STATESBORO, Ga. – South Georgia Tormenta FC announced the signing of Callum Stretch on a one-year deal with an option for 2025, pending league and federation approval. The 24-year-old center back joins the club signing his first professional contract after finishing his collegiate career at Loyola Marymount University.

Before joining Tormenta FC, Stretch spent two years at LMU, starting in 36 out of 37 matches. During his time playing for the Lions, he earned West Coast Conference honors, an NCAA tournament appearance, and tallied one goal and one assist.

A former United States Youth National Team player, Stretch earned two caps for the Puerto Rico national team in 2021, appearing in friendlies against the Dominican Republic and Guatemala.

The Los Angeles native spent his first two seasons of college soccer playing for the University of Denver from 2018 to 2020 where he started all 42 matches. Stretch was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year in 2018, was a two-time All-Summit League Top Performer, ranked second in the Top Drawer Midseason Freshman Top-100 in 2018, and was a member of the 2019 Summit League All-Tournament Team. During his two seasons, Stretch netted one goal and supplied 12 assists for the Pioneers.

The six-foot, three-inch defender became the youngest American player to sign with an English club when joined Aston Villa FC in the summer of 2016 at 15 years old. Prior to joining the Villans, Stretch spent a season with the LA Galaxy Academy. Between 2017 and 2018, Stretch made five appearances for Aston Villa in the U-18 Premier League.

"It's an honor to sign for a great club. I'm looking forward to getting started and having an immediate impact on the team and community," said Stretch. "With Tormenta FC being my first full professional contract, the club will always be extra special to me. I have no doubt 2024 will be a great year so excited to see what comes!"

"We've tracked Callum's progress over the last few seasons and see great potential in his game," South Georgia Head Coach Ian Cameron said. "Size and mobility are very useful tools in a center back, and Callum adds competitiveness and good composure in possession to the aforementioned physical qualities. He will contend to start straight away, and we hope will contribute towards a defensive unit that operates very effectively this season across all facets of our game model."