Tacoma Defiance returned from their two-and-a-half week break with an impressive win over league-leading Houston Dynamo 2 on a warm Wednesday night at Starfire, coming away with a 2-1 victory. Houston took an early lead off of a preposterous goal from distance by centerback Vinicius Silva in the 23rd minute, but an offensive outburst early in the second half produced goals from Mark Bronnik and Edson Carli in the 47th and 49th minutes which proved the difference.
Dynamo 2 entered this match with 31 points from 12 games, putting them atop both the Western Conference and combined league table, while Defiance were mired at the bottom end of the table in the West with only 14 points from 13 games, having lost the last game before their break, 1-0 away to Portland Timbers 2. They’d also lost their previous meeting with Houston, getting overrun to the tune of 4-0 on the road back in March.
The first half was pretty evenly contested, with Defiance holding 55% of possession and being credited for the half’s lone big chance on a header at the back post from Mark O’Neill off of a set piece, but his effort went just wide of the goal. The trouble was that Tacoma only took one other shot during the opening 45 minutes compared to the visitors’ 6, and one of those 6 shots found the back of the net for Houston. It was the most improbable shot to become a goal, but in the 23rd minute Dynamo 2 were somewhat innocuously knocking the ball around the edges of the final third until CB Vinicius Silva received the ball around 30 yards from goal within the width of the 18-yard box and smashed a worm burner across goal into the far bottom corner beyond the reach of goalkeeper Max Anchor.
Defiance sought an answer but found no joy during the rest of the first half, but took very little time to deliver a response coming out of halftime. Little more than a minute after kickoff, pressure from Charlie Gaffney created a turnover in Houston’s end. Houston were able to wrestle the ball back, but almost immediately Mark O’Neill was turning through pressure in midfield after Defiance picked up an attempted clearance. O’Neill played Gaffney down the right, who then played in a cross that dropped perfectly for Bronnik to head towards the far post from the edge of the 6-yard box and level the score.
A mere 90 seconds later Defiance had Houston in trouble once again. Dynamo 2 were attempting to play out of the back, but the pressure from the home side eventually resulted in Demian Alvarez taking the ball off of a Houston player after stepping up into their end, then playing a simple pass to Rafael Jauregui. Jauregui was immediately under pressure, but was able to turn and shield the ball, eventually drawing a foul about 25 yards from goal. Xavi Gnaulati and Edson Carli both stood over the resulting free kick, but it was Carli who took the shot. Carli’s left footed strike rose over the left side of the wall before curving in just under the bar to give Defiance a 2-1 lead with the bulk of the second half still to be played.
With Houston chasing the game Defiance ceded the ball, only keeping 39% of possession in the final 45 minutes, but managed to generate more threats even setting aside the two goals. Defiance out-shot Houston 11-6, had 3 big chances to 1, and put 4 shots on goal while Dynamo 2 only managed to put 2 of theirs on target, both of which were handled deftly by Anchor. Beyond that, and for all of Houston’s possession, Defiance were able to dial up the intensity and disrupt any rhythm the visitors hoped to build as they looked for an equalizer. In the second half Defiance committed 12 fouls to Houston’s 4 after only committing 6 during the first half to Dynamo 2’s 9. They had 12 tackles, 33 clearances, 30 recoveries and 5 interceptions, and more than the raw numbers it felt like they were winning every second ball.
It’s fair to assume that Paulo Nagamura and Joao Paulo will want the team to hold possession and dictate the game with the ball at their feet more than they did in this game, but the second half showed the sort of mentality you’d expect from a team led by that pair of former players. This win was the team’s fourth in their last seven games, having only lost twice and winning the shootout following a 2-2 draw against Sporting Kansas City II at the start of May. That puts them on a pace of 2 points per game over that stretch after not having won any of their opening 7 games, in which they lost five and drew two, with one shootout win. Tacoma are still on the outside looking in at the playoff field, but the gap between them in 11th and Real Monarchs SLC in 8th has shrunk to 4 points with a meeting between the two sides up next on the calendar on Sunday, June 21 at Starfire.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 58’ Houston Dynamo 2 - Myles Gardner ⇆ Mamadi Jiana
- 62’ Tacoma Defiance – Codey Phoenix ⇆ Brayden Smith
- 62’ Tacoma Defiance – Xavi Gnaulati ⇆ Mitchell Emert
- 79’ Tacoma Defiance — Mark Bronnik ⇆ Mark Bronnik
- 79’ Houston Dynamo 2 – Samir Mohammad ⇆ David Garcia
- 79’ Houston Dynamo 2 – Jahmani Bell ⇆ Alan Aparecido
- 85’ Houston Dynamo 2 – Gavin Wolff ⇆ Micah Harris
- 85’ Houston Dynamo 2 – Dohmann ⇆ Dylan Reyes
- 88’ Tacoma Defiance – Edson Carli ⇆ Landon Lucero
- 88’ Tacoma Defiance – Mark O'Neill ⇆ Danny Robles
Goals
- 23’ Houston Dynamo 2 – ⚽ Vinicius Silva (Isaac Mwakutuya)
- 47’ Tacoma Defiance – ⚽ Mark Bronnik (Charlie Gaffney)
- 49’ Tacoma Defiance – ⚽ Edson Carli
Stats
Key Performers
Edson Carli
Ping in a free kick like the one Edson Carli hit to take the lead, you’re a key performer just about regardless of what else you did. That wasn’t all Carli did in this game, though. He had two other shots, both of which were on target including one on the hour mark that looked like a sure goal after a nice play by Mark Bronnik, but Houston goalkeeper Logan Erb came up with a big time save to deny him his brace. Carli was credited with 3 chances created, had 3 passes into the final third, 11 touches inside the box, went 3/5 on dribbles, and completed 18/24 passes including 1/2 crosses and 3/3 long balls. He also had 3 tackles, 5 recoveries, and went 7/13 in ground duels. Carli is still young and still needs to refine his game and find a bit more consistency before he’s ready for the next step, but he’s clearly a player with a ton of potential.
Mark Bronnik
Mark Bronnik joined Defiance with plenty of excitement around the move, and for good reason. In two seasons with Union Omaha he showed himself to be a multi-tooled attacker, capable of playing across the front line with a good shot and a decent nose for goal. After scoring in the season opener against LAFC II and showing why the organization was interested him, the 19 year-old went on a run of 8 games without a goal contribution. Since finding the back of the net against Vancouver Whitecaps 2 and again in this game, he’s now got 2 goals in 205 minutes across his last 4 appearances. His goal was well taken against Houston, but more than that he created 2 chances with some nice technical ability, and while they don’t show up in the stat sheet, his willingness to press and defend from the front contributed to Houston’s inability to generate any sort of rhythm while they chased the game. Bronnik looked more like the player Defiance needs to lead the line in this game than he has previously, which is great news given Leonardo Flores Gonzalez’s commitment to play for Seattle University.
Max Anchor
There were other players deserving of mention, but Max Anchor’s two second half saves made the 2-1 scoreline stand up. He didn’t do it on his own, but after allowing a very good but frustrating goal he responded well. It’s fair to ding him for the goal – given the position from which the shot came, a goalkeeper shouldn’t be getting beat at the far post like that – but he more than made up for it. His distribution was solid, completing 18/23 passes including 4/9 long balls to help the side get out of some pressure and force the attack. Practicing with the Belgian national team may have given the young GK a boost in confidence, and his signing this offseason to be the third ‘keeper for the Sounders is looking like a good one.
