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Tacoma Defiance

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This article is about the soccer team. For the park and geographic feature, see Point Defiance Park.
Tacoma Defiance
Nickname(s)Defiance
FoundedOctober 14, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-10-14) (as Seattle Sounders FC 2)
StadiumStarfire Sports Complex
Capacity4,500
OwnerSeattle Sounders FC
Head coachHervé Diese
LeagueMLS Next Pro
20232nd, Western Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
Websitewww.tacdefiance.com
Current season

The Tacoma Defiance, formerly Seattle Sounders FC 2, are an American professional soccer team based in the Puget Sound region in Tukwila, Washington, United States. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, a league in the third tier of the United States soccer league system, as the reserve team of Seattle Sounders FC. Formerly, 20 percent of the club was fan-owned through the non-profit Sounders Community Trust.

The club was established in 2014 as Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2) and originally played at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. The team moved to Tacoma's Cheney Stadium in 2018 and was rebranded as the Defiance the following season. The Defiance plans to move to the new Sounders headquarters and training facility at Longacres in Tukwila in 2024.

History

[edit]

Seattle Sounders FC announced the creation of their reserve team on October 14, 2014, at an event held at the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle.[1][2] The new team would be named Seattle Sounders FC 2 (shortened to S2) and play in USL Pro, the second tier of American soccer that the Sounders played in until 2009. S2's home matches were to be played at the MLS team's training facility, the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, beginning in the 2015 season. The Sounders intended to primarily use the team to develop young players and split ownership to a non-profit, fan-owned organization called the Sounders Community Trust.[3][4] A similar reserve team for the Portland Timbers, T2, was also announced on the same day.[4][5] Sounders assistant coach Ezra Hendrickson was named the team's coach on November 13, 2014.[6]

Inaugural season

[edit]
Main article: 2015 Seattle Sounders FC 2 season

S2 played its inaugural match on March 21, 2015, winning 4–2 over the defending USL champion Sacramento Republic. Andy Craven notched the first goal in team history.[7] Their second game yielded the team's first shutout, a home game against Whitecaps FC 2 that ended 4–0. Darwin Jones scored the team's first hat-trick during the game.[8]

Tacoma relocation

[edit]
Main article: 2018 Seattle Sounders FC 2 season

The owners of the Tacoma Rainiers baseball team had expressed interest in hosting a lower-division soccer team at its ballpark, Cheney Stadium, or a separate soccer stadium as early as 2013.[9] Cheney Field hosted an MLS Reserve League match between the Sounders and Orlando City SC reserve teams in May 2013, which brought an attendance of 2,174.[10] The Rainiers partnered with the Tacoma Stars, an indoor soccer team, and discussed a potential move for S2 with the Sounders organization.[11][12] The Sounders had previously discussed plans to move their lower-league franchise to the Tacoma area in the 2000s in the event of a successful MLS expansion bid.[13]

On May 6, 2017, the Sounders and Rainiers announced that they had agreed to relocate the reserve team to Tacoma upon completion of a new, 5,000-seat soccer-specific stadium by 2020.[14] After the USL announced its intention to refuse waivers for teams with smaller venues that did not meet full Division II requirements, the Sounders announced in November 2017 that S2 would temporarily play at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma beginning in the 2018 season.[15] The team had previously played in front of crowds of less than 1,000 at Starfire Sports, but debuted at Cheney Stadium with a sellout crowd of 6,049 on March 16, 2018.[16][17] The team failed to qualify for the USL playoffs, but the first season in Tacoma garnered an average attendance of over 3,000.[18]

The club was re-branded as the Tacoma Defiance on January 30, 2019, following a campaign to solicit suggestions from the public for a new name. The Defiance name was the top choice in the poll and references Point Defiance Park and Tacoma's civic pride.[19] MultiCare Health System was named as the team's jersey sponsor and Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League also announced a move to Cheney Stadium for the 2019 season.[20] Sounders FC Academy Director Chris Little had been named as the team's new head coach a week earlier, replacing John Hutchinson.[21]

MLS Next Pro

[edit]

The club announced on December 6, 2021, that it was joining the inaugural 21-team MLS Next Pro season starting in 2022.[22] As a result of Minor League Baseball rules rendering Cheney unavailable,[23] and the abandonment of the Tacoma soccer stadium project,[24] the Defiance relocated back to Starfire.

