The Defiance traveled to California to face LAFC 2 and played an entertaining game with lots of goals, but lost by a score of 4-3. The lineup more closely resembled the normal starting XI with only Charlie Gaffney and Xavi Gnaulati called up to help fill out the first team bench.
The game began with the Defiance conceding after 10 minutes through unfortunate circumstances. Demian Alvarez was lined up at his usual right centerback position and was struggling to move after a big challenge. As he was trying to fight through the injury, LAFC 2 got the ball to Tommy Mihalic on a through-ball past the ailing Alvarez. Mihalic was then free in the prime assist zone to pick out a cross that was finished by Liam Lambert.
The Defiance answered in the 25th minute. Edson Carli collected a pass out of the back and turned his defender to progress the ball on the dribble before putting a perfectly weighted through-ball into the path of Mark Bronnik. Bronnik finished calmly in the corner of the net past the oncoming keeper. The even game state wouldn’t last long; 5 minutes later LAFC 2 grabbed their second lead of the game, this time with Mihalic scoring instead of assisting. LAFC 2 recovered the ball off some pressure and found Nathan Mardaresco at the top of the box. He drew both Jasper Winslow and Gallatin Sandnes, leaving Mihalic open for the slip pass and finish.
The three-goal first half ended up being the “slow” part of the game, with each team scoring twice more in the second half.
Tacoma were the protagonists coming out of the half, where Bronnik got his second of the game at the 53 minute mark. Rafael Jauregui got the ball down the left side and was able to put a simple centered cross to Bronnik around the penalty spot and he finished calmly. Then in the 68th minute, new signing Matthew Bell was played into the box on a nice backheel flick by Mark O’Neill. He then beat his defender inside on the dribble and put his shot under the diving keeper.
The defense was really struggling in this game though, and they couldn’t hold onto the lead or any points thanks to goals conceded in the 84th and 92nd minute. Both were scored by LAFC 2 attacker Marius Aiyenero, who beat Gallatin Sandnes in the air on each. The first was an open play cross that Aiyenero found after making the run on Sandnes back shoulder. The second was off a corner kick to the back post that Aiyenero straight up beat Sandnes to the header.
Defiance will be disappointed to drop this result to the team just above them in the standings. It will be a test for this team and the coaching staff to ensure this small two-game losing streak doesn’t snowball as they are right on the playoff line.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutions
- 11’ Drew Brown ⇆ Demian Alvarez
- 59’ Landon Lucero ⇆ Mark Bronnik
- 59’ Matthew Bell ⇆ Omar Hassan
- 84’ Saku Kitafuji ⇆ Edson Carli
Goals
- 10' LAFC 2 - ⚽Liam Lambert (Tommy Mihalic)
- 25’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Mark Bronnik (Edson Carli)
- 30’ LAFC 2 - ⚽Tommy Mihalic (Nathan Mardaresco)
- 53’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Mark Bronnik (Rafael Jauregui)
- 68’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Matthew Bell (Mark O’Neill)
- 84’ LAFC 2 - ⚽Marius Aiyenero (Ernesto Rodriguez)
- 90+2’ LAFC 2 - ⚽Marius Aiyenero (Liam Lambert)
Stats
Key performers
Mark Bronnik
Another Defiance game, another excellent performance by Mark Bronnik. The star striker for Defiance bagged two more goals, taking his season count to 11. He continues to show he can score in multiple ways, with his first goal a run in behind and his second a classic poacher’s goal. That is part of what makes Bronnik so exciting, is week after week he is showcasing new intricacies to his game. While he is now being asked about in Brian Schmetzer’s post game pressers, I agree with the coach and hope to see Bronnik continue his improvement throughout the year to make an impression with the first team in 2027.
Edson Carli
Carli got some minutes with the Sounders during Leagues Cup, and has returned to Defiance to continue his strong play. The highlight of his game was the fantastic play to create the first goal for Bronnik. He also is continually getting more usage in the team as he had 40 touches and completed 77% of his 30 passes. This is a next step in his progression, to have the game run through him so he can use his strong technical ability to create more chances every game.
Rafael Jauregui
The third head of this Defiance attack was also very strong on the night. While Carli provides more of the creativity in the attacking third, Jauregui provides a bit of bite from the front line. As is now his normal, he got involved in 11 duels and won 8 of them. He also showed his high soccer IQ by making strong runs, one of which led to his assist on Bronnik’s second goal. Jauregui was not as heralded as some of the other external signings to Defiance this year but he has really made an impression and has a flexibility to his game that could prove useful to a higher level.
