It’s so rare in the realm of sports that a brand new franchise can just pop up in year one and find success on whatever respective field they play in.
    History remember teams like the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1989 Minnesota Timberwolves and the 1991 Colorado Rockies as new teams who flamed out in their debut seasons. However, on a much smaller scale right here in Bulloch County, one team experienced different fortunes in their opening year.
    Tormenta FC — the local PDL soccer team — finished 6-5-3 in 2016 with a goal differential of +4 to place fifth in the South Atlantic Division. The early success of the franchise can be credited to their enthusiastic front office, run by team president and owner Darin Van Tassell along with general manager Ben Freakley.
    Freakley also served as the team’s head coach after serving as a college coach in a number of stops, however this season Freakly will be handling dual roles as not only Tormenta’s GM but also as the Toronto Blue Jays head of sports psychology.
    Naturally, there’s not a lot of time in between those two gigs to coach a group of college players. So Tormenta FC went out to find who’d be their new boss on the pitch, and both Van Tassell and Freakley new who is was from the start.
    “When it came time to decide who we wanted to be head coach, me and Darin looked at each other and immediately said ‘John Miglarese’,” Freakley said at the team's press conference Tuesday.
    Miglarese is a Charleston bred, Georgia Southern grad who’s cut his teeth in the word of college and developmental soccer for the last 16 years in numerous stops around the country. Most recently he was at UNC-Pembroke where his squad went 5-11 in 2016 and has compiled a collegiate coaching record of 100-102-16 in 12 seasons as a head coach.
    In addition to being a college coach, he also most recently served at another PDL squad, Southern West Virginia King’s Warriors. Miglarese’s success with the Warriors was much more prevalent, as he finished 18-10-14 in three seasons and never finished lower than fourth in his division.
    As to how he got the job, Miglarese isn’t afraid to admit he and Freakley are long-time friends who’ve come up together in the soccer ranks. However much more went into the process as to how he wound up in Statesboro again
    “I met Darin at the league meetings last year and that fostered a relationship immediately,” Miglarese said. “The Tormenta leadership has created a momentum that quite frankly is contagious.”
    At the presser Miglarese talked about how impressed he was with the atmosphere Tormenta had created at home games when he came down to coach against them. He called it “a different standard”.
    “Even my team played better because we were excited to be in that kind of environment,” Miglarese said. “That speaks volumes as someone who was an outsider, that I felt blessed to be playing here.”
    Looking to build on Tormenta’s early success, Miglarese said he wants to build an attractive brand of soccer to establish an identity for the 2017 team. However he made it clear on top of being a good team on the pitch, Miglarese stressed the importance of being an example to the community off the pitch as well.
    “I don’t want to bring in a bunch of mercenaries and send them packing,” Miglarese said. “We want them to engage the community and push them very hard. If you want to get better, to serve and to win come with us.”
    Even though Van Tassell and Freakley will tell you hiring Miglarese is a home run, others were at least hesitant at first. Freakley was very popular amongst returning players, which includes team captain Ayao Sossou.
    “I’ve known Ben for a very long time and he’s an awesome guy,” Sossou said. “He’s the reason I came here in the first place. It’s sad to see him go.”
    Upon hearing they were getting a new coach Sossou had to be sold on the idea of not playing for a man he came to respect so much. When he was told it would be Miglarese, the first thing he thought of was playing his Warriors team twice last season with Tormenta.
    “They were a fantastic side, I loved their style of play,” Sossou said. “They did have to sell me into it at first, but I’m excited to the new challenge.”
    Even though Miglarese hasn’t been at one job for more than four seasons, he says he’s committed to being in Statesboro for the long haul.
    “This isn’t a two year stint, we’re trying to build something for the long term,” Miglarese said. “A lot of this is coming home for me and my wife since we’re both from Charleston and I’m a Georgia Southern alum. I’m happy to just focus on one team now.”
    Bulloch County soccer fans can see Miglarese’s Tormenta side for the first time this summer. Tormenta’s schedule will be released at a later, unnamed date.