Tacoma Defiance

2025 US Open Cup Round 4: Portland Timbers’ comeback avoids Tacoma Defiance upset bid

May 7, 2025 by Bruce Corrie

Andrew Guerra of the Portland Timbers celebrates after scoring a goal against Tacoma Defiance in the Fourth Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Portland Timbers FC

The Portland Timbers came within inches of what could have been considered an embarrassing loss in their squad’s history on Tuesday night. To make matters worse, it nearly came at the hands of its bitter rivals’ reserve squad.

Facing elimination at Starfire Sports Complex, the Timbers narrowly avoided becoming the first MLS team to fall to an MLS NEXT Pro side — and not just any side, but the Seattle Sounders’ Tacoma Defiance — before a stoppage-time penalty salvaged a dramatic 3-2 victory in Round 4 of the US Open Cup.

Kevin Kelsy buried the decisive penalty in the 93rd minute, sealing the Timbers’ escape after a back-and-forth clash that saw both sides trade late blows.

Zac McGraw opened the scoring for Portland with a first-half header, while Tacoma stormed back in the second half behind goals from Osaze De Rosario and Yu Tsukanome. Gage Guerra pulled Portland level in the 80th minute before Kelsy’s spot kick sent the MLS side through to the Round of 16.

The Pacific Northwest was treated with a balmy 75 degree evening and a packed stadium as fans packed in looking for a dream result against the Sounders organization’s historic Cascadia Rival in Portland.
Seattle once again sent netminder Andrew Thomas, full back Reed Baker-Whiting, and right-side winger Georgi Minounga to support Tacoma in the clash. Cody Baker was unavailable after seeing a second yellow in Extra Time against Oakland Roots in Round 3.

The first half hour only showed glimmers of chances. Long balls by Portland and frustrating spurts of possession as Tacoma played with an intensity synonymous with success to try and catch its opponents asleep.

In the seventh minute, the Timbers earned a free kick from the left center of the pitch from 30 yard out. The first shot of the match is on frame from Cristhian Paredas was easily dealt with by Thomas. In the 14th, Tacoma’s de Rosario broke down the left side, finding the cross into the feet of teammate Snyder Brunell only eight yards out. Tacoma’s moment of magic had to wait; however, as Brunell’s effort waslofted into the trees.

Tacoma’s work rate begin to show cracks in Portland’s shape; Tacoma dropping into a well-organized 4-1-4-1 had Portland resorting to long vertical balls and firm square passes into a crowded midfield. But it wasn’t to say their methods weren’t paying off. In the 33th, Portland earned a corner from the right side and the ball was whipped in to the back of the 6-yard-box by the Timbers’ Ariel Lassiter onto the head of McGraw who helped it in for the first goal of the match and a 1-0 Portland lead.

After halftime, each side made changes, bringing on Tsukanome for Tacoma and Daniel Nunez for Portland. This was the revitalization the home side was looking to earn out of the break. Georgi Minoungou of Tacoma began testing the Portland wing in the first five minutes of the second half as he received the ball down the right side in the 48th minute, taking it to the end line and cutting the cross to the back post to the right foot of De Rosario. De Rosario didn’t make a mistake as Brunell had in the opening moments, finishing into the bottom left of the goal to square the match at 1-1.

Two minutes after the goal, Baker-Whiting slipped a ball into a charging Minoungou at the end-line. Minoungou shifted the ball back towards the penalty marker and gave Tsukanome a perfectly weighted ball to redirect into the back of the net.

Tsukanome’s goal was his third in two matches, and fifth in the 2025 Open Cup campaign to bring Defiance ahead, 2-1.

In the 79th, the Timbers substituted Guerra — a Timbers II contracted player coming off a hat trick in his last match on April 23rd against Ventura County in MLS NP — hoping to make a difference and come from behind. His involvement is immediate as the Timbers worked the ball back to their box, shifted out wide to the right to Cristhian Paredes who found Ian Smith on a long diagonal ball in the left corner. Smith picked his head up as Tacoma tracked back to find the head of Guerra, smashing the header past Thomas and leveling up the match with ten minutes remaining in regulation.

Tacoma continued its pressure and intensity as another Extra Time result seemed imminent. Three minutes were given for stoppage time, and as Portland pushed forward for a result, the home side was forced to keep a deep line and clear any danger coming their way.

In 93rd minute, a lifeline appeared.

