Forward Riley Lynch extended The Town FC’s lead to two in the 42nd minute, scoring his third goal of the season. Lynch’s heroics helped his team gain critical ground in the Western Conference standings.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Under the blistering heat and on a two-game slide, The Town FC knew it needed to regroup against Tacoma Defiance, the very same team it had fallen to in heartbreaking fashion back on Apr. 25.
But two first-half goals, stout defense and a thirst for revenge led The Town FC (4-4-4, 18 points) to a favorable 2-1 result over Tacoma (5-7-1, 17 points), as the Bay Area side recorded its first regulation win since May 12. Both teams appeared to be polar opposites; The Town FC — the defensive juggernaut — entered the game with a mere 10 goals scored but only 12 allowed, while the Defiance — the offensive force — had tallied 20 goals with 25 conceded.
In the 13th minute, midfielder Alexander Chow — who made his second consecutive start in the wake of star midfielder Cruz Medina’s absence — helped give The Town FC an early advantage. Chow first received a cross and then fired the ball past goalkeeper Jacob Castro into the net. Since the shot ricocheted off defender Blake Bowen, it was credited as an own goal. Nonetheless, Chow contributed to the score — his second time doing so in the last two games — as he tallied an assist last time out.
“I’ve been working toward this since the start of the season,” said Chow. “It’s good to get a goal in front of the fans.”
The Town FC only continued to apply pressure to the Defiance’s back line in the first half, firing passes into the 18-yard box one after another. Forward Riley Lynch — the contributor to many of the team’s early chances and the eventual Adidas Man of the Match — capitalized on a 42nd-minute sequence by tapping in The Town FC’s second score off his left foot. Notching his third goal of the season, Lynch is now tied for the team lead.
“From the very beginning, we entered the field with the mentality to compete, be confident, communicate and organize ourselves,” said head coach Daniel DeGeer. “We needed to eliminate some of the dangerous players they had.”
With a solid 2-0 lead at halftime, The Town FC was in a position to hand Tacoma just its third shutout of the year. But following a string of offensive opportunities, in second-half stoppage time, Defiance defender Antino Lopez put his team on the board by deflecting a shot off the crossbar and into the net, setting up late-game drama at PayPal Park. But the home squad stood tall for the final moments and held on to its lead, taking a crucial match against a fellow team in the playoff race.
Goalkeeper Jacob Jackson made his third Town FC start and registered his second win. Following a performance against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (5-4-3, 19 points) where he allowed three goals, the 24-year-old made two saves against Tacoma to hold down the fort.
“It felt good to get a bounce-back win after a couple of losses,” said Lynch. “We played well against Vancouver but just didn’t get the three points, so it’s a good feeling to put on a solid performance and get a win tonight.”
Aside from several shots, The Town FC managed to limit star midfielder Faysal Bettache’s production. Bettache scored against The Town FC in the first meeting and has posted six total goals this season, which is near the top of the MLS NEXT Pro leaderboard. And, despite being outshot 15-7, The Town FC’s defensive core repeatedly disrupted the Defiance’s chances, holding the usually productive offense to a dry spell for over 90 minutes.
The result extended The Town FC’s undefeated home streak to five games, with two wins and three draws.
“The guys are taking pride in playing at home,” said DeGeer. “We’ve got this place where we should feel confident, be ourselves and get three points every time.”
The Town FC’s victory also moved it from ninth place to seventh in the Western Conference, and back into a playoff spot. DeGeer’s group will face Los Angeles FC 2 (6-4-2, 21 points) on the road next, the team The Town FC edged out in a shootout following a scoreless tie in regulation back on May 19.
The Town FC will venture south to Titan Stadium in Fullerton, California, to face fifth-place LAFC2 on June 23. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
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MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
The Town FC 2 – 1 Tacoma Defiance
PayPal Park
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Scoring Summary:
TTFC (1-0) – B. Bowen 13’ (OG)
TTFC (2-0) – R. Lynch 42’
TAC (2-1) – A. Lopez 90 + 3’
Misconduct Summary:
TTFC – E. Mendoza (Caution) 25’
TAC – T. Sousa (Caution) 31’
TTFC – A. Edwards (Caution) 68’
TTFC – E. Blancas (Caution) 90 + 4’
TAC – Daroma (Caution) 90 + 4’
The Town FC: J. Jackson (GK), R. Ibarra, A. Cano, S. Bilter, J. Garcia (K. Oseguera – 77’), A. Chow (J. Spivey – 72’), E. Mendoza, E. Blancas (C), R. Lynch, J. Donnery (D. Fregoso Bautista – 87’), A. Edwards (S. Navarrete – 77’)
Substitutes not used: J. Nicolson, R. Tsunehara, S. Chavira, C. Arseni Metelitsa
SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 1; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
Tacoma Defiance: J. Castro (GK), B. Bowen (E. Katsaros – 72’), A. Lopez, B. Aguilar, T. Sousa, F. Daroma, K. Kossa-Rienzi, C. Aquino (B. Rodrigues – 72’), F. Bettache (C), G. Minoungou (O. O’Malley – 81’), D. Teves (Y. Tsukanome – 62’)
Substitutes not used: L. Helleren, B. Fahling
SHOTS: 15; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; FOULS: 8; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 0