Team colors and crest

[edit]
The former logo of S2

The Tacoma Defiance branding was unveiled on January 30, 2019, replacing the original S2 brand that was inherited from the Sounders. The name references Point Defiance Park, a major park with gardens, a zoo and aquarium complex, and several marinas. The club's crest is a black circle featuring an image of a stylized ship, based on USS Point Defiance, in the foreground and the tentacles of a Giant Pacific octopus surrounding it.[25]

The original team colors for S2 were inherited from the first team, including the Sounders' trademark Rave Green. The crest was a green silhouette of the Sounders crest, itself constructed with symbolism representing the club, fans, and players, with "S2" in the center.[26] The club continues to use the basic silhouette in their secondary mark, with "TAC" in the center to represent Tacoma. A tertiary crest includes the words "Defiantly Tacoma".[25]

Stadium

[edit]
Main article: Starfire Sports Complex
The main stadium at Starfire Sports Complex.
The main stadium at Starfire Sports Complex.

S2 initially played its home matches at Starfire Sports Complex's main stadium, which seats 3,500 spectators and is located in the suburb of Tukwila, Washington. The complex was also used by Seattle Sounders FC for training and non-MLS matches as well as the club's academy teams.[27] The largest attendance for an S2 game at Starfire was 2,951, set on March 21, 2015.[28] By the 2017 season, the team was averaging below 1,000 spectators for matches at Starfire.[29]

In 2018, the team moved to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington, a 6,000-seat ballpark and the existing home of the minor league baseball team Tacoma Rainiers.[29] For soccer matches, the pitch was aligned to the third base line, the pitcher's mound was removed, and the dirt infield was filled with grass.[30] S2 would continue training at Starfire in Tukwila alongside the first team.[31]

S2 was renamed to the Tacoma Defiance in 2019 amid plans to build a permanent soccer-specific stadium for them and the NWSL's OL Reign, who had also moved to Cheney Stadium. The stadium would seat 5,500 spectators and cost $300 million to develop on city-owned land adjacent to Cheney Stadium.[32] The preliminary plan for the stadium complex, which would open in 2021, was approved by Metro Parks Tacoma in 2018;[33] work on the complex was suspended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic but was later expanded to a larger stadium to meet NWSL requirements.[34] OL Reign later moved back to Lumen Field in Seattle for the 2022 season and left the stadium project.[35][36]

The Defiance played all but two of their home matches in the inaugural season of MLS Next Pro at Starfire Sports in Tukwila due to a revision to minor league baseball requirements that made the conversion of Cheney Stadium for soccer matches more complicated.[36][37] The team moved all of their home matches to Starfire for the 2023 season.[38] The Defiance plan to move their home matches and training facilities to the new Sounders training centers at Longacres in Tukwila when it opens in 2024.[39]

Ownership and team management

[edit]

The ownership of the club is composed of two groups. The majority owner is the Sounders FC organization, with the non-profit Sounders Community Trust owning minority share of 20%.[2] Since 2017, the business operations of the Defiance is under the management of the Tacoma Rainiers, a Triple-A baseball affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, while soccer operations are managed by the Sounders.[40]

Andrew Opatkiewicz was hired as the General Manager in October 2014, having experience with Seattle Wolves FC (now Washington Crossfire).[41] Retired MLS veteran defender and former Assistant Coach and Reserve team coach of Seattle Sounders FC, Ezra Hendrickson, was announced as the head coach of S2 on November 13, 2014.[42]

Opatkiewicz took an indefinite leave of absence from the team in May 2016 and Kurt Schmid, the former Seattle Sounders FC head scout and son of then-coach Sigi Schmid, was named as S2 GM on an interim basis.[41] Prior to the start of the 2017 USL season, Schmid was formally named the S2 GM and John Hutchinson was added as an assistant coach on Hendrickson's staff.[43] Chris Little was named the head coach of S2 shortly before its rebranding as the Defiance in 2019.[21] Little left the organization in February 2021 to become an assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids and was replaced by assistant Wade Webber.[44] Webber left the position in November 2023 and was replaced two months later by Hervé Diese, a former assistant coach for CF Montreal and Angel City FC.[45]

Players

[edit]
See also: List of Tacoma Defiance players

Current roster

[edit]
As of December 9, 2024[46]
No. Pos. Player Nation
30 GK Lars Helleren  United States
35 DF Antino Lopez  United States
36 FW Yu Tsukanome  Japan
37 MF Snyder Brunell  United States
70 MF Antonio Herrera  United States
80 MF Chris Aquino  United States
83 DF Elias Katsaros  United States
85 DF Kalani Kossa-Rienzi  United States
90 MF Sebastian Gomez  United States
95 FW Osaze De Rosario  Guyana
— FW Jackson Khoury  Lebanon
  1. ^
    Seattle Sounders FC loan player
    2.
  2. ^
    Seattle Sounders FC academy player
    3.

