The Tacoma Defiance will get a dream matchup in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup, after it was announced on Thursday that they will host the Portland Timbers in the Round of 32. The match will be played on May 6 at 7 PM. It marks the first time in history that an MLS Next Pro affiliate team has played a MLS team in a competitive match.
The winner of that match will then play the winner of Sacramento Republic-San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16. The Defiance earned their spot in the Round of 32 by beating the Oakland Roots, 2-1, on Tuesday. They also beat Washington Athletic Club and Spokane Velocity in earlier rounds.
The Sounders will likely bolster the Defiance roster with several loanees. All players on the supplemental roster are eligible for loans from MLS teams to their MLS Next Pro affiliates. In previous rounds, Cody Baker, Andrew Thomas, Leo Burney, Stuart Hawkins and Travian Sousa have been loaned to the Defiance. With Baker serving a suspension after his red card against the Roots, Reed Baker-Whiting or Kalani Kossa-Rienzi could take his spot. Paul Rothrock and Obed Vargas are also technically eligible, but would seem longer shots as they’ve been starting regularly for the first team.
As it is, the Defiance are the last remaining MLS Next Pro team in the tournament. The only other Division 3 teams still alive are USL League One sides Union Omaha, Alta AV and Chattanooga Red Wolves. Omaha visits St. Louis City FC, Alta AV are hosting FC Dallas while Chattanooga are playing at Nashville SC. The last remaining Division 3 team will receive a $50,000 bonus from U.S. Soccer.
This will be the fifth time the Timbers have played an Open Cup match at Starfire, but the first time since 2017. The Sounders went 3-1 against the Timbers in those matches.
