Braudilio brilliant as hat trick lifts Defiance over Sporting KC II
By Jason Fridge, edited by Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA - What started out as a cloud filled rainy day turned into a perfect scene for soccer on Wednesday night. As the sun set on Starfire Stadium, PNW soccer fans gathered in the stands to watch some of the future stars of their beloved Seattle Sounders FC.
The Tacoma Defiance returned home after a quick road trip, playing host to Sporting Kansas City II in a MLS Next Pro Western Conference matchup. Tacoma kept up with their momentum from a hot July, taking down SKC II 3-1 on the backs of a Braudílio Rodrigues hat trick and stifling defensive effort. This gives the Defiance their third straight win after kicking off August with a victory in PKs on the road against rival Portland Timbers 2. With their win, the Defiance sit only one point behind second place Austin FC II in the Western Conference standings.
Hitting their stride
The Defiance started the first half by controlling possession around the midfield, but were unable to successfully get attacks into the box and put pressure on SKC II goalkeeper Ethan Bandre. Tacoma had early opportunities where they broke through the back line, but speedy recovery from SKC II halted any chances for shots on goal.
SKC II set the tone early by countering Tacoma’s time of possession with aggressive offensive bursts which saw them getting good looks at the goal. Josh Coan was leading the effort for SKC II out of the midfield, as he was constantly setting himself up, both with and without the ball to send crosses and shots in towards the box. Though they had a clear presence in the offensive end, SKC II was unable to get quality looks on goal as it always seemed there was a Defiance player in the perfect position to make a play and clear balls out of the box.
After an SKC II free kick in the 29th minute was shut down by Defiance goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley, Tacoma immediately went on the counter attack where striker Braudilio Rodrigues sent an outside rocket into the top left corner to get the Defiance on the board. This would be the lone tally of the first half and sent Tacoma into the halftime break with momentum on their side and a 1-0 lead in hand.
A one goal lead would not normally jump off the page as a momentum swinging occasion, but coming out of the halftime break Tacoma would take their lead and run away with the game.
Just over a minute after play resumed, Tacoma was able to work the ball all the way from the defensive zone and Travian Sousa found a cutting Rodrigues in the box for an easy tap in goal. The crowd at Starfire only got louder as moments later the Defiance forced a turnover and Snyder Brunell hit Rodrigues in stride once again, tucking the ball smoothly in the back of the net to complete his hat trick for the night.
In the 68th minute, Travian Sousa received his second yellow card on a challenge in their defensive end and put the Defiance down a player for the remainder of the game. SKC II would take advantage of this man advantage when a scrum situation in the box gave Vitor Dias time to tap in a loose ball in the 81st minute to deny Lapsley his fifth career clean sheet.
Even playing down a player, Tacoma stayed firm on defense and had multiple occasions where they were set up in a prime position to keep their lead growing. As the final whistle sounded, Defiance fans rejoiced as the team improved to their impressive 7-1-2 record at home.
Turning defense into offense
On paper, SKC II dominated the game through their time of possession and high volume of shots. They finished the game outshooting Tacoma 21-10 with 25 total crosses, most of which were either deflected out of bounds or cleared out of the box before finding the goal. In only his second start of the season, Lapsley logged four saves with most being routine due to his defenses efforts.
The major key that allowed Tacoma to take over the game without dominating possession was their speed in transition and precise ball movement as they ran up and down the field. In every scoring situation for the Defiance, they took advantage of an out of position SKC II to find number advantages and found lanes where they could get their feet open to make a play. Rodrigues’ three goals stand on the back of full team efforts that saw the ball moving up and down the field at a rapid speed. The team was able to make the most out of all their opportunities, and although they only recorded 10 shots all game, the quality of their shots made it seem effortless to add points on the scoreboard.
With his thrilling performance, Rodrigues now has 10 goals on the season which positions him in a tie for fourth in the MLS Next Pro. The first year Defiance player has solidified his position as a top player in the league, as his name seems to constantly echo around Starfire when he adds another tally into the goal column.
What’s next?
Tacoma returns to Starfire for another tilt against Colorado Rapids 2 Sunday night. Colorado sits at the top of the Western Conference with a record of 13-3-5, with one of those losses coming at the hands (feet?) of the Defiance back in June. Tacoma is only seven points behind Colorado in the standings, and as the regular season winds down every win gives them better positioning for the MLS Next Pro playoffs that will start in October.
The Defiance seem to be finding their groove at the right time and will look to continue building on their successes through the month of August.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game against Colorado is scheduled for 8:00 PM PST.