TACOMA, WASH. – Tacoma Defiance announced today that it has signed forward Samuel Adeniran, midfielder Tom Brewitt, as well as defenders Randy Mendoza and Issa Rayyan. Mendoza and Rayyan join Defiance immediately, while Adeniran will be added to the roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Clearance (ITC) and Brewitt pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC. Today’s signings bring Tacoma’s current roster to 17 players ahead of the 2021 campaign.
“We’re pleased to add four players that bring us a diverse set of skillsets, backgrounds and experiences, all within the professional game,” said Sounders FC Director of Player Development Henry Brauner. “It’s critical for us that we add experience to our young roster on top of adding another layer of competition into our developmental environment. We look forward to getting them into training with our current group.”
Adeniran, 22, returns stateside following four seasons abroad in Spain and Germany. The Houston native has 34 career professional appearances, most notably scoring seven goals in 14 games in 2018-2019 for CD Guadalajara of the Spanish fourth division and tallying six goals in 13 games in 2019-2020 for Kickers Emden of the German fifth division. He most recently scored two goals in seven appearances for Atlas Delmenhorst of the German fourth division in 2020-2021, after previously spending time with Spanish side CD Castellón.
Brewitt, 24, comes to the Pacific Northwest from England, where he played 10 years in the Liverpool youth system and represented England at the U-17 level. He most recently tallied 27 appearances and two goals across all competitions in 2019-2020 for Morecambe FC in League Two of the English Football League. Brewitt previously made 16 appearances for AFC Fylde of the National League, the fifth-tier of English football.
Mendoza, 24, has 54 career professional appearances in various domestic leagues, including a career high 21 USL League One appearances for Orlando City B in 2019. He also spent time with USL League Two side SIMA Águilas in 2018, and most recently Stumptown AC of the NISA and Charlotte Independence of the USL Championship in 2020. Prior to the pro ranks, Mendoza played college soccer at UC Santa Barbara, where he was a 2017 All-Big West Second Team selection.
Rayyan, 20, joins Tacoma from the Philadelphia Union organization, where he made 34 USL appearances for Bethlehem Steel and Philadelphia Union II, including career highs of four goals and 26 appearances in 2019. The Dearborn, Michigan native spent one collegiate season at Duke University, scoring six goals in 20 appearances in 2018.
Tacoma’s current roster is listed below by positional breakdown.
CURRENT TACOMA DEFIANCE ROSTER
Goalkeepers (1): Christian Herrera
Defenders (6): Abdoulaye Cissoko, Eric Kinzer, Randy Mendoza, Taylor Mueller, Issa Rayyan, Alex Villanueva
Midfielders (8): Carlos Anguiano, Reed Baker-Whiting, Tom Brewitt, Azriel Gonzalez, Sota Kitahara, Danny Robles, Ray Serrano, Marlon Vargas
Forwards (2): Samuel Adeniran, Alec Díaz
