The Tacoma Defiance have signed midfielder Charles Dodzi, while also announcing that they have mutually parted ways with midfielder Antonio Herrera.
Dodzi, 19, comes to the Defiance from DME Academy in Florida, which is mostly known for helping aspiring players get into colleges. He was born and raised in Ghana, but was called into the United States U19 camp last year.
“We are excited for Charles to join Defiance,” Sounders Director of Development Wade Webber said in a team statement. “He is young, has an exciting profile as a midfielder and has demonstrated an encouraging eagerness and capacity to learn.”
At one point, Herrera was considered a reasonably high-level prospect and was a Mexican youth international during his first stint with the team in 2023 when he made 19 appearances. But he went on loan to Chivas’ U23 team last year and barely played.
Tacoma Defiance roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): Lars Helleren, Mohammed Shour
DEFENDERS (6): Demian Alvarez, Birame Diaw, Elias Katsaros, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Antino Lopez, Kaito Yamada*
MIDFIELDERS (11): Ryan Baer, Snyder Brunell, Charlie Gaffney, Sebastian Gomez, Omar Hassan, Charles Dodzi, Joonmo Kang, Peter Kingston, Jackson Khoury, Raffery Pedder, Danny Robles
FORWARDS (2): Osaze De Rosario, Yu Tsukanome
*On loan from Vissel Kobe
