The Tacoma Defiance will face Ventura County FC – the LA Galaxy’s second team – in the first round of the MLS Next Pro Playoffs on Oct. 20 at Starfire Stadium. The Defiance (13-10-5) are the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, while Ventura County (8-9-11) are No. 6.
Unlike most leagues, MLS Next Pro allows higher-seeded teams to select their playoff opponents. As the No. 4 seed, the Defiance were assigned the only team that was otherwise unpicked.
The Defiance were the top-scoring team in MLS Next Pro this year with 59 goals, while Ventura County was tied for the league-lead with eight shootout wins. In fact, it was their 8-3 shootout record that boosted them into the playoffs, as those points lifted them over two teams with more regulation wins.
In three meetings during the regular season, the Defiance went 0-2-1 against Ventura County in a trio of relatively high-scoring affairs. In the most recent meeting on Aug. 18 at Starfire Stadium, the teams tied 2-2 with the Defiance emerging victorious from the shootout. Ventura County won the two games in Southern California by a cumulative score of 8-4.
This is the third consecutive season in which the Defiance have qualified for the postseason. Last year, they advanced to the Western Conference semifinals after beating Houston Dynamo 2 in the quarterfinals.
Ventura County, who finished last in their first season in the MLS Next Pro Western Conference last year, last made the playoffs in 2020 when they were in the USL Championship. The last time they actually won a playoff game was in 2016, when they advanced all the way to the USL Pro championship game.
Although the Sounders and Galaxy have two of the oldest affiliate teams in MLS, this will be the first time they’ve met in the postseason.
