The 2026 season for Tacoma Defiance came to a close against San Jose Earthquakes II in the Western Conference play-in game. The loss was especially tough, given they battled back from three deficits to force penalties. However, Defiance were not clinical enough from the spot, only converting one spot kick.
After the opening 11 minutes, it looked like this would be a night to forget as sloppy play resulted in Tacoma being down early, 2-0. The first goal came down to an inability to clear the ball after a corner kick, with Tomo Allen eventually heading past Max Anchor from the six-yard box. The second was off a penalty given away by Tino Lopez, who looked a bit rusty to start the game after not having played since September 13th. He was closing out a Quakes II attacker on the side of the box and came in without enough control, getting his legs caught up and tripping his opponent.
Tacoma was able to shake off the slow start and turn things around through the rest of the first half, with Defiance starting to get a handle on the game and create chances of their own. They broke through in the 38th minute, when Matthew Bell made a dribble that got away from him but fell to Rafael Jauregui. He made a beautiful pull back to create some space and finished to the far post. The first comeback was completed soon after halftime when Charlie Gaffney got down the right side and completed a perfect cut back cross to Jauregui in the 51st minute. His put his shot low and hard past the keeper and earned him his second goal of the game.
The equal footing didn't last very long, with Quakes II taking back the lead 10 minutes later. Allen also got a brace with a highlight reel goal, where he put Mark O'Neill on the turf with a clean cut back and scored off the upper far post from outside the box. O'Neill made amends by securing the second Defiance comeback of the game with a towering header off a Gaffney corner in the 77th minute.
Regulation ended 3-3, and for the playoffs teams play the classic two 15 minute extra time halves rather than going straight to penalties. Extra time played out very similar, with Quakes II taking their third lead in the 104th minute off of another highlight reel goal. Jermain Spivey played a give-and-go with Zachary Bohane at the top of the box and put a long distance, outside of the boot finish in the side netting.
At this point, the Defiance players were looking gassed, but they earned their third comeback in the 111th minute. Substitute Drew Brown flicked a cross-field switch to O'Neill, who then played him back in the box on the underlap. Brown’s cross was deflected by the keeper towards the goal line, with a scramble and attempt to be clear it off the line. However, fellow substitute and highly regarded academy striker Landon Lucero was in the right place, blocking the clearance with his face to once again level the score.
The fighting spirit from Defiance ultimately fell flat in penalties, where only Edson Carli was able to convert his attempt while San Jose was successful with three of their four. While they fell in penalties, the grit and fight this team showed is a hallmark of the entire organization and the players should feel proud.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutions
- 45' Jasper Winslow ⇆ Demian Alvarez
- 45' Drew Brown ⇆ Codey Phoenix
- 70' Edson Carli ⇆ Matthew Bell
- 87' Landon Lucero ⇆ Mark Bronnik
- 89' Kevin Bonilla ⇆ Charlie Gaffney
- 103' Danny Robles ⇆ Xavi Gnaulati
Goals
- 6' Earthquakes II - ⚽Tomo Allen (Jacob Heisner)
- 11' Earthquakes II - ⚽Zachary Bohane
- 37' Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Rafael Jauregui (Matthew Bell)
- 51' Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Rafael Jauregui (Charlie Gaffney)
- 61' Earthquakes II - ⚽Tomo Allen (Edwyn Mendoza)
- 104' Earthquakes II - ⚽Jermaine Spivey (Zachary Bohane)
- 110' Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Landon Lucero
- 1st PK Tacoma Defiance - ❌Edson Carli
- 1st PK Earthquakes II - ⚽Julian Donnery
- 2nd PK Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Danny Robles
- 2nd PK Earthquakes II - ⚽Edwyn Mendoza
- 3rd PK Tacoma Defiance - ❌Kevin Bonilla
- 3rd PK Earthquakes II - ❌Gabriel Serra
- 4th PK Tacoma Defiance -❌ Jasper Winslow
- 4th PK Earthquakes II - ⚽Zachary Bohane
Stats
Key performers
Rafael Jauregui
Jauregui has at times been an unsung hero of the Defiance attack, but in this game he took the spotlight. Both of his goals showed technical skill as well as a high soccer IQ. Showing off his attacking prowess is great to see, as his calling card has been his exceptional defending from an attacking position. The effort was there all night as well, as he put in the work to play through the entire extra time and attempted 15 duels, though was only able to win 4 of them. As a newcomer to the team this year, he showed some very nice promise. If he stays with the organization, he is likely to need at least another year at the MLS Next Pro level, but he is one to keep an eye on as a late bloomer.
Charlie Gaffney
The academy right back/right wingback was again one of the primary sources of danger, as he created the most chances for the team with seven and had two assists on the night. This brought his total on the season to 10, which is incredible production and doesn't even take into account his three goals. Gaffney was one of the most important players for the team this year and did just about everything you could ask for. His position is fairly crowded at the first team level, but when a player puts up this type of year, it seems inevitable that he will get a chance to prove himself.
Mark O'Neill
O'Neill had a monster game in the center of the park, getting involved in so many aspects of the game. Defensively his numbers jump off the page: he had 8 defensive contributions, 4 tackles, 4 clearances, 1 interception and 2 recoveries. He also won 14 of his 26 duels. He was a man on a mission all game, and that was best exemplified on his equalizer, making the play to keep the game alive. O'Neill has been an important veteran on the team, showing flexibility to play different positions. This was evident tonight, where he lined up as a second striker in extra time to help get the final equalizer. He has maybe the hardest future to predict as he was one of the top players for the team but doesn't have a clear direction. No matter what happens this offseason, he best represented the grit of a Sounder.
