Defiance player reviews: Kalani Kossa-Rienzi

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.

A first-round pick in last year’s SuperDraft, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi impressed coaches with a solid showing during preseason and was one of the final players to be cut before the season. He turned out to be one of the Tacoma Defiance’s more steady performers and seems to have a decent chance of getting into the first team.

Born: June 27, 2002 (22)

2024 stats: 1 goal, 6 assists, 2,245 minutes.

Total professional minutes: 2,245

Year in review: After playing mostly as a defensive midfielder in college, the Sounders saw some potential in transitioning Kossa-Rienzi into a right back at the pro level. Although he moved around a bit, that is where he made 14 of 24 starts with Defiance and his one start with the Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup. In fact, it was his Open Cup start where he had his big highlight, scoring a late-winner against Phoenix Rising and punctuating it with a perfectly executed backflip. He faded a bit in the second half of the season, but then picked up two assists in the Defiance’s home playoff win over Ventura County.

If it all works out: Seeing Kossa-Rienzi run up and down the sideline, it’s not very hard to imagine him doing it for the first team. He’s clearly got the athleticism and he’s more technical than I think coaches expected. He’s also comfortable coming inside and providing more help in the midfield. If there’s a knock against him, I suppose it’s that he’s still a little undersized at 5-foot-6. Definitely a player worth watching, though.