Tacoma Defiance announced some serious news on Wednesday, officially signing two new midfielders, Jared Ríos and Matthew Bell. This isn’t some small deal either; these guys are coming in to make some noise for the Emerald City’s rising stars.
Ríos Is Coming To Solidify That Midfield
Jared Ríos, a 21-year-old out of Costa Rica, is hitting the field after turning pro in January 2025 with AD Municipal Liberia. Defiance Head Coach Paulo Nagamura ain’t holding back on the praise, calling Ríos “a box-to-box midfielder, ball winner and a dynamic prospect that can help us solidify our midfield.” You hear that? *Solidify*. That’s not just fluff. Based on what we know, this kid’s gonna slot right into the squad, giving us a sweet option between what Mark O’Neill and Xavi Gnaulati bring to the table. He can be the “water carrier” dishing out passes when he’s with O’Neill, or switch it up and be that disruptive force, winning balls back when he’s alongside Gnaulati or Danny Robles. This is huge for depth and tactical flexibility, something Defiance really needs. The catch? We gotta wait a bit. Ríos is currently repping Costa Rica in the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games, so he won’t be here until those wrap up.
Bell’s Attack-First Mentality Is What We Need
Then there’s Matthew Bell, a 23-year-old out of Kingston, Jamaica, who turns 24 next month. Bell’s journey here was a bit more winding, coming most recently from Portmore United. Coach Nagamura describes him as “a creative attacking midfielder that can create chances and impact games with his skillset.” Sounds like a playmaker, right? Bell’s got a history of finding the back of the net and setting up teammates. At Marshall University, he put up 20 goals and 16 assists in 39 games, all starts. He even made an appearance for Real Salt Lake’s first team after being the 16th pick in the 2024 SuperDraft. During his time with Real Monarchs, he bagged 4 goals and an assist in 1,325 minutes, even scoring *against* Defiance once, and later adding another assist against them. That kind of experience and production, even against us, shows he knows how to impact a game. With Defiance, he’s gonna be a killer alternative to Mark Bronnik up top, or as one of our wide attackers in the team’s 3-4-3 formation. Get ready for some serious offensive punch.
We’re all buzzing about when these guys will actually hit the pitch for Defiance. For Ríos, we know the clock is ticking: Costa Rica plays Cuba on July 30, Panama on August 1, and Colombia on August 3 in the group stage, with semifinals on August 5 and the finals on August 7. So, mark your calendars. We’ll be counting down the days until both Ríos and Bell are repping the Sounders family on the field, bringing that fresh energy to the squad. What a time to be a Defiance fan!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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