The Tacoma Defiance were forced to settle for a single point after falling in a shootout with LAFC2 in Saturday at Lumen Field. The Defiance appeared to be cruising to victory early when they took a 2-1 lead and then went up a man after a red card to Christian Diaz in the 40th minute.
Rather than taking control of the match at that point, the Defiance fell part. They didn’t even get to halftime with the lead as LAFC equalized in first-half stoppage time and then gave up two more unanswered goals to go behind 4-2 in the 65th minute.
Defiance were able to mount a comeback at least, getting goals from reserves Gio Miglietti and an equalizer from Elias Kastaros at 90+3’ to send it to a shootout at 4-4. But Tino Lopez had his kick saved in the second round of the shootout and LAFC converted all five of theirs to claim the bonus point.
Highlights
Key performers
Dylan Teves: The Sounders midfielder did exactly what you’d expect of a first-teamer playing in MLS Next Pro. His goal was extremely well taken and he played mostly mistake free in his 72 minutes, completing 28/29 passes, going 4/6 on dribbles and winning 6/11 duels. It’s still not clear how he fits with the first team but you can at least rely on him to give an honest performance.
Georgi Minoungou: Coming off the bench for an injured Snyder Brunell, Minoungou again showed his upside. His goal came on a breakaway where he got behind the defense and then dribbled around the goalkeeper near midfield before passing it into an open net. He was a handful for the LAFC defenders all game, drawing the red card, nearly drawing a penalty and going 5/8 on dribbles. Although he only won six duels, his effort showed in getting into 14 of them.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi: This was not a perfect match by any stretch for Kossa-Rienzi, who whiffed badly on one of LAFC’s goals and was part of a defense that basically fell apart after Defiance went up a man. Still, you can see the potential without having to squint very hard. He had 117 touches, won 9/14 duels and was 85/97 passing that included 18 passes into the final third and the assist on Minoungou’s goal. But for Kossa-Rienzi to make the next step, he probably needs to be a bit cleaner when defending.
Stats
MATCH SUMMARY
Tacoma Defiance 4 (4) – LAFC2 4 (5)
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Venue: Lumen Field
Referee: William Hale
Assistants: Matthew Schwartz, Baboucarr Jallow
Fourth official: Aidan Velasco
Weather: 79 degrees and sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
LAFC – Tamir Ratovitz (Adrian Wibowo) 26’
TAC – Dylan Teves (Chris Aquino) 33’
TAC – Georgi Minoungou (Kalani Kossa-Rienzi) 36’
LAFC – Eddy Berumen 45+2’
LAFC – Adrian Wibowo (Nick Sullivan) 49’
LAFC – Christopher Jaime (Nick Sullivan) 65’
TAC – Gio Miglietti (Yu Tsukanome) 69’
TAC – Elias Katsaros (Travian Sousa) 90+3'
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
LAFC – Christian Diaz (ejection) 39’
TAC – Osaze De Rosario (caution) 55’
SHOOTOUT SUMMARY
LAFC – Javier Hernandez (scored)
TAC – Yu Tsukanome (scored)
LAFC – Adrian Wibowo (scored)
TAC – Antino Lopez (saved)
LAFC – Jude Terry (scored)
TAC – Travian Sousa (scored)
LAFC – Shakir Nixon (scored)
TAC – Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (scored)
LAFC – Bajung Darobe (scored)
LINEUPS & STATS
Tacoma Defiance – Jacob Castro; Blake Bowen, Antino Lopez – captain, Nathan (Elias Katsaros 62’), Travian Sousa; Sota Kitahara, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi; Chris Aquino (Yu Tsukanome 62’), Snyder Brunell (Georgi Minoungou 29’), Dylan Teves (Sebastian Gomez 73’); Osaze De Rosario (Gio Miglietti 62’)
Substitutes not used: Lars Helleren, Burke Fahling, Gallatin Sandes, Etienne Veillard
Total shots: 17
Shots on goal: 7
Fouls: 13
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 11
Saves: 4
LAFC2 – David Ochoa; Shakir Nixon, Adrian Sanders (Bajung Darobe 90+3’), Christian Diaz, Eddy Berumen; Tamir Ratoviz (Jude Terry 61’), Diego Rosales – captain, Christopher Jaime; Adrian Wibowo, Nick Sullivan (Emir Ponciano 81’), Luis Müller (Javier Hernandez 46’)
Substitutes not used: Aaron Meono, Adrian Aguilar, Charlie Rosenthal
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 8
Fouls: 9
Offside: 2
Corner-kicks: 6
Saves: 3
