Tormenta Signs Two-Time Goalkeeper of the Year Sean Lewis
The small market club made a splash in free agency
South Georgia Tormenta announced this morning the signing of back-to-back and current Goalkeeper of the Year Sean Lewis in free agency.
Lewis not only won the prestigious league award in 2024 and 2025, but also led One Knoxville to its first Player’s Shield and win over Spokane in the league playoff final.
The 33 year old goaltender has been with Knoxville since its first professional season in 2023, and led the league in clean sheets in 2025 with 12. During Lewis’ time in Knoxville, the club conceded the fewest goals in regular season play all three seasons.
Lewis’ 2025 run was also notable for his having the highest save percentage among Golden Glove-eligible goalkeepers at 73.4 percent, with a -0.59 Goals Prevented mark in the regular season.
Per sources, Lewis was not offered a contract at One Knoxville, where the club appears ready to give Lewis’ backup Johan Garibay a shot at the number one spot. The last official word from the club was that it was in negotiations with Garibay to return, as both he and Lewis were out of contract following the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, last week Tormenta announced the departure of its own star goalkeeper Austin Pack after just one season. Pack remains a free agent.
Lewis will re-join Head Coach Mark McKeever, who led One Knoxville in 2023 and most of 2024 before departing in August of that season. He joined Tormenta as an assistant earlier in the 2025 season, and was thrust into the head job this Summer with the sudden departure of Ian Cameron.
McKeever expressed his excitement to work with Lewis, saying “he brings tremendous experience, and our views of the game are very aligned with what will fit into the club’s game model.”
McKeever also touted Lewis’ “wisdom and experience to the tactical perspective of the game,” saying that it aligns with the club’s identity.
Tormenta has yet to announce any returning players, with Lewis’ signing the first of the off-season for the club. While it has announced a large number of departures, the only player known to be under contract is 2025 Player of the Year nominee Niall Reid-Stephen. The club is believed to have options on Yaniv Bazini, Alon Drey, Anatolie Prepelita and Mason Tunbridge, none of whom have been annouced yet.
We are tracking all of the USL League One transactions on our 2026 Transactions Tracker.