Yu Tsukanome tied the Tacoma Defiance/S2 organization scoring record with his 17th goal of the season across all competitions on Thursday. The penalty, which he also drew, was roofed and gave the Defiance a 1-0 lead over the Vancouver Whitecaps 2. But the lead was short-lived as the Whitecaps equalized just a couple minutes later, took the lead a few minutes after that and added a late insurance goal into an empty net after Jacob Castro had joined the attack looking for an equalizer.
The loss leaves the Defiance seven points out of the final playoff spot with five games left to play. The Defiance have made the playoffs each of their previous three seasons in MLS Next Pro.
Tsukanome now has 14 goals in the MLS Next Pro regular season, which currently ranks second on the Defiance all-time list, one behind Braudilio Rodrigues who had 15 of his 17 goals in 2023 in the regular season. Tsukanome currently ranks second in the MLS Next Pro scoring charts, two behind Golden Boot leader Sam Sarver. Tsukanome also has three assists. Notably, the next two players on the all-time scoring list — Rodrigues and Sam Adeniran — were signed to first-team contracts after their then record-setting seasons.
The 24-year-old Japanese forward is in his second season with Defiance and has shown some impressive ability in and around the box. He has put himself into a prime position to be signed by the first team in the off-season.
As good as he’s been, the big question will be what position he plays at the next level. Although Tsukanome is listed as a center forward, he has played more as a withdrawn forward this year and may need to learn more wing play if he’s to break through.
