 | |||
| Nickname | Defiance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | October 14, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-10-14)(as Seattle Sounders FC 2) | ||
| Stadium | Starfire Sports Complex | ||
| Capacity | 4,500 | ||
| Owner | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| Head coach | Hervé Diese | ||
| League | MLS Next Pro | ||
| 2025 | 12th, Western Conference Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
TheTacoma Defiance, formerlySeattle Sounders FC 2, are an American professionalsoccer team based in thePuget Sound region inTukwila, Washington, United States. The team competes inMLS Next Pro, a league in the third tier of theUnited States soccer league system, as thereserve team ofSeattle Sounders FC. Formerly, 20 percent of the club was fan-owned through thenon-profit Sounders Community Trust.
The club was established in 2014 as Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2) and originally played atStarfire Sports in Tukwila. The team moved to Tacoma'sCheney Stadium in 2018 and was rebranded as the Defiance the following season. The club operates out of the Sounders headquarters and training facility atLongacres inRenton, Washington.
Seattle Sounders FC announced the creation of their reserve team on October 14, 2014, at an event held at theChihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle.[1][2] The new team would be named Seattle Sounders FC 2 (shortened to S2) and play inUSL 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, theStarfire Sports Complex inTukwila, 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 thePortland Timbers,T2, was also announced on the same day.[4][5] Sounders assistant coachEzra Hendrickson was named the team's coach on November 13, 2014.[6]
S2 played its inaugural match on March 21, 2015, winning 4–2 over the defending USL championSacramento Republic.Andy Craven notched the first goal in team history.[7] Their second game yielded the team's first shutout, a home game againstWhitecaps FC 2 that ended 4–0.Darwin Jones scored the team's firsthat-trick during the game.[8]
The owners of theTacoma Rainiers baseball team had expressed interest in hosting a lower-division soccer team at its ballpark,Cheney Stadium, or aseparate soccer stadium as early as 2013.[9] Cheney Field hosted anMLS Reserve League match between the Sounders andOrlando City SC reserve teams in May 2013, which brought an attendance of 2,174.[10] The Rainiers partnered with theTacoma 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 theirlower-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 referencesPoint Defiance Park and Tacoma's civic pride.[19]MultiCare Health System was named as the team's jersey sponsor andReign FC of theNational Women's Soccer League also announced a move to Cheney Stadium for the 2019 season.[20] Sounders FC Academy DirectorChris Little had been named as the team's new head coach a week earlier, replacing John Hutchinson.[21]
The club announced on December 6, 2021, that it was joining the inaugural 21-teamMLS 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.[23] A proposal to move the team toSpokane, Washington, was considered by the Sounders and a prospective local partner who ultimately chose to create aUSL League One team.[23][25]
The Tacoma Defiance branding was unveiled on January 30, 2019, replacing the original S2 brand that was inherited from the Sounders. The name referencesPoint Defiance Park, a major park with gardens, azoo and aquarium complex, and severalmarinas. The club's crest is a black circle featuring an image of a stylized ship, based onUSS Point Defiance, in the foreground and the tentacles of aGiant Pacific octopus surrounding it.[26]
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.[27] 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".[26]
S2 initially played its home matches atStarfire Sports Complex's main stadium, which seats 3,500 spectators and is located in the suburb ofTukwila, Washington. The complex was also used bySeattle Sounders FC for training and non-MLS matches as well as the club's academy teams.[28] The largest attendance for an S2 game at Starfire was 2,951, set on March 21, 2015.[29] By the 2017 season, the team was averaging below 1,000 spectators for matches at Starfire.[30]
In 2018, the team moved toCheney Stadium inTacoma, Washington, a 6,000-seat ballpark and the existing home of theminor league baseball teamTacoma Rainiers.[30] 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.[31] S2 would continue training at Starfire in Tukwila alongside the first team.[32]
S2 was renamed to the Tacoma Defiance in 2019 amid plans to build a permanentsoccer-specific stadium for them and the NWSL'sOL 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.[33] The preliminary plan for the stadium complex, which would open in 2021, was approved byMetro Parks Tacoma in 2018;[34] work on the complex was suspended in 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic but was later expanded to a larger stadium to meet NWSL requirements.[35] OL Reign later moved back toLumen Field in Seattle for the 2022 season and left the stadium project.[36][37]
The Defiance played all but two of their home matches in theinaugural 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.[37][38] The team moved all of their home matches to Starfire for the 2023 season.[39] The Defiance moved their home matches and training facilities to the new Sounders training center inRenton atLongacres in 2024.[40][41]
The ownership of the club is composed of two groups. The majority owner is the Sounders FC organization, with thenon-profit Sounders Community Trust owning minority share of 20%.[2] Since 2017, the business operations of the Defiance is under the management of theTacoma Rainiers, aTriple-A baseball affiliate of theSeattle Mariners, while soccer operations are managed by the Sounders.[42]
Andrew Opatkiewicz was hired as the General Manager in October 2014, having experience withSeattle Wolves FC (now Washington Crossfire).[43] Retired MLS veteran defender and former Assistant Coach and Reserve team coach ofSeattle Sounders FC,Ezra Hendrickson, was announced as the head coach of S2 on November 13, 2014.[44]
Opatkiewicz took an indefinite leave of absence from the team in May 2016 and Kurt Schmid, the formerSeattle Sounders FC head scout and son of then-coachSigi Schmid, was named as S2 GM on an interim basis.[43] Prior to the start of the2017 USL season, Schmid was formally named the S2 GM andJohn Hutchinson was added as an assistant coach onHendrickson's staff.[45]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 theColorado Rapids and was replaced by assistantWade Webber.[46] Webber left the position in November 2023 and was replaced two months later byHervé Diese, a former assistant coach forCF Montreal andAngel City FC.[47]
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | MF |  USA | Ryan Baer(on loan atRichmond Kickers) |
| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Hervé Diese |
| Assistant coach | Michael Morris |
Statistics include the regular season and playoffs in theUSL Championship andMLS Next Pro.[50][51]
| 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 |
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2022) |
| Rank | Name | Goals[A] | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Mathers | 14 | 9 | 37 |
| 2 | Darwin Jones | 12 | 2 | 26 |
| 3 | Andy Craven | 8 | 7 | 23 |
 David Estrada | 11 | 1 | 23 | |
| 5 | Irvin Parra | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| 6 |  Felix Chenkam | 9 | 1 | 19 |
| 7 |  Pablo Rossi | 8 | 2 | 18 |
| 8 | Myron Samuel | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 9 | Ray Saari | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 10 | Victor Mansaray | 5 | 3 | 13 |
Bolded players are currently on the Sounders FC 2 roster.
A Two points awarded per goal.
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 |
