strong rivalry with Georgia Revolution from their inaugural match. In the first year of the rivalry, the teams faced off three times, including in the Southeast Conference Championship game. It's a fierce battle between two top competitors in the National Premier Soccer League.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of April 4, 2023 ^[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   USA Robert Bailey — GK   USA MJ Upchurch — DEF   USA Andy Elkins — DEF   USA Alex Chmelo — DEF   USA Greg Stratton — DEF   COL Nicolas Salazar Bonilla — DEF   USA Hayden Binfield — DEF   USA Andy Guzman — DEF   BRA Julio Neto — DEF   USA Alek Bravo — DEF   GHA Omarion Dankyi — MF   USA Kevin Pierre — MF   BRB Justin White — MF   PER Pedro Valenzuela

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   USA Spencer Van Buskirk — MF   BRA Renan Diniz — MF   USA Ian Farquhar — MF   BRA Hugo Lorenzo — MF   USA Curtis Ketchup — FWD   FRA Matteo Landais — FWD   USA Alex Guzman — FWD   FRA Lucas Bedleg — FWD   CRC Mauro Gutierrez — FWD   USA Akinni James — MF   USA Ryan Antoine — FWD   USA Haris Osmanbasic — FWD   ENG Luke Holmes — FWD   USA Jacob Antoine

Notable Former Players

Name	Nationality	Current Team	Current League
Hunter Jumper	United States	Free agent
Andrew Carleton	United States	Las Vegas Lights	USL Championship
Kevin Barajas	United States	Free agent
Stephen Bivens	United States	Georgia Storm GM	National Premier Soccer League
Fabian Pekruhl	Germany	SC Verl	3. Liga

Academy Graduates

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   USA Jacob Bivens — MF   USA Isaac Cruz

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   HON Henry Hernandez — FW   USA Jacob Antoine

Technical staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Joshua Bivens
Assistant coach	Sasan Lak
Assistant coach	Gerard Forges

Records

Seasons

  Champion  Runner-Up

NPSL

Season	Domestic League								U.S. Open Cup	Head Coach
	GP	W	D	L	Pts	Conference	Pos.	Playoffs
2021	10	5	2	3	17	Southeast	Conference Runner-ups	Did not qualify	Qualification Round	Joshua Bivens
2022	10	2	1	7	7	Southeast	6th Place	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Joshua Bivens
2023	10	2	2	6	8	Southeast	6th Place	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Joshua Bivens

Goals

Rank	Name	NPSL Reg. Season	Conf. Playoffs	US Open Cup	Total
1	Stephen Bivens	12	1	0	13
2	Wilfried Kamdem-Tchoupa	5	1	0	6
3	Andrew Carleton	4	1	0	5
4	Kevin Fitzgerald	4	0	0	4
5	Avery Shepard	3	0	0	3
5	Tony Barry	3	0	0	3
6	Jacob Bivens	1	0	1	2
6	Mauro Gutierrez	2	0	0	2
6	Ayomide Gabriel Salako	2	0	0	2
7	Matteo Olivotto	1	0	0	1
7	Jeisson Palencia	1	0	0	1
7	Ian Alvarez	1	0	0	1
7	Juan Gutierrez	1	0	0	1
7	Haris Osmanbasic	1	0	0	1
7	Andy Elkins	1	0	0	1
7	Akinni James	1	0	0	1
7	Greg Stratton	1	0	0	1
7	Spencer Van Buskirk	1	0	0	1
7	Andy Guzman	1	0	0	1
7	Kevin Pierre	1	0	0	1
7	Gerard Forges	0	0	1	1

Cleansheets

Rank	Name	NPSL Reg. Season	Conf. Playoffs	US Open Cup	Total
1	Fabian Pekruhl	3	0	0	3
2	Bas Markus	1	0	0	1

Honors

Domestic trophies

• National Premier Soccer League Southeast Conference
  • Runners-Up : 2021

Club culture

Supporters

The supporter group of Georgia Storm FC is The Storm Chasers. ^[12] The group is the core of the home fans, travels to away games, and promotes the team to the community.

