US Open Cup

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.”