Minoungou put in a late challenge on Portland’s Eric Miller and the officials were left with no choice but to award a penalty kick. Kelsy stepped up to take the spot kick, converting to his right and sealing the victory for Portland on the final whistle just seconds after the restart.

Tacoma showed its talent and earned the respect of many around the country.

Peter Kingston of Tacoma was confident in the quality Tacoma can show week after week. “(Tonight’s match) was a great learning experience for everyone on the team and it kind of just shows that we’re able to keep up with these guys” said Kingston. “I think (MLS NP teams) should know now that we can play with any (MLS) First Team, and for sure play with any (MLS) Second Team.”

The culture of the Sounders organization does not discriminate for age, seeing an average age difference of the starting XI 6.6 years younger than Portland’s senior team as four teenagers appeared in Tacoma’s lineup.
The Timbers now await the Round of 16 draw to find their next opponent. Portland will host a Western Conference MLS match on Saturday May 10 as favorites by the bookmakers against Sporting Kansas City. They sit in third in the Western Conference after 11 games, but only three points off of FC Dallas in ninth. Tacoma Defiance look ahead at two away Cascadia matches in MLS NEXT Pro as they sit second in the table, first in the West. Tuesday’s match gives the team a taste of what is to come against Vancouver Whitecaps II and Portland Timbers II come May 14 and 18, respectively.

2025 US Open Cup Round 3: Tacoma Defiance last MLS NEXT Pro left after OT thriller with Oakland Roots

April 16, 2025 by Andrew Repp

Osaze De Rosario of Tacoma Defiance celebrates after scoring a goal against Oakland Roots SC in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seattle Sounders FC Communications

Osaze De Rosario scored a goal off an assist from Jackson Khoury in the second half of extra time as the Tacoma Defiance of MLS Next Pro defeated Oakland Roots SC of the USL Championship, 2-1, in the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup on Tuesday night at Starfire Stadium.

It was a match that took 120 minutes to decide a winner and was a game filled with momentum swings, fouls, and yellow cards.

It was a perfect evening for soccer in the Pacific Northwest, with partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 60 degrees at kickoff as the sun set over the pitch. Both teams took time to settle into the game, as the first 20 minutes didn’t see either side dominate. Neither team could get much possession, and a slew of fouls in midfield from both teams took away any rhythm the game was searching for.

Tacoma had an early chance in the third minute when De Rosario laced a shot from the middle of the box that took a deflection, wrong-footing Oakland’s goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel. Luckily for Spiegel, the ball bounced off the right post and back out, where Oakland was able to clear away the danger.

Oakland had its own half chance in the eighth minute on a cross to the top of the box, but forward Emmanuel Johnson was unable to get the shot on target, sending the ball well over the goal and onto the train tracks beyond the pitch.

The match’s first goal came in the 28th minute after Tacoma won a free kick on the left side of its attacking half, about five yards outside the corner of the 18-yard box. Defiance midfielder Peter Kingston stepped up to take the shot and sent a right-footed laser over the two-man wall and to the near post, where it found the back of the net past Spiegel. Kingston, who featured on the USL League Two team Ballard FC in recent years, was mobbed by his teammates and did a little shimmy near midfield to celebrate.

Tacoma head coach Hervé Diese didn’t seem surprised by the strike, despite it being Kingston’s first goal of the season.

“Peter Kingston is a quality player and a better human being. We know he can do those things, and that’s why we give him the responsibility in those moments,” Diese said.

Kingston had a second well-taken free kick seven minutes later, this time from dead center, but Spiegel was up to the task and made a diving, acrobatic save to keep his team in the game. The rest of the first half played out much like the start, with fouls preventing much flow from forming. As the teams headed into the locker rooms, three Tacoma players had already received yellow cards.

After Oakland made two substitutions in the 57th minute, the game started to tilt in its favor, as it had much more possession and limited Tacoma’s chances. Tacoma was unable to string together much offensively, and Oakland began to exert more and more pressure on the Defiance’s goal. Defiance goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, already a US Open Cup legend for Seattle Sounders FC, was forced into a scrambling save in the 66th minute after his attempted clearance was blocked toward another Oakland player.

Oakland scored the equalizer in the 75th minute after a ball in the box was kicked off the arm of Defiance defender Kaito Yamada. Referee Dion Coxe awarded the penalty kick, and Oakland’s Neveal Hackshaw stepped to the spot. He put a left-footed shot past Thomas and into the left side of the net to tie the match at 1-1.

The rest of the second half continued to be chippy, with both teams accruing yellow cards. Oakland put in a flurry of corner kicks during stoppage time but were unable to seriously test Thomas, leaving the match in a stalemate at the end of regular time.

