Tacoma Defiance Advances Over Spokane Velocity to US Open Cup 3rd Round

The Tacoma Defiance eliminated Spokane Velocity in a close 2-1 extra time victory in the second round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday evening. The dynamic that captured people’s attention was the occasion being a USL League One vs MLS Next Pro fixture, where the supporters finally got to see how the Defiance matched up against Spokane. In the previous two meetings, Spokane Velocity were closely contested with USL League Two side Ballard FC, and therefore the Seattle Sounders’ second team were finally able to be measured to the USL League One side.

The match went into extra time after an electric final 15 minutes, and the winner was found at the 99th minute through an own goal in Tacoma’s favor. The winning goal was originally given to substitute Edson Carli, but was later revised to an own goal.

"We trained specifically for this team (Spokane Velocity), it's something that we don't normally do. We trained to our own strength, but we wanted to specifically exploit certain parts of their weaknesses and I think we got it right," said Defiance Head Coach Hervé Diese, talking about his message to his team to handle the pressure from Spokane.

Spokane Velocity Head Coach Leigh Veidman also spoke after the match, saying "No questioning the effort of this group, especially after a long trip east and then another away game for the Open Cup tonight. But, no excuses, Tacoma was the better team of the night, and we take our lessons and focus on being back home."

The first goal of the game came quick in the first half, where following beautiful one-touch play from the Defiance resulted in a third-minute goal by South Korean winger Joon-Mo Kang. A swift break from the Tacoma Defiance and smart passing play allowed Kang an easy tap in following a squared ball. 

Following Tacoma’s opening goal, the Velocity were able to establish a foothold and win a number of opportunities, gaining momentum and testing the Defiance defense and goalkeeper Jacob Castro.

Goalkeeper Jacob Castro spoke about the team's mentality during the game, following Spokane's pressure and momentum to get back into the game: "We just want to stick to our principles ... we knew how to win this game, as long as we were disciplined in what we were doing and our plan. It works, so it was good to turn it around in the second half."

Spokane found their hard-fought equalizer at the 78th minute after a relatively even second half, with midfielder Luis Gil finding Castro’s bottom corner. Before Gil's equalizer, the game felt a lot more calm than the final 15 minutes. After Gil's goal, a seemingly content Defiance woke up and Spokane were ready to continue fighting. 

Goal-scorer Luis Gil spoke about the game: "Tough loss to take in OT. We could have been better in certain areas, but we have to move on now."

Into stoppage time, Spokane also followed through with a dangerous opportunity, looking to repeat their Round One victory, where they almost caught out Jacob Castro with a low ball inside a crowded box.

Tacoma were a bit unlucky with shots, hitting the crossbar on three separate occasions. An Edson Carti bullet was sent onto the crossbar at the 82nd minute, where the ball bounced off the left post immediately. Danny Robles hit the crossbar at the 89th minute with the ball bouncing downwards. Finally, the third time came with a Marky Hernandez header early into extra time.

When asked about his overall takeaways from the victory, Defiance Head Coach Hervé Diese highlighted that his players' resilience and character most stood out: "Hitting the post three times but going again and again, the defensive principles that we brought on, going from a back-four to a back-five, the three centerbacks did an extremely good job just giving us that stability."

The winning goal in extra time came through an own goal via a deflection off Marcelo Lage after a shot from Edson Carli. The entire Tacoma Defiance team, bench, and staff celebrated at the far corner of the field. Spokane’s press increased in the second half of extra time, finding themselves in the opposite position from the first round. A final overhead kick by Velocity, which did not test Castro, ended up being the final opportunity, and the second round ended 2-1 to the Tacoma Defiance.

Next, the Tacoma Defiance may face a tougher opponent, considering that the MLS first teams will be entering the Open Cup mix from round three. Both sides will resume respective league action over the weekend, with Spokane facing Portland Hearts of Pine at home on Saturday and the Defiance returning to Starfire Stadium to face the Whitecaps 2.

(More game photos coming soon)

Cover Photo: Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network