History of Tacoma Defiance in Timeline

Tacoma Defiance is an American professional soccer team located in Tukwila, Washington. They compete in MLS Next Pro, which is the third tier of the United States soccer league system, and serve as the reserve team for Seattle Sounders FC. Notably, a portion of the club, 20 percent, was previously fan-owned through the Sounders Community Trust, although the current status of fan ownership is not explicitly stated.

May 2013: MLS Reserve League match hosted at Cheney Field

In May 2013, Cheney Field hosted an MLS Reserve League match between the Sounders and Orlando City SC reserve teams, with an attendance of 2,174.

October 14, 2014: Creation of reserve team announced

On October 14, 2014, Seattle Sounders FC announced the creation of their reserve team, named Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2), which would play in USL Pro. The announcement was made at the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle.

October 2014: Andrew Opatkiewicz hired as General Manager

In October 2014, Andrew Opatkiewicz was hired as the General Manager for Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2).

November 13, 2014: Ezra Hendrickson named team coach

On November 13, 2014, Ezra Hendrickson was named the coach for Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2).

2014: Club Established

In 2014, the club was established as Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2) and originally played at Starfire Sports in Tukwila.

March 21, 2015: Inaugural match

On March 21, 2015, S2 played its inaugural match, winning 4–2 over the defending USL champion Sacramento Republic, with Andy Craven scoring the first goal in team history.

May 2016: Opatkiewicz takes leave of absence

In May 2016, Andrew Opatkiewicz took an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

May 6, 2017: Agreement to relocate reserve team

On May 6, 2017, the Sounders and Rainiers announced an agreement to relocate the reserve team to Tacoma upon completion of a new soccer-specific stadium by 2020.

November 2017: S2 to temporarily play at Cheney Stadium

In November 2017, following the USL's announcement to refuse waivers for teams with smaller venues, the Sounders announced that S2 would temporarily play at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma beginning in the 2018 season.

2017: Attendance below 1,000 spectators

By the 2017 season, the team was averaging below 1,000 spectators for matches at Starfire.

2017: Kurt Schmid formally named GM

Prior to the start of the 2017 USL season, Kurt Schmid was formally named the S2 GM and John Hutchinson was added as an assistant coach.

2017: Business operations under Tacoma Rainiers management

Since 2017, the business operations of the Defiance is under the management of the Tacoma Rainiers.

March 16, 2018: Debut at Cheney Stadium

On March 16, 2018, S2 debuted at Cheney Stadium with a sellout crowd of 6,049.

2018: Plan approved by Metro Parks Tacoma

In 2018, the preliminary plan for the stadium complex, which would open in 2021, was approved by Metro Parks Tacoma.

2018: Team moved to Cheney Stadium

In 2018, the team moved to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington, a 6,000-seat ballpark.

January 30, 2019: Club re-branded as Tacoma Defiance

On January 30, 2019, the club was re-branded as the Tacoma Defiance, with MultiCare Health System named as the team's jersey sponsor. Reign FC also announced a move to Cheney Stadium for the 2019 season.

2019: Chris Little named head coach

Chris Little was named the head coach of S2 shortly before its rebranding as the Defiance in 2019.

2019: S2 renamed to Tacoma Defiance

In 2019, S2 was renamed to the Tacoma Defiance amid plans to build a permanent soccer-specific stadium.

2020: Work suspended on complex

In 2020, work on the stadium complex was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but was later expanded to a larger stadium to meet NWSL requirements.

2020: Stadium construction by 2020

On May 6, 2017, the Sounders and Rainiers announced an agreement to relocate the reserve team to Tacoma upon completion of a new, 5,000-seat soccer-specific stadium by 2020.

February 2021: Chris Little left the organization

In February 2021, Chris Little left the organization to become an assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids.

December 6, 2021: Club joins MLS Next Pro season

On December 6, 2021, the club announced it was joining the inaugural 21-team MLS Next Pro season starting in 2022.

2021: Stadium Complex in 2021

The stadium complex, which would open in 2021, was approved by Metro Parks Tacoma in 2018.

2022: Move back to Starfire

In 2022, as a result of Minor League Baseball rules rendering Cheney unavailable and the abandonment of the Tacoma soccer stadium project, the Defiance relocated back to Starfire.

2022: OL Reign moved back to Lumen Field

OL Reign moved back to Lumen Field in Seattle for the 2022 season and left the stadium project.

November 2023: Wade Webber left the position

In November 2023, Wade Webber left the position as coach.

2023: Home matches at Starfire for 2023 season

The team moved all of their home matches to Starfire for the 2023 season.

2024: Defiance plan to move

In 2024, the Defiance plan to move to the new Sounders headquarters and training facility at Longacres in Tukwila.

2024: Defiance plan to move home matches

The Defiance plan to move their home matches and training facilities to the new Sounders training centers at Longacres in Tukwila when it opens in 2024.