The first half of extra time was more of the same. Neither team had a stellar chance but there were willing runners and decent attempts, as neither team seemed to want to go to penalty kicks. Tacoma found the game-winner in the 108th minute when Khoury dispossessed Hackshaw deep in the Oakland half and passed to De Rosario, who took one touch before getting off a shot that deflected off an Oakland defender and past Spiegel into the right side of the net.

From there Oakland threw men forward and took a variety of shots from outside the box, but none significantly troubled Thomas. Tacoma went down to ten men in the 117th minute when Cody Baker earned his second yellow card, but Oakland were unable to make the advantage pay.

Diese explained that Tacoma was well prepared for the challenge that this match offered.

“The whole week leading up to this game, we knew that it was going to be a scrappy one because we analyzed ; we knew that individually, when things are not working out for them, they just make it scrappy… did well,” he said. “They were very, very mature today and they didn’t back down from anything.”

With the win, the Defiance move on to the Round of 32, where it will face an MLS team in a match scheduled for May 6 or 7. As the only MLS Next Pro team remaining in the field, Tacoma looks to keep its dreams alive as the stage grows ever bigger.

2025 US Open Cup Round 2: Tacoma Defiance holds off Spokane Velocity in OT to reach Round 3

April 3, 2025 by Bruce Corrie

Edson Carli of the Tacoma Defiance dribbles the ball against the Spokane Velocity in the Second Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Sandra Agbotse - Sounders FC Communications — Edson Carli of the Tacoma Defiance dribbles the ball against the Spokane Velocity in the Second Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Sandra Agbotse – Sounders FC Communications

The Tacoma Defiance continued their march in the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-1 extra time win over the Spokane Velocity in the Second Round on Wednesday night.

Kang Joon-Mo opened the scoring for Tacoma in front of their home fans at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. in the 3rd minute to give the MLS NEXT Pro side the early lead. Former MLS standout Luis Gil would tie the game in the 78th minute for visitors from USL League One. The game would remain tied into extra time when an own goal from Spokane would deliver the game-winner for Tacoma and send them into the Third Round for the first time since their inaugural Cup run in 2015.

Making the drive to Tukwila, Spokane would have their hands full against a fortified Tacoma Defiance squad. Spokane would have hoped to make tonight look more like their 4-0 victory against Greenville Triumph over the weekend. Luis Gil and Anuar Pelaez of Spokane both collected a brace in the March 29 league match, and earn starting spots to lead the charge in disrupting a Defiance cup run.

Tacoma Defiance approached the Velocity draw with only the Open Cup to focus on following their 3-1 dismantling of Washington Athletic Club in the opening round two weeks prior. The Defiance wouldn’t be without action in the interim, setting up a friendly with local UPSL juggernauts, Bellevue Athletic FC; sailing 5 goals past the semi-pro side in a 5-2 victory at Longacres Sports Complex. A precise, high-tempo structure runs deep through the Sounders’ organization playing philosophy; fans at Starfire Sports Complex were treated to just that on a brisk PNW evening.

Starfire Sports Complex has a special place in the hearts of soccer fans across the region. It has long hosted Open Cup matches for Tacoma Defiance’s parent club, Seattle Sounders FC. Sprawling fields surround the main stand, ahead of kickoff as fans filter in they were treated to a serenation of Over 60 men’s league matches, youth trainings, and the ever-active indoor league all in one. Wednesday’s game was the 30th US Open Cup match hosted at Starfire in the Modern Era (1995-present). Only three venues in the country have hosted more Open Cup games during that span.

Tacoma took the win on the coin flip and the ball got rolling at 7:04 p.m. local time. Spokane put on the pressure right away. Attempting to keep the ball moving and probe Tacoma’s midfield inside the first two minutes. A foul in the 2nd minute was conceded by Spokane off of an errant touch at midfield giving Tacoma possession in their attacking half for first time in the match. No time was wasted by the home side; they worked the ball back to Jacob Castro in goal who split a pass into the middle. Precise short passing allowed Tacoma to cut through the Spokane press allowing Travian Sousa to charge down the left wing. Sebastian Gomez pulled the Spokane full back into a half space with a parallel run into the box, receiving the through ball, cutting the ball back to Osouze De Rosario from the left-side end line where it was redirected on the first touch to Joonmo Kang waiting patiently on the far post to rifle Tacoma ahead in just a few ticks past two minutes. 1-0 Tacoma.