Technical staff

[edit]
As of January 15, 2024[47]
Coaching staff
Head coach Hervé Diese
Assistant coach Michael Morris

Head coaches

[edit]
As of 2023 season

Statistics include the regular season and playoffs in the USL Championship and MLS Next Pro.[48][49]

Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Ezra Hendrickson  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines November 13, 2014 January 30, 2018 94 33 46 15 035.11
John Hutchinson  Malta January 30, 2018 January 23, 2019 34 6 21 7 017.65
Chris Little  Scotland January 23, 2019 February 26, 2021 50 12 29 9 024.00
Wade Webber  United States February 26, 2021 November 20, 2023 78 39 30 9 050.00

Statistics

[edit]

Most points

[edit]
The following players are the club's top point leaders.
As of October 13, 2018
Rank Name Goals[A] Assists Points
1 United States Zach Mathers 14 9 37
2 United States Darwin Jones 12 2 26
3 United States Andy Craven 8 7 23
Mexico David Estrada 11 1 23
5 United States Irvin Parra 7 7 21
6 Cameroon Felix Chenkam 9 1 19
7 Argentina Pablo Rossi 8 2 18
8 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Myron Samuel 5 5 15
9 United States Ray Saari 4 6 14
10 United States Victor Mansaray 5 3 13

Bolded players are currently on the Sounders FC 2 roster.
A Two points awarded per goal.

Record

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Year by Year

Year Division League Regular season W–T–L Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Avg. attendance
Seattle Sounders FC 2
2015 3 USL 6th, Western: 13–3–12 Conference 1st Round 4th Round 2,045
2016 3 USL 12th, Western: 9–8–13 did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) 1,401
2017 2 USL 12th, Western: 9–4–19 did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) 1,033
2018 2 USL 16th, Western: 6–7–21 did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) 3,370
Tacoma Defiance
2019 2 USLC 17th, Western: 8–7–19 did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) 2,636
2020 2 USLC 12th, Western: 4–10–2
3rd, Group A 		did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) N/A
2021 2 USLC 5th, Western: 10–13–9 did not qualify Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) 1,105
2022 3 MLSNP 2nd, Western: 14–4–6 Conference Final Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) N/A

