Tacoma Defiance will be first to host professional sporting event in state since March
The Tacoma Defiance were the last sports professional team to play in Washington state before the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the landscape of sporting events nationwide this spring.
Cheney Stadium was nearly empty the evening of March 11, when the Defiance hosted San Diego Loyal SC, with only the players on the pitch, essential team and stadium personnel and a few local media members in attendance.
Earlier that day, Gov. Jay Inslee had announced his ban on gatherings of more than 250 people in three of the state’s most populous counties, including Pierce, meaning Cheney couldn’t accommodate its normal droves of fans. Some still showed up to watch from the hillside of neighboring Foss High School.
Quietly, the match went on. Francis Atuahene bookended the match with a pair of goals for San Diego. Defiance forward Justin Dhillon scored his first goal of the season in the 56th minute of the eventual 2-1 loss.
And that was it — the last professional sporting event played in Washington this spring.
With virus cases surging across the country, Major League Soccer, including Tacoma’s parent club, Seattle Sounders FC, announced the suspension of all operations the next morning. The USL Championship league followed suit.
Most professional leagues toppled by the afternoon, announcing cancellations or delays in play, and without a clear path forward, its three occupants — the Defiance, Tacoma Rainiers and OL Reign — all at a standstill, Cheney Stadium sat in silence for the next four months.
Saturday evening, it will finally reawaken. The Defiance, 129 days later, will also be the first professional team to resume in-state play when they host Portland Timbers 2 at 5 p.m. in Tacoma.
Per MLS, USL and county and state health protocols, the match will not be open to the public, but it will be broadcast live on ESPN+, as will each of the 13 matches remaining on the Defiance’s schedule this season.
Nick Cherniske, the assistant general manager of the We R Tacoma brand, said there is an obvious excitement swirling around the Defiance’s return.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s a chance for us to play a sport back on the field here at Cheney Stadium, bring sports back to Tacoma, and we’re really excited to have the opportunity.”
The circumstances, though, will be much different than when the Defiance played their first two matches of the season in early March.
Players, coaches, referees and other essential personnel on site much now abide by strict health and safety protocols.
USL Championship teams have separate protocols from MLS, but because the Defiance have contact with the Sounders, they will follow the same protocols as their parent club.
Seattle is currently being housed in the MLS bubble in Florida, competing in the MLS is Back Tournament, but will resume a revised version of its regular season schedule later this summer after the tournament’s completion, should MLS matches go on as planned.
Both the Sounders and Defiance practice, albeit in separate groups, at the Starfire Sports complex in Tukwila, and under normal circumstances, there is movement between the two teams.
While players cannot move in and out of the Florida bubble — the Sounders signed three players to their first team in June, including Defiance players Josh Atencio and Shandon Hopeau, partly in anticipation of this — having both teams follow the same COVID-19 protocols offered the safest solution moving forward.
“We’re excited to be back playing soccer,” Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey said by phone Friday of the Defiance returning to Tacoma. “We’re excited for our kids to continue our development program. It’s been a cornerstone of the franchise over the last four or five years.
“But equally important, we want to do it if it’s safe. ... We’re doing whatever we can to make sure we’re complying with all of the public health regulations, and to project a healthy and safe atmosphere.
“We are always cognizant of doing that and protecting the bubble around our players. Hopefully we can continue (to play) if we maintain that level of health and safety.”
When the Defiance are home, players who do not live locally could share apartments to reduce exposure, while others may remain with their families.
Like Sounders players, Defiance players will be tested every other day, and others with access to Cheney Stadium when the Defiance are home will answer health questionnaires and have their temperatures taken upon arrival.
Contact between all personnel who enter the stadium will be strictly limited and separate entrances will be set up for the Defiance, visiting teams and the referees.
“Getting the chance to bring back the team in any capacity is exciting,” Cherniske said. “Of course, under the given guidelines, and of course added pressure, and everything being so different than what we’re used to, there’s a bit of nerves.
“But, all of that said, I know we’ve put together a really good outline for the operation day-of and we’ll be able to fulfill all of the requirements and check all of the boxes. … I know we have the standards in place, and once we execute it, it will be copy and paste as we move to further matches.”
Following Saturday’s return, the Defiance (0-2-1) will play one more match at Cheney Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday against Reno 1868 FC before hitting the road for eight matches.
They played their first USL match since March on Monday, earning a 3-3 draw against Sacramento Republic FC in California.
“It’s exciting for them to have that kind of result” against a strong club after such a long break, Cherniske said.
“We’re hoping it leads to a lot of momentum as they have their first home match here in four months,” he said.
To reduce travel, the USL categorized teams into regional groups — the Defiance are grouped with Portland, Sacramento and Reno — and have scheduled few other games. The Defiance also play matches in Las Vegas and Utah during their road trip.
Because they travel commercially, the Defiance will bus to away matches in Portland, and follow airport and airline procedures when traveling farther. Lagerwey said players will have separate hotel rooms — they would normally share — and time spent at each location will be limited where possible.
While the Defiance are on the road, Cheney Stadium will be converted back to a baseball field, and the Seattle Mariners will host their taxi squad there for the duration of the MLB season.
The Defiance return to Tacoma for two more home matches on Sept. 27 and 30, and wrap up the regular season on the road in Reno.
Should Pierce County move into Phase 4 of Inslee’s reopening plan by late September, there could be an opportunity for fans to attend the final two home matches.
“There’s a long shot hope that maybe we get the chance to host some sort of fan in a limited capacity,” Cherniske said. “But, time is the only variable that will tell.”