Tacoma’s energy was undeniable; taking advantage of a perceived weak point down Spokane’s right flank for the next 20 minutes. However, Tacoma was showing vulerabilities in the back. Tacoma goalkeeper Jacob Castro received a ball at the top of the D from his right side as Spokane’s Anuar Pelaez closed him down on his first touch. Castro only managed a short pass out but the pressure misplaced it onto Spokane’s Mark Hernandez Peneda’s left foot. His one-time chipped effort, to Spokane’s dismay, was entirely mis-hit and bounced out for a goal kick.

It would take another 10 minutes for Spokane to get a free kick opportunity just outside of the penalty area. Spokane’s Nil Vinyals whipped the attempt low to the right corner of the goal but Castro’s quick feet help him push the attempt onto his defenders’ head. On the popped up ball, Castro settled his feet to punch wide right but it fell to Spokane’s Bryce Meredith’s feet. Poking the ball back into the 6 yard box, Tacoma finally cleared the scramble to hold their advantage.

The efforts of Spokane to absorb pressure carried them to halftime without further incidents. Tacoma’s Cody Baker and Peter Kingston undoubtedly controlled the midfield and disrupted Spokane’s counter-attack phase after phase. Kingston going a step further to draw Spokane’s Bryce Meredith into a crunching tackle in the 40th minute; and a second consecutive Open Cup match to be booked inside the first half.

Second half action got underway after the break. With level heads, both teams seemed determined to play low-risk football. Tacoma opted to keep working the ball on the ground and methodically spreading the pitch to their advantage. In moments of possession for Spokane, they found success advancing the phase of play when Tacoma’s midfield was caught strong-side. Efforts toward goal were not nearly as successful however.

The visiting side only needed a flash to bring the match level. While Tacoma had done brilliantly for 78 minutes keeping the tempo and momentum in their hands, Spokane’s patience paid dividends. Spokane’s Javier Martin Gil gathered the ball through build-up play at the right touchline just inside his own half. Tacoma’s Edson Carli was spotted sitting high thru the midfield by Javier; exposing the seam between Tacoma’s center back and Travian Sousa for Spokane’s Nil Vinyals to take advantage. Sousa was forced to step high and wide to man-mark Spokane’s Shavon John-Brown, albeit a late step. Chalking his heels on the right-side touchline, Javier found John-Brown’s feet who then slipped Vinyals down the line for a cross against a spread Tacoma back four. Instictually, Spokane’s Luis Gil darted across the front of the goal to put a deft-toe onto Vinyals’ cross and leveled the match at 1-1.

Spokane goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuk ended the night with no officially designated saves, but that shouldn’t reflect too much on the defensive fortune of Velocity. To close out regulation, Tacoma drove numbers forward and kept a high tempo in Spokane’s half to force a favorable result. In the 83rd minute, Carli hit a curled effort from the right side of the penalty area. It dipped into the crossbar, down onto the far post and back to the center of the 6 yard box; ultimately being headed wide. At the 90-minute mark, Tacoma’s Yu Tsukanome was left free 5 yards out on an ensuing cross from the left. The ball found his head but once again rung the crossbar and cleared out wide.

Extra time began with an ominous change in weather. The whistle to restart was a sign for the heavens to open up. The pace of the game picked right back up where it left off with Tacoma on the front foot. Four minutes into extra time, Tacoma’s Sebastian Gomez separated from his mark to get on the end of a cross from the right side. Crossbar. Woodwork saved Spokane for the third time in 10 minutes of play. Tacoma’s pace and unrelenting pressure stoked Spokane into complacency; absorbing pressure and clearing balls deep for moments to catch their breath.

Nine minutes into extra time, to the joy of the home crowd, Defiance Magic. Sebastian Gomez fenangeled his way into the penalty box from the left side. Staying composed, he played a firm ball on the ground across the box to the feet of Edson Carli. Carli beat his center back to the end line, creating space and firing a shot at Spokane GK Ryan Bilichuk. Carli’s shot is too square to be on target, but the outstreched leg of Bilichuk deflected the ball onto the knee of Spokane’s Marcelo Lage to roll over the line. 2-1 advantage Tacoma.

