Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories looking at the individual performances of Defiance players who are under contract in 2025. You can find all the stories here.
Elias Katsaros finished his second season with Defiance after joining them out of San Diego State. The Sounders Academy product was in and out of the lineup.
Born: Jan. 3, 2002 (22)
2024 stats: 12 appearances, 1 goal, 640 minutes
Total professional minutes: 1,365
Year in review: For the second straight year, Katsaros played in fewer than half of the Defiance’s games. That said, he was the starter in the two playoff games at centerback. He ended up making just five starts, with four of those at centerback and the other at left back.
If it all works out: I’ll be honest, I’m a little surprised that Katsaros will be back in 2025. No offense to him, but it’s not very common for the Defiance to bring back a player of his age for a third season unless they see a lot of promise. But this is a player who didn’t even make the gameday squad for a third of the games and didn’t play in eight others. That said, he’s left-footed and apparently popular in the locker room and can provide some veteran leadership. But if he has a longer professional future, it’s probably somewhere outside the organization.
