Elias Katsaros signs with Tacoma Defiance

Another day, another former Sounders Academy product signing with the Seattle Sounders organization out of San Diego State University. Today, Tacoma Defiance announced the signing of 20 year-old defender Elias Katsaros.

Katsaros is going on a decade of involvement with the Seattle Sounders in some capacity or another, having first joined the Sounders Discovery Program as a 12 year-old in 2014. While playing with the Academy he participated in high-level competitions and contributed to a legacy of success as part of the U17 teams that won the 2018 US Soccer Development Academy National Championship, the 2018 Generation Adidas Cup Premier Division, and the first MLS academy to with the GA Cup Champions Division in 2019, where he scored a goal in the team’s semifinal win over West Ham United.

Following his time with the Academy, Katsaros played collegiate soccer for three seasons while attending San Diego State University. He was a constant presence for the Aztecs throughout his three years in southern California, leading the team in minutes as a freshman during a shortened 2020 season, appearing in all 16 games in 2021 and making 13 appearances in 2022. Katsaros had 3 goals during his collegiate career, all of which came in the span of a few days in September 2022 — scoring his first goal against UNLV as SDSU won 5-0 on September 9, then scoring twice in a 2-1 win over the University of Denver on September 11.

Katsaros is a primarily left-sided centerback with a game that blends technical ability, athleticism and an ability to read and understand the game that is well-suited to the style of play preferred by the Defiance and throughout the Sounders organization. His signing brings Tacoma’s roster to 8 players signed directly to the MLS NEXT Pro team, 5 of whom are players from the Sounders Academy and 7 of whom come from the state of Washington.

As an additional note, Katsaros is the 13th member to turn pro from the 18-player U17 Sounders Academy team that won the GA Cup Champions Division in 2019. Six of those players are currently involved with the Sounders organization: Katsaros, Josh Atencio, Reed Baker-Whiting, Ethan Dobbelaere, Sota Kitahara, and Danny Leyva.

Tacoma Defiance roster and ages, as of Dec 16, 2022

Goalkeeper: Wallis Lapsley (25)

Defender: Cody Baker (18), Stuart Hawkins (16), Elias Katsaros (20), Travian Sousa (21), Hal Uderitz (23)

Midfielder: Juan Alvarez (18), Chris Aquino (16)