TACOMA, WASH. – Tacoma Defiance today announced that it has signed defender Demian Alvarez and midfielders Ryan Baer and Joonmo Kang to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Alvarez and Baer were selected by Sounders FC in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft following standout collegiate careers, while Kang joins the club following stops in Germany and South Korea. The signings bring Tacoma’s roster to 21 players ahead of the 2025 MLSNP campaign, which begins on Friday, March 7 in a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Quarterfinals against Ventura County FC at William Rolland Stadium (7:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV).
“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, Demian and Joonmo to Tacoma Defiance,” said Sounders FC Director of Development Wade Webber. “These signings continue to showcase the club’s ambition of looking for top talent, both domestically and internationally, to add to our developmental pathway. I am confident that the breadth of experiences from all three players will better our squad both on the field and off it.”
Baer, 23, was drafted 28th overall by Sounders FC in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. He appeared in 92 matches (87 starts) over five seasons at West Virginia, tallying seven assists and being named to the All-Sun Belt First Team and the All-Southeast Region First Team. He appeared in 20 of West Virginia’s 22 regular-season games (19 starts) in 2024, helping the Mountaineers win the Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer tournament. He appeared in 72 additional matches (68 starts) from 2020-2023 and his 92 career appearances are the most by a player in school history. He joined Sounders FC on its preseason trip to Marbella, Spain earlier this year.
“We are excited to welcome Ryan, Demian and Joonmo to Tacoma Defiance,” said Tacoma Defiance Head Coach Hervé Diese. “The careers of both Ryan and Demian in the collegiate space, coupled with Joonmo’s experience in both Europe and Asia, are welcome additions to our squad. I can’t wait to see how we can utilize their talents to make our team better.”
Alvarez, 22, was drafted 58th overall after appearing in 73 matches (67 starts) over the course of his collegiate career, playing at Seattle Pacific University from 2021-2022 before transferring to Seattle University from 2023-2024. He started all 19 of his matches last year for the Redhawks and was named the 2024 WAC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a member of the 2024 All-WAC First Team. The Chico, California native scored a goal in a 3-0 win over San Jose State in the WAC Tournament final where he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He started all 19 of his matches during the 2023 season and was named Second Team All-WAC. While at Seattle Pacific, Alvarez appeared in 35 matches (29 starts) from 2021-2022 and scored four goals, winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2021 and being named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team in 2022. The defender also played for local USL League Two team Ballard FC from 2023-2024, appearing in 29 matches (22 starts) and helping the club win the USL League Two national championship in 2023.
Kang, 23, joins Defiance after making 35 appearances in all competitions from 2023-2024 for Ansan Greeners of the K-League 2, South Korea’s second division. The South Korea international began his career in the German youth ranks, starting with the U-17 squad for FSV Mainz 05 in 2018-2019 before moving to the Dynamo Dresden from 2019-2021, making 30 total appearances at the U-17 and U-19 levels. The midfielder was transferred to SpVgg Greuther Füth II of Germany’s fourth division in July of 2021 before moving to FC Ingolstadt 04 II of the Bayernliga Süd, where he made 10 appearances in all competitions. Kang was then transferred to South Korean side Suwon FC prior joining Ansan Greeners.
Following Friday’s match at Ventura County, Defiance hosts The Town FC in its home opener on Friday, March 14 at Starfire Stadium (7:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV).
TRANSACTION: Tacoma Defiance signs midfielders Ryan Baer and Joonmo Kang and defender Demian Alvarez to MLS NEXT Pro contracts on March 6, 2025.
Full Name: Ryan Baer
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-8
Weight: 142
Hometown: Huntersville, NC
Date of Birth: May 29, 2001 in Huntersville, NC
Nationality: USA
Acquired: Signed to Tacoma Defiance on March 6, 2025, after being drafted 28th overall in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft on December 20, 2024
Full Name: Demian Alvarez
Position: Defender
Height: 6-3
Weight: 178
Hometown: Chico, CA
Date of Birth: March 26, 2002 in Chico, CA
Nationality: USA
Acquired: Signed to Tacoma Defiance on March 6, 2025, after being drafted 58th overall in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft 2025 on December 20, 2024
Full Name: Joonmo Kang
Pronunciation: June-mo
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-10
Weight: 167
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Date of Birth: February 8, 2002 in Seoul, South Korea
Nationality: South Korea
Acquired: Signed to Tacoma Defiance on March 6, 2025
CURRENT TACOMA DEFIANCE ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (2): Lars Helleren, Mohammed Shour
DEFENDERS (6): Demian Alvarez, Birame Diaw, Elias Katsaros, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Antino Lopez, Kaito Yamada*
MIDFIELDERS (11): Ryan Baer, Snyder Brunell, Charlie Gaffney, Sebastian Gomez, Omar Hassan, Antonio Herrera, Joonmo Kang, Peter Kingston, Jackson Khoury, Raffery Pedder, Danny Robles
FORWARDS (2): Osaze De Rosario, Yu Tsukanome
*On loan from Vissel Kobe