First half of extra time closed out, after the short intermission the game kicked off. Spokane had to throw numbers forward to have a chance to send the match to penalties. Tacoma dropped all 10 players behind the ball defending in a 6-3-1 and 5-5 to handle the pressure. Tacoma’s back line dealt with all the efforts until the 121st minute. Spokane won a throw near the left side corner and got it to the feet of Colin Fernandez. Fernandez hits a hopeful cross that got popped up in the air in the center of the penalty area. Anuar Pelaez, who scored the winner against Ballard FC in the dying minutes of Spokane’s Round 1 match, threw himself in the air at the dropping ball and connected with a bicycle kick. Fatefully, history wasn’t to repeat tonight – the kick lacked the power needed to trouble Jacob Castro in net. Castro collected the ball safely.

After the game, Tacoma goalkeeper Jacob Castro reflected on the victory and looked ahead to the next round.

“ot gonna, lie it was a bit scary in there… pushed our line back… sat and let them attack us. I would have liked to see us get a bit higher and… keep the ball,” said Castro about the challenge of keeping together, compact, and moving as a unit in the last phase of the game. “We like to keep the ball, we like to control the game.”

2025 US Open Cup Round 1: Tsukanome’s 2nd half brace powers Tacoma Defiance past Washington AC

March 21, 2025 by Andrew Repp

Players from Tacoma Defiance (right) and Washington AC battle for the ball in the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Sandra Agbotse - Sounders FC Communications — Players from Tacoma Defiance (right) and Washington AC battle for the ball in the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Sandra Agbotse – Sounders FC Communications

Playing in a steady rain, the Tacoma Defiance came back from an early deficit and were powered to victory by a second-half brace from forward Yu Tsukanome as the MLS NEXT Pro side rallied past amateur side Washington Athletic Club (WAC), 3-1, at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Tacoma started off the first half with more possession and seemed to have early control of the game, but a ball over the top by the visitors in the seventh minute forced a foul by the Defiance’s Kaito Yamada just outside Tacoma’s 18-yard box. The challenge earned Yamada a yellow card and led to a group of players from both teams briefly surrounding the referee as some WAC fans called for DOGSO (Denial of an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity), but no further disciplinary action was taken by the referee. Nicholas O’Brien stepped up to take the ensuing free kick and shot it through the wall, where the ball took a deflection and left Tacoma’s keeper Lars Helleren wrong-footed as it went down the middle for a 1-0 lead.

Following the goal, WAC seemed to find their footing and had more control of the game for a time. Tacoma had one or two half chances but WAC had more possession. Each team was awarded another yellow card for challenges, though quality looks at goal were hard to find.

The tides turned in the 37th minute as Tacoma worked the ball to Charlie Gaffney on the right side of the attacking half. Gaffney sent in a cross that bounced off a WAC defender to the Defiance’s Edson Carli on the left side of the box. Carli hit a left-footed chip that floated over WAC’s keeper Saif Kerawala and just tucked in the upper right corner of the goal to tie the match at 1-1.

“We knew that this game was going to be an emotional one just because they (WAC) have some ex-Seattle players, they know us very well,” Defiance head coach Hervé Diese said. “ are still young, they’re still maturing, developing into strong men in the game, so I just needed to calm the nerves down and say ‘Hey, you’re doing well, we are the better team, stick to the principles and then we’ll get the first goal; once we get the second goal it’ll be done.’”

Before stoppage time, WAC won a free kick just past the midfield line. The free kick was lofted into the box, where Eric Lagos skied over Helleren to get his head on it, but his attempt went just left of the goal.

Both teams made changes at halftime. Just two minutes into the second half, Tsukanome received a pass from midfielder Sebastian Gomez that split the centerbacks and put him in on goal, where he slotted a left foot shot into the net to give Tacoma a 2-1 lead.

The second goal quieted the action a bit as WAC started finding more possession and Tacoma were unable to get out of their own half. Players continued to occasionally lose their footing in the wet conditions. Right after both teams made additional substitutions in the 71st minute, Tsukanome scored his second goal of the night after receiving a pass from Jackon Khoury at the top of the six-yard box and slotting a right-footed shot past the keeper.

A few minutes later, Tacoma had two quick shots in succession cleared off the line, one by the keeper and one by a defender. From there, WAC was unable to put much pressure on Tacoma, too often settling for long-distance shots from outside the box that didn’t threaten the Defiance.

Diese didn’t seem surprised that his side was able to come back to win.

“We knew that our training regimen was going to pass their ability to play against us,” he said. “Stick to the standards, stick to the principles and I guarantee you that the quality that we already have is going to score goals and that’s exactly what happened.”

The Defiance now move on to the Second Round of the Open Cup, which is scheduled to take place April 1 and 2.