Don’t look now, but after beating Ventura County FC 1–0 at Starfire Stadium Tacoma Defiance have consecutive wins for the first time this season. Yu Tsukanome’s 19th minute goal proved to be the difference, while Max Anchor in goal and the defense in front of him did enough to make it stand up.
Defiance had the lone goal, but Ventura County had a pair of particularly dangerous moments in the first half. The first of those chances came in the 11th minute when forward Julian Palacias received a ball while running on goal in the pocket between Gallatin Sandnes and Codey Phoenix, but Anchor denied his attempt from about 10 yards out with his face. In the 36th minute, following some comfortable possession for Defiance a midfield turnover immediately turned into a wave of attack for Ventura County that culminated in another dangerous ball to Palacias. The forward seemed to have Anchor beat, but he put his shot off the crossbar.
The decisive moment came between those two VCFC chances, with a play that started from Mark O’Neill battling for a ball in midfield. A loose touch from a Ventura County player sent the ball in the direction of Rafael Jauregui who ran in for a 50/50 challenge and came away with the ball just inside the Defiance half. Jauregui drove into attack with Tsukanome for company before playing a little slip pass near the top of the box that let Tsukanome dribble his way around a couple of defenders and the goalkeeper before finding a space to slot the ball into the back of the net.
Ventura County piled on the pressure as they looked for an equalizer in the second half, racking up 73% of possession while outshooting Defiance 7–3 with 18 touches inside the penalty area to Defiance’s 9. For their efforts the better chances belonged to the home side with Defiance credited with the half’s only "big chance." Charlie Gaffney had a great look in the 75th minute when a quick 1–2 between substitute Omar Hassan and Tsukanome sprung Gaffney down the right wing before he cut inside and fired off a shot that went just wide of doubling the advantage.
The win not only marks consecutive wins, but also two straight games without conceding and leaves Defiance with three wins in their last five games. In that stretch they’ve gone 3-1-1, including a shootout win following a 2-2 draw against Sporting Kansas City II. They have a chance to keep the good times rolling when they head down to Providence Park to take on Portland Timbers 2 on Sunday, May 31.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 46’ Ryan Sailor ⇆ Jasper Winslow
- 68’ Edson Carli ⇆ Omar Hassan
- 74’ Gallatin Sandnes ⇆ Danny Robles
- 83’ Yu Tsukanome ⇆ Mark Bronnik
Goals
- 19’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Yu Tsukanome (Rafael Jauregui)
Stats
Key Performers
Rafael Jauregui
Rafael Jauregui may not have been literally perfect, but it’s hard to imagine there’s much Paulo Nagamura will take issue with from his performance. Jauregui assisted on the lone goal with a nice play, was credited with creating two big chances, completed 18 of 19 passes attempted and had 3 successful dribbles on 5 attempts. He added to that attacking work with 4 defensive contributions while getting into 14 ground duels and winning 7 of them. It was a great followup to his strong 45 minutes against Vancouver Whitecaps 2.
Yu Tsukanome
This hasn’t been the season that Yu Tsukanome would have hoped for following his outrageous 2025 where he scored 21 goals and added 5 assists across all competitions, which earned him a contract with the Seattle Sounders first team. In 2026 he has yet to see the field for the Sounders and after averaging 0.77 goals per 90 minutes last year, his strike rate has dropped to a still very respectable 0.53. In this game he provided the critical cutting edge on the goal, his fifth of the season, while also winning 4/9 ground duels and completing both of his dribbles. It wasn’t necessarily his best performance, but it was a good reminder of what he’s capable of.
Demian Alvarez
Demian Alvarez was all action deployed at right back, leading both teams with 16 defensive contributions. He had 8 clearances, 4 tackles (won 2), 2 blocks and 2 interceptions, along with 3 recoveries while winning 4/7 ground duels and 1/2 aerial duels. With his 56th minute yellow card it’s fair to say he was booked and busy. He got involved going forward as well, completing 4 of 6 long balls, making 3 passes into the final third and getting 3 touches in the box, as well as completing 21 passes on 25 attempts and creating one chance. With Charlie Gaffney largely being utilized in the attacking band and Cody Baker not always available as a first team player on loan, Alvarez making himself a reliable option at RB could be a real boon.
