Osaze De Rosario scored a brace, but it wasn’t enough as the Tacoma Defiance lost to Ventura County Fusion 3-2 in their MLS Next Pro season opener on Friday.
Ventura County opened the scoring in the 15th minute on what seemed like a play the Defiance had covered. On a floated cross, there seemed to be some miscommunication between goalkeeper Jacob Castro and his centerbacks, allowing the ball to bounce. Castro saved the initial shot but the rebound came out to Dylan Vanney, who converted the rebound.
Ventura County added a second goal early the second half after a nice combination of passes left Luis Müller with a look from close-range which he converted.
The Defiance got back on the board a few minutes later when De Rosario took advantage of some slopping passing out of the back. Under limited pressure, Ventura County goalkeeper Brady Scott attempted a pass in his own box that De Rosario easily picked off and finished first time.
Vanney added a second goal in the 71st minute, dribbling around Leo Burney at the top of the box and beating Castro from about 20 yards out.
De Rosario pulled one back when he finished nicely from a sharp angle off a Charlie Gaffney cross.
Ventura County had a chance to put the game away late when De Rosario was called for a handball. But Aaron Bibout sent the ensuing penalty over the bar.
The Defiance had one good chance to take advantage of that, but Yu Tsukanome’s shot from the top of the box sailed high.
Takeaways
Missing in the midfield: Without Snyder Brunell due to concussion protocols, the Defiance used a defensive midfield of Peter Kingston and Danny Robles, neither of whom have historically been defensive-minded players. Robles, in particularly, struggled and finished with just two defensive actions.
De Rosario’s strong start: Given the armband and coming off a preseason in which he traveled to Spain with the first team, De Rosario looked more confident than he did in most of his appearances last year. At 23, there’s still some genuine potential and his second goal shows the kinds of instincts the Sounders would love to see more of.
Home-opener: The Defiance will host The Town FC on March 14 in their home opener.
Highlights
Stats
MATCH SUMMARY
Tacoma Defiance 2 – Ventura County FC 3
Friday, March 7, 2025
Venue: William Rolland Stadium
Referee: Corbyn May
Assistants: Cameron Siler, Emmanuel Padilla
Fourth official: Mark Verso
Weather: 52 degrees and clear
SCORING SUMMARY
VCFC – Dylan Vanney 15’
VCFC – Luis Müller (Thomas Musto) 52’
TAC – Osaze De Rosario 56’
VCFC – Dylan Vanney (Luis Müller) 71'
TAC – Osaze De Rosario (Charlie Gaffney) 79’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TAC – Birame Diaw (caution) 81’
LINEUPS & STATS
Tacoma Defiance – Jacob Castro; Charlie Gaffney, Leo Burney, Kaito Yamada, Travian Sousa (Birame Diaw 75’); Danny Robles; Peter Kingston, Jackson Khoury (Edson Carli 66’), Yu Tsukanome, Sebastian Gomez (Joonmo Kang 56’); Osaze De Rosario – captain
Substitutes not used: Lars Helleren, Elias Katsaros, Ryan Baer, Etienne Veillard
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 3
Fouls: 8
Offside: 0
Corner-kicks: 4
Saves: 3
Ventura County FC – Brady Scott – captain; Jason Bucknor (Ethan Loomis 62’), Mateo Tsakiris, Ascel Essengue (Jose Luis Magana Jr. 62’), Christopher Rindov; Thomas Musto, Jeorgio Kocevski; Sean Karani (Eric Preston 62’), Dylan Vanney (Garcia Vicente 90+1’), Luis Müller (Nadar Jindaoui 74’); Aaron Bibout
Substitutes not used: Owen Pratt, Levon Saribekyan, Enrique Martinez, Ethan Loomis, Gabriel Arnold
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 6
Fouls: 11
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 7
Saves: 1
