Originally run Saturday, February 21st by Alex Ashton from the Beyond the 90 Substack - permission given by Ashton to re-run on Protagonist Soccer.com

With the 2026 season scheduled to start in two weeks, we’re learning today that South Georgia Tormenta FC will not field a team in USL League One.

Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed that the club did not start preseason training due to lack of a required insurance. With the season only two weeks away, it was determined that the club could not adequately participate in the season due to these funding issues.

Sources around the league have also confirmed that teams are scrambling to fill in the loss of a regular season match with friendlies in order to meet season ticket holder agreements.

photos taken from South Georgia Tormenta FC’s Facebook page

We’re also told that there is a plan under discussion to distribute or compensate the affected players. Tormenta currently has an announced roster of 17 players.

Per our sources, the players will have the option to enter a draft and get picked up by another team under their existing contract, or take three months of severance pay. There is no word on who would fund the pay.

We reached out to the club, the league and the USL Player’s Association for more information, but did not receive a reply. As this is a breaking story, and more details will be added as they come.

Official announcements from the league are expected on Sunday, February 22nd.

- by Alex Ashton, League One Updater