Affiliates

• Villa Rica Soccer Association, Villa Rica, Georgia
• Darlington Soccer Academy, Rome, Georgia
• MAYSA Storm, Madison, Georgia
• Lake Country United FC, Eatonton, Georgia

Development System

U23 Team

Georgia Storm fields a U23 team in the UPSL to bridge our Youth Academy to our First team, which competes in the Southeast Conference Georgia Div. I. ^[13]

The Georgia Storm Soccer Academy provides recreation, academy, and select programs for almost 2,000 youth players, mostly in the Carroll County and Douglas County areas of western Georgia. Storm teams participate in the USYS National League, Club Champions League, Georgia Premier League, and are affiliated with Georgia Soccer.

U23 Stadium

• New Manchester High School Stadium, Douglasville, Georgia

UPSL Records

  Champion  Runner-Up

Georgia Storm U23

Season	Domestic League									U.S. Open Cup	Head Coach
	Division	GP	W	D	L	Pts	Conference	Pos.	Playoffs
Spring 2021	1	10	7	1	2	22	Southeast - Georgia	Conference Runner-ups	N/A	Ineligible	Matt Brooks

Youth Academy

Georgia Storm FC youth academy teams participate in United States Youth Soccer Association under United States Soccer Federation where they have teams from recreational (3 to 19 year olds) to Youth Academy (9 to 19 year olds) to Amateur for the adults in the community. In its Youth Academy, they have teams that participate in USYS National League in the Piedmont Conference where they have won 3 consecutive titles in the 2006 boys division. At the state level, they have won 3 Georgia Soccer State Cups as well as 1 finalist medal. On the girls side, the 2004 girls won the 2021 title, and on the boys, the 2006 boys won the 2021 and 2020 title. The 2006 boys team was semi-finalist at the 2021 Region III Southern Championships in Greenville, South Carolina at the MESA Soccer Complex. For the 2022 Southern Regional Championships, their youth academy has both the 2006 boys and 2004 girls qualified for the event in June. The 2006 boys also compete in the USYS National League PRO league where the top 64 teams in the country compete.

Youth Training Grounds

• East Carroll Park, Carrollton, Georgia
• Chestnut Log, Douglasville, Georgia
• Boundary Waters, Douglasville, Georgia
• Fowler Park, Douglasville, Georgia
• Fullerville Park, Villa Rica, Georgia
• Alexander High School, Douglasville, Georgia
• Carrollton High School Indoor Facility, Carrollton, Georgia

Broadcasting

Georgia Storm FC uses Eleven Sports to broadcast all of its home matches.

References

1. Lewis, Michael (September 17, 2020). "Georgia's on their mind: Storm Soccer Academy to play in NPSL in 2021". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
2. "Georgia Storm Defeats LSA Athletico Lanier 2–0". National Premier Soccer League . May 16, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
3. Urquiza, Alex (July 16, 2021). "Appalachian FC secures 3–2 victory in final home game of inaugural season". The Appalachian. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
4. "Georgia Storm Advances in NPSL Postseason". National Premier Soccer League . July 16, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
5. "Ninety-Two Amateur Teams Approved for 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifying" (Press release). Chicago: United States Soccer Federation. August 23, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
6. "Atlanta United academy alumni earn opportunities in domestic fourth division". Dirty South Soccer. SB Nation. May 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
7. "NPSL Announces 2021 Conference XI Selections". National Premier Soccer League . July 22, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
8. "Atlanta United defeats Georgia Storm 2-0 in preseason opener". SB Nation . January 25, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
9. "Atlanta United start 2022 preseason with 2-0 win over Georgia Storm". MLS . January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
10. "Southern Fried Soccer: Recapping Atlanta United's friendly against Storm". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
11. "Georgia Storm FC roster". Georgia Storm FC. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
12. "The Storm Chasers on Instagram". Instagram . Retrieved October 13, 2021.
13. "UPSL Announces Southeast Expansion With Georgia Storm" (Press release). Los Angeles: United Premier Soccer League. April 23, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Georgia Storm Soccer Academy