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sounders FC Unveils Second Team Sounders FC 2". SoundersFC.com (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  2. ^ a b MLSsoccer.com Staff (October 14, 2014). "Seattle Sounders announce creation of USL PRO team, S2, for 2015 season". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Ruiz, Don (October 14, 2014). "Sounders will operate USL Pro team in Tukwila next season". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ruiz, Don (October 15, 2014). "Sounders see USL Pro as better environment than MLS Reserve League". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "Portland & Seattle Launch USL PRO Teams" (Press release). Tampa, Florida: USL Pro. October 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Sounders FC 2 Names Ezra Hendrickson First Head Coach in Team History". SoundersFC.com (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  7. ^ "Sounders FC 2 debuts with thrilling 4–2 victory over Sacramento Republic FC". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  8. ^ "USL: Sounders 2's Darwin Jones hat trick, Timbers 2's Kharlton Belmar brace highlight Week 2 action". 30 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  9. ^ Ruiz, Don (April 19, 2013). "Sounders reserves could find home in Tacoma". The News Tribune. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. ^ Ruiz, Don (May 13, 2013). "Pro soccer has its day again in Tacoma". The News Tribune. p. 1.
  11. ^ Ruiz, Don (May 19, 2015). "Tacoma Stars partner with Tacoma Rainiers". The News Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Ruiz, Don (April 9, 2016). "Stadium could lure Sounders 2 to Tacoma". The News Tribune. p. B2. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  13. ^ Ruiz, Don (April 21, 2003). "Professional soccer could find South Sound home". The News Tribune. p. C8. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Milles, Todd (May 7, 2017). "Sounders, Rainiers partnership will bring S2 soccer team to Tacoma". The News Tribune. p. C6. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  15. ^ Milles, Todd (November 2, 2017). "Sounders 2 coming to Tacoma 2 years early — and to Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. p. A1. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  16. ^ McGrath, John (March 17, 2018). "Sounders 2 pleased to make themselves at home in Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. p. B3. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "S2 opens new era in Tacoma with 2–1 victory over archrival Portland" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. March 16, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  18. ^ Mondello, Joseph (October 15, 2018). "S2 By The Numbers: A breakdown of the 2018 USL campaign". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  19. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 30, 2019). "Sounders' second-division squad rebrands as Tacoma Defiance". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  20. ^ Hammond, Andrew (January 30, 2019). "Seattle Reign moving to Cheney Stadium, and the S2 team is changing its name". The News Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Chris Little promoted to Sounders FC 2 head coach" (Press release). Tacoma Defiance. January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  22. ^ "MLS NEXT Pro Unveils 21 Clubs for Inaugural Season". soundersfc.
  23. ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (2024-02-06). "Tacoma Defiance will play at Starfire in 2024". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  24. ^ Metro Parks Tacoma. "Heidelberg Sports Village". Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  25. ^ a b "Tacoma Defiance debuts new brand identity and jersey front partnership with MultiCare, as NWSL side Reign FC moves operations to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  26. ^ "S2 Frequently Asked Questions". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  27. ^ Clark, Dave (March 21, 2015). "Fan guide to Starfire and Tukwila". Sounder At Heart. SB Nation. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  28. ^ Ruiz, Don [@donruiztnt] (March 21, 2015). "Updated S2 attendance number: 2,951" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ a b McGrath, John (March 19, 2018). "Sounders 2 pleased to make themselves at home in Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  30. ^ Milles, Todd (November 2, 2017). "Sounders 2 coming to Tacoma 2 years early — and to Cheney Stadium". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  31. ^ Baker, Geoff (May 6, 2017). "Sounders and Rainiers baseball team reach deal on soccer-specific stadium in Tacoma to host USL team". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  32. ^ Needles, Allison (July 26, 2019). "$300M plan would build Tacoma soccer stadium, sports complex with public, private money". The News Tribune. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  33. ^ Larson, John (November 15, 2018). "Soccer stadium could be reality by 2020". Tacoma Weekly. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  34. ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (December 20, 2021). "Tacoma soccer stadium isn't quite dead, Rainiers president insists". Sounder at Heart. Vox Media. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  35. ^ Bell, Gregg (December 15, 2021). "OL Reign moving pro women's soccer out of Tacoma, back to Seattle to play at Lumen Field". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (December 19, 2021). "OL Reign's departure to Seattle leaves Defiance's future in Tacoma a question mark". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  37. ^ "MLS NEXT Pro Announces 2022 Schedule for its Inaugural Season" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. February 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  38. ^ Clark, Dave (March 14, 2023). "Defiance unveil 2023 schedule, rule changes". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  39. ^ Evans, Jayda (February 16, 2022). "Sounders FC unveils plans for new training facility and team headquarters at Longacres in Renton". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  40. ^ Baker, Geoff (May 6, 2017). "Sounders and Rainiers baseball team reach deal on soccer-specific stadium in Tacoma to host USL team". Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  41. ^ a b Pentz, Matt (May 25, 2016). "S2 general manager Andrew Opatkiewicz has taken leave of absence from club". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  42. ^ Pentz, Matt (November 13, 2014). "Ezra Hendrickson named Sounders 2 head coach". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  43. ^ Clark, Dave (February 28, 2017). "Kurt Schmid moving out of father's shadow, promoted to S2 GM". SounderAtHeart.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  44. ^ Arthur, Ben (February 26, 2021). "Wade Webber, former USL-era Seattle Sounders player, named Tacoma Defiance head coach". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  45. ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (January 15, 2024). "Defiance hire Hervé Diese to be next head coach". Sounder at Heart. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  46. ^ "2023 Roster". Tacoma Defiance.
  47. ^ "Tacoma Defiance Coaches". SoundersFC.com. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  48. ^ "Tacoma Defiance Team Stats". USL Championship. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  49. ^ "Conference Standings". MLS Next Pro. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
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