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 virtual unknown when he signed with the Defiance during the offseason, Tsukanome showed some flashes of genuine brilliance and was a useful player off the bench.
Born: Dec. 21, 2000 (23)
2024 stats: 5 goals, 3 assists, 1,572 minutes
Total professional minutes: 1,707 minutes
Year in review: There were stretches of this season when Tsukanome was arguably the Defiance’s most effective attacker. He had three golas in his first four games and was sitting on five goals and three assists on July 20. But he was kept off the scoreboard during the final three months of the season. That was possibly due to moving around a fair amount and he ended up with starts at four different attacking positions.
If it all works out: He’ll be 24 by the end of the year, which is probably a little late for him to evolve into a MLS player at this point. Still, he’s clearly a useful player and will provide some more veteran leadership for the Defiance as they head into 2025. It would not be at all surprising to see him move elsewhere, perhaps in the USL Championship during the 2